Flying with Bulldogs

[Lalaloopsie]

Hello to all of you.
I need your advice.
I am a german girl who lives in Bolivia and three years ago we have adopted Snow (chancho), a male Bulldog, who now is part of the family.
Now we have to go back to germany and I found out that there is only one airline that allows international transport of Bulldogs in special conditions. (Lufthansa) They don*t fly to Bolivia, so I would have to get to Brasil somehow.. The flight to germany is really long and he would travel in the hold. (like 15 hours). I still try to see if this is an option, because the lady from the airline said she wasn*t so sure .. The only other option would be "in cargo"?- also with Lufthansa. But some of you said it is really dangerous. I don*t see any alternatives..

Do you have any Ideas?

yes, you are right, only Lufthansa flies short muzzled dogs, and you better say thank you guys that you fly them at all, because no other company will fly bulldogs.
He can fly only as a cargo, no options. They won’t fly him if temperature in port of exit (Brazil) or port of entry - Germany will be over 27 Celsius, so you must plan time of departure carefully. Summer is a bad time. They can cancel your flight 5 days in advance. Then you sit with big problem.
Dont be scared of dog compartment, they pump air in it and it is air conditioned. Of course, you know your dog better, how nervous he will be, how open his nares are etc, but my Tank flew from Beijing to Frankfurt, stayed one night in a dog hotel where they let them out and feed, and then flew to Atlanta. He was doing good.
In May we are relocating to South Africa and will fly him again via Frankfurt to Cape Town.
You will need a travel agent because bystanders not allowed to enter cargo zone, and you will probably need some paperwork and blood work for him, let agent do it for you, you don’t want to make a mistake.
You will need to buy proper size dog cage. He will fly to Frankfurt most probably.
And you will need a lot of money.
Dont be overly nervous unless he has big health issues. And good luck!

 

[helsonwheels]

[MENTION=15780]Lalaloopsie[/MENTION] South Africa ? Cool!!!

 

[Lalaloopsie]

Yay! Can’t wait! A bit nervous about Tank’s flight, but so ready to go to Cape Town!

 

[helsonwheels]

Yay! Can’t wait! A bit nervous about Tank’s flight, but so ready to go to Cape Town!

For work? Tank’s a trooper!

 

[Lalaloopsie]

Yeah! Poor Tank is dragged around the world again!

 

[helsonwheels]

Yeah! Poor Tank is dragged around the world again!

Geez, if he doesn’t want to go I’ll replace him... lol

 

[JohnSnow]

Thank you lalaloopsie! I*m glad to know about someone experienced.
Wow your dog has seen more of this wold than me :D

I talked to Lufthansa yesterday and they told me the same. I*m so glad there is a way to geht him there. Now I think there are no agents in Bolivia to prepare everything, I will have to get it together alone. And it seems that it will be even more dificult because I need a rabies serology test and they dont have legal laboratorys for that in Bolivia. So I will need to send blood to chile or Brasil. As I red my dog has to have a chip and a health certificate. His travelling box has to be 10 cm bigger than the dog on every edge.. ( Don*t know where to get that yet, never saw one in Bolivia)
And I have to travel with Snow to Sao Paolo from Sucre. I hope I can find a bus to take him with me. It*s a long ride.. Like 3 days from here..

I am really scared about all this and don*t know how to get the money, but I won*t give up, because he*s part of the family. I don*t know what to do if it won*t work.. Maby I*ll have to stay and try to work here to care for us, but it would be really difficult.
Sorry for writing all this here, but I feel so frustrated!

Thank you for your answers giving me some hope!

 

[cefe13]

I hope you and Snow will find a solution!

 

[BellyRubs]

I’m a few days delayed on this but please, for the love of the god you believe in, don’t fly your bulldog commercially. Many airlines have stopped flying the brachycephalic breeds due to breathing problems and there’s a good reason for that. They don’t breathe well at 8,000 feet (that is what the air inside feels like on a commercial jet at cruise altitude)! I’ve never seen a ‘happy’ dog waiting to get loaded into the cargo bin. They get incredibly scared in the cargo bin. It’s dark, they don’t know where they are, and pant like crazy.

Flying dogs commercially can be done safely. I just don’t think (personally) brachycephalic breeds fit into that category.

It might break your heart but give your dog to your best friend, a family member, or someone you would trust with your own life. They’ll be happier and you’ll feel better.

Now, if you can fly the, in the cabin? Totally different story and I’m most definitely for that. If not? Do your bull a favor and let them lives out their days with friends.


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