Prepare my frenchies for a first stay without me

[Katie1]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Why? They deserve a trip by themselves, and the dogs would likely be miserable - not to mention, taking a brachycephalic dog on a plane (especially if they end up having to go in cargo) is NOT a good idea. They have enough trouble breathing as it is, poor things, and the oxygen on a plane is even worse.

What are they gonna do? Literally never leave their dogs alone for the entirety of their lives? That simply isn't feasible or healthy for any of them. As Parnassia said, people who treat their dogs this way are doing them a disservice; they might think it's loving and spoiling, but it's really making them co-dependent anxious pups. Imagine if you had a child who'd never spent a night away from their parents until college. They'd be screwed up lol.

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Small as they are Dogs can fly in the cabin with their owners... Free OR Buy a seat for them.

SERVICE Dogs NEVER leave their owner! Are you saying it Unhealthy?? duh

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by Katie1

Small as they are Dogs can fly in the cabin with their owners... Free OR Buy a seat for them.

SERVICE Dogs NEVER leave their owner! Are you saying it Unhealthy?? duh

Partially false and misleading information. I've flown with small pets (NOT service animals) including a puppy in under seat carriers multiple times on different airlines over multiple decades. It was NEVER free. I always paid a pet fare whether the animal rode in the passenger cabin or the cargo hold (too big or a species not permitted in the cabin for some idiotic reason). Don't think I've come across an airline that would allow a pet to ride on a passenger seat these days regardless how much the owner paid. The pet's carrier must fit under the seat in front.

As for service animals, it makes sense that an airline wouldn't charge a fee for a bona fide service animal to fly in the passenger cabin. Note I wrote service animal. NOT an ESA! Too many entitled wannabes ruining that for people who really do rely on them.

You insist on comparing apples to oranges here. We're discussing spoiled pets, not service dogs. As for it being unhealthy for a dog to never learn how to leave its owner's side, I'll stand by my opinion it isn't. Once again in case you missed it, we're discussing pets. A properly trained service dog is supposed to be equipped to handle a very different set of day-to-day circumstances than a pet.

[dizzybint]

My nine year old shih tzu has hardly ever been left alone....as were an older couple who only got the dog after we retired from work. so that we could always be with it.. He was left once when we had to go to a family funeral.. and when my usband had to run me to hospital.... apart from that hes never alone and thats the way I like it.... Holidays abroad are out of the question now.. so we plane dog friendly trips away with him...Yes it is all about him... or I wouldnt have got a dog at all.. Im not saying Im right in my thinking.. but its why I have never had a dog when Ive had to go to work..its just not fair....Taking two dogs to a wedding or any gathering I feel is bad manners... no matter how well behaved the dogs are....Im afraid Im not much help as Id rather cancel the wedding...

[Dashdog]

Originally Posted by Katie1

Small as they are Dogs can fly in the cabin with their owners... Free OR Buy a seat for them.

SERVICE Dogs NEVER leave their owner! Are you saying it Unhealthy?? duh

Take the dogs with them? Even if it was just another state you take two dogs with you what are you going to do with them during the wedding? It would be very rude to bring dogs to a wedding. Most hotels do not want dogs left alone in rooms and the ones that do, want them crated if left in the room and if they start barking and fussing chances are the hotel will call the owner and insist, they come back to the hotel.

When people get a pet dog, they need to teach it to be alone as what happens if you suddenly get ill and end up in the hospital? A dog that has learned to be alone will do fine but those anxious dogs that you have created separation anxiety in will freak out. Is that fair to the dog?

An older man I know had a dog that suffered major separation. anxiety, he and the dog were so codependent on each other it was pitiful. A few years ago, the dog at 13 died and he eventually got a new dog. I kept telling him to teach it to be alone, but he has this thing that he just will not do anything the dog might not like and now at 2 years the dog runs his life and that whole codependency thing is going on. The dog has learned if he does not want to do something all he has to do is make a big fuss and his owner will not make him do it. His owner has this big fear if he makes the dog do something it might not want to do that it will not love him. As A puppy the dog spent time at my house when his owner had some work to do and I enforced rules yet oddly enough the dog still loves me, and I tried to get his owner to see that, but he just cannot do it.

I have always had 2 or 3 dogs and years ago use to board my dogs. Did they love going to the kennel probably not, but they survived, and it did not change our relationship. It might have even made it better because I was able to enjoy things, I love besides just being a dog owner. I have spent time in foreign countries and with friends all without the dogs and I enjoy it. Despite loving my dogs, it is nice to have some dog free time.

I also have used dog sitters but just have them come over twice a day to feed and walk the dogs as my dogs do use a pet door to go out to potty if need be and are fine at home alone. The dogs have done fine and love the current sitter. If we are out walking and run into her, Chaos almost does back flips, she is so excited to see her. She will send me photos of dogs with her, and they always look very happy. I also used her when I had a knee replacement and could not take the dogs walking for a couple weeks. She came by at about 6AM to walk them so I gave her a key as I do not get up that early so she would come in get them, walk them for an hour then let them back into my house. The dogs loved it and a couple days she had called the night before to tell me she would be a half hour late and the dogs would wake me up looking at me like where is Katie?? It is nice to know my dogs are so comfortable with someone they do not live with. I think we all think our dogs would be so heartbroken without us but during my life I have adopted several adult dogs or taken in dogs I found until I could find their owners and sorry to say they did not seem to grieve their owners; most have acted like they had always been with me.

Sure, there are dogs that grieve being away from owners but that makes me wonder if they had never been taught to spend time alone and had suffered major separation anxiety when apart from their owners?
I agree with the others about having the dogs get use to spending the time with either a sitter or at a kennel but doing overnights and or walks long before the trip. I love my dogs and they are family, but I have never considered them to be my kids as they are dogs not small humans in fur coats and are well adjusted because I see them as dogs.