New pup

[bonal]

So the past 3 months have been the most difficult in my life with loss of life and mom suffering a severe stroke and last week our beloved dog of 13 years died my wife and I are hart broke over the loss.  Add to that a severe virus cold and constant rain and I haven't flow in almost a month.  But, two days ago we adopted a shelter dog and he is so sweet my wife and I are very happy to bring him into our home. He is a German Shepard mix a little under a year old. We never took our previous dog Hadji with us flying since he was very large and I know this dog will be close to the same size too big for a kennel that will fit in our Mooney but we are planning to get him flying soon. We will likely get him some ear muffs and set up the back bench with a doggie bed. I'm sure most things with dogs and flying are common sense but any suggestions from those that fly with their  pups  would be appreciated including suggestions on muffs that you have used both good and bad.

thank you in advance for any suggestions and kind words

Our new dog is named Magneto

[Guest]

Sorry to hear these things have happened to you and your family.  

My buddy flys with his growing Labrador, he puts Piper in a harness which he then connects to the rear seat belts so the dog can't jump into the front seat.

Clarence

[MooneyBob]

1. Is he left or right Magneto? Anyway, beautiful dog. He will be smart and sweet.  You can tell right away. 

2. We fly our two dogs and two of my daughter dogs all the time. We live 1 hour flight of each other and I fly dogs back and forth depends on who is taking vacation. The biggest is over 100 lbs and smallest 20 lbs. For the small ones I just put something soft in the baggage compartment and large one sits on the back seats. Just like in the car. They stare out of the window and noise doesn't seem to bother them at all. 

[eman1200]

thinking good thoughts for you and your family.  and your new cute pup!

[carusoam]

Hope things get righted soon.  (Soon Can be a relative term) 

 

the dog got a great aviation name!

Best regards,

-a-

[gsxrpilot]

Our Labradoodle, Darby, goes with us most of the time. She usually just sleeps in the back seat or looks out the window. She gets up and pays attention when we start the decent. She doesn't seem to mind the noise at all.

[Chocks]

Darby is the coolest too!


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[Danb]

Good luck with the newbie, 

[animalmover]

I fly with a Border Collie on a semi regular basis. The decibel level isn't an issue. I also do Pilots-N-Paws flights and don't worry about hearing protection ( no complaints to date ).  If you do decide to use it, don't have Magneto's first experience with the ear muffs be in the plane. Taking away a base sense might be too much. Get him comfortable wearing them at home, then in the car, etc.  good luck!  Sorry the picture is sideways???

Edited February 6, 2017 by animalmover

[MyNameIsNobody]

First off...Hang in there.  So very sorry for your loss and the health issues for a loved one.  I derive a lot of hope and faith from Kirk Douglas and his profound ability to bounce back after his stroke.  I have laid two four-legged family members to rest and I compare it as HARDER (at the time) than the loss of my father who at 62 had lived a wonderful life and was so unhappy dealing with diabetes that to this day I feel his passing was a blessing.  My dogs though had me and my wife to "control their fate".  WE ended their time on the planet.  That is rough...at least it was for me.  I get emotional just reliving it here...Add to that foul winter weather when flying is an asterisk instead of an exclamation point and life can get real heavy.  I am so happy that mags has found a new home.  Nothing like "saving a soul" to help one's own soul be refilled with a lust for life.  +1 on the harness.  I would not personally have a dog unrestrained (unless <10lbs) in a plane until you really know how they will react.  We have a collapseable kennel in big seat for small (50lb 1.5 year old pointer) and our senior 60lber goes in baggage...WHEN he flies.  The other kennel serves as a barrier to his coming forward.  We have not ever provided dogs with hearing protection.  There does not seem to be any adverse results from this with all four dogs.  Enjoy your new addition!  Saying a prayer to the weather God's is never a bad thing.  Sunny in Iowa today and 40's.  Life is good.

[kortopates]

Sorry to hear about your mom and loss of your best friend.

We flew with a large 70 lb Labrador, Bailey, for years. No doubt the dog had over a 1000 hrs before he passed a few years ago. Mutt Muffs weren't invented when he started flying but I felt convinced he was telling us he didn't appreciate the noise. So we used knee pads at first and then switched over to the Mutt Muffs when they became available. Of course I can't say with any certainty, but I felt the dog was happier with the muffs on. But after takeoff and climb out, and he would lie down, one of would need to reach back and make sure the the muffs were properly situated for the flight. Once in cruise, they would stay put for the duration.

Like others, we use a harness, not just a collar, and a leash we tie to a fixed shoulder belt. Its loose enough he can get up and move a bit on the back seat but to short to allow him to get to the front seat. Labs are especially calm dogs so we've never been concerned about him trying to come forward, but the primary concern has always been him becoming a flying object in an emergency off field landing. In addition to our safety, we sure want him to survive one too and hence the harness rather than just a collar. 

Our vet recommended a liquid sedative and anti-nausea medication for the first couple of flights. Which we used. But our dog did so well I don't think it was necessary at all. After twio labs we decided we had to go with a rescue next and now have a more Mooney sized 35lbs little girl; is much easier to accommodate weight wise. Layla took to flying right away and we use the same set up with her.

[mccdeuce]

My pup flies with us a lot.  I have mutt muffs for her. She is not overly fond of them. And on occasion she slides them off while I am doing pre start.  Slide them back on once after engine start and they generally stay on the whole flight. 

She usually is asleep on the back seat - Open the door and she's up with the wind in her face.

[gsxrpilot]

BTW... Darby rode for a few hours at 17,500 on a return from DRO to AUS.  Sorry I don't have a picture, but she was wearing a canine O2 mask from Aerox. She didn't like it at all when we first put it on, but then I realized the O2 was on full and was shooting up her nose. We dialed it back to an appropriate level for the altitude and she settled right down. She wore it comfortably for about 3 hours. My wife was riding in the back seat with her to make sure she didn't pull on the hose.

[Jeff_S]

I have flown Pilots n Paws rescues for many years and never worried too much about their hearing. But then recently while futzing with a new headset I had occasion to hear how loud the Ovation really is in-flight. It blew up the decibel meter app on my iPhone. Since we also just rescued a new friend, a happy little Yorkie we found in Pensacola, I decided to get him some Mutt-Muffs. I do think he's happy to wear them during the ride, although he kicks them off as soon as we land.

Here is Rocket enjoying a trip home from Amelia. He was named after the character in Guardians of the Galaxy, but also because he came home to us in the Ovation which I call my own personal rocket-ship! Also not sure why it's sideways...

[cnoe]

Mageto looks like a great dog!

I'm in the Mutt Muffs camp but will make a suggestion. I replaced the chin strap with an elastic strap that allows me to simply slide the muffs over Eli's head and into place. Not quite 5 years old he's logged 175 hours and has only dislodged them 2 or 3 times. IMO big floppy ears makes the muffs a bit less important but with Mag's erect ears I'd definitely use them.

Since some of the funniest stories I've ever heard in aviation involve small dogs loose in airplane cabins we secure Eli in back with a harness and 3' leash which allows him to get up and turn around as desired. He's a big boy so the back seat's all his.




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[cnoe]

P.S. I should also add that in the 175 hours referenced above there have been zero incidents of pee, poop, or barf. I wish I could claim the same with my human passengers. Still I utilize a vinyl seat cover.


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[thinwing]

I like to fly with my cat Barney.Unfortuately I don't have a cute photos to share because he refuses to be photographed.Come to think of it ,there aren't very many things that cat will do!..I mean he acts like I tried to run him over!Wont come when I call and basically ignore me!His "aim"when he in the litter box isn't great,and he's got bad breath!Last time I took him flying ,I got his carrier out ,opened  it and than forgot to feed him for a few days.Than I put some fresh tuna in his carrier...would you believe it ,it took three more days till he would go in there and I could slam the door shut!The drive to the airport was pleasant except while stopped at a redlight ,the car next to me complained about all the noise coming from my backseat.Ive been kinda deaf since the late eightys so it didn't bother me.I get to hanger ,open it up and pull out the plane and preflight.Next I get Barney and put him in the back seat ..I gotta admit,he's not looking so good..kinda crazy eyed and frothing at the mouth.I guess he forgot how much he enjoys flying with me!Anyway I've  got him secured to the seat belt so can't jump out and chase birds like last time.Barney likes to do slow flight and stalls and mild acrobatics like steep banks and chandells.Any way after an hour or so he tends to  get a little antsy..so I land at an airstrip 20 or 30 miles from my house to give Barney a breather.Wouldnt you know it ..Barney did what he did last time..bolted for the door and took off running like there was no tomorrow.I guess it will be a couple weeks till Barney comes dragging himself home!That cat sure loves to chase birds and to fly!

[cnoe]

I hope for your sake Barney's not related to Toonces.

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[thinwing]

Yeah he is pretty similar...he's wrecked 3 cars so far...but no aircraft so far

[wiguy]

 Always nice to have a pup around, especially with 'dog people'.

 

   

[bonal]

Thanks to all for your kind words and messages.  Today the sun is out and with luck the new pup will take his first flight this weekend.

We Loved all the doggy pics and stories

[Danb]

6 hours ago, wiguy said:

 Always nice to have a pup around, especially with 'dog people'.

 

   

Absolutely beautiful 

[amillet]

Our rescue dog Rasta.  First flight she tried to crawl in my lap on take off.  

[DanM20C]

Sorry to hear you going through a rough patch. It's amazing how important the 4 legged family members are too us. Losing one is nothing short of awful. I hope Magneto with help bring a little light to your life, I'm sure he will.

It's been 9 days since my crash and today my lab mix, Molly came home. A friend had been watching her for us since the accident. She immediately jumped into bed with me, snuggled up, and went to sleep.  She has been with us since before we had our kids. Our family isn't complete without her.

The poor girl hates flying and we drag her all over. She used to sit in the back seat with a dog bed but was moved to the luggage area after the kids came.  For cabin trips I taught the wife to pack light in duffle bags, We would line the bottom of the luggage compartment and try to make it as level as possible. Then make a bed with a thick blanket on top and that would be Molly's seat.  It worked well for several dozen 250nm round-trips.

Molly is small as labs go, 45lbs. So she fit the Mooney well. She was also a rescue and has trouble with anxiety, mainly triggered be noises. We use a "thunder shirt" to help with this. It's basically a tight shirt/jacket that hugs her tightl.  She doest leave the ground without it. 

Cheers,

Dan

Edited February 12, 2017 by DanM20C

[DMJones]

Dogs are family.

If anyone has more stories experience with the dog O2 masks, please add them.  We will probably get to 170-210 this summer heading to Idaho, and I'm wondering if I'll need one for the dog...