Moving Dog From Main land

You may have an issue with the airlines. We are experiencing the same problem.

American Airlines Stand:
For large dogs that must be transported in the cargo bay or via their cargo transport, if the temperature is forcasted to be at 85 degrees in any portion of your itinary, they will not transport you pet. This is as per their website and a phone conversation with the airline two days ago.

Delta Airlines Stand:
As per phone conversation, they will transport any dog until 15 May. They will "NOT" transport any pets between 15 May and 15 September due to temperature restrictions.

This works for us since our flight is on the 14th of May. The problem is later on, we found the same statement on Delta's website as we did on American Airlines. They will "NOT" transport any pet if the temperature is 85 degrees or higher during any stops of your itenary.

This is kinda rediculous since the temperature in the summer is always 90+ degrees.

Basicly, if you are planning to take a dog to the VI, you will need to do it during the winter months or your dog has to be a small breed that you can take into the cabin with you. BTW, the size of your pet's carrier can not exceed 9" tall. Go figure!

Of course, this is all based on the two airlines' websites and phone convo that I had with both of them.

Gonzo

I had this same problem moving my dogs here. But we did get them here, though it was not quick, cheap or easy. We drove to Orlando and flew on ATA airlines ,who would take dogs during the heat embargo, to San Juan. From San Juan we took the Sea Plane to St Croix via St Thomas. I’m pretty sure that you could take your size dog on Cape Air, which I would suggest over Seaborne. Of course the airlines are always changing their rules so contacting them would be the best idea. I know others who’ve gotten dogs down here during the summer so it can be done it does, however, take some creative planning. Hope this helps.

Lauren

Here's my experience, for what it's worth...get them off the mainland on a day under 85 and once they get to Puerto Rico or STT, things change...folks understand about the temperature barrier. On the mainland, they are going by what weather.com says and it's pretty final. Not much room for negotiation.

The airlines are more concerned about the temp of the tarmac...it may be 85 degrees outside, but add another 20 for sitting on the tarmac for a few minutes - your dog could dehydrate easily and ... well, it just wouldn't be pretty.

We spent thousands of dollars getting our dogs here. If you hurry and you try hard enough, my suggestion would be to fly to STX and board your dog with one of the vets or facilities here, then go home and finish what you started. Expensive? Yes...but depending on what airport you are flying from, coming in later this month may be your best bet. Tourist season is virtually over, so the air fares have dropped some. You can always look at weather.com or wunderground and see what the average temp is on the date you plan to leave. Please also bear in mind that some airlines will not allow more than 1 or 2 transfers per day, so you could be stuck with the additional cost of a multileg trip and overnighting somewhere, as well as the additional costs of getting quick connections.

There are dog transport companies that will arrange this for you at a greatly inflated price...you can do it yourself. Don't fall victim to them, they are under the same constraints you are.

When you put your dog on a plane, I've found that the best thing to do is freeze a 2 liter bottle of water and punch small holes in it and sit it in an aluminum pan...the water will thaw a little at a time and give them something to drink...you will still have a wet hound at the end of the journey, but hopefully not dehydrated.

Also, please do a search on this board for other info on transporting...unfortunately, many airlines have discontinued transporting dogs, but you will glean some info from the posts anyway on how to make it as easy as possible for you and your dog.

Thank you all, I will have to do alot of creative home work to get my dog to STX.

For the longest there was a flyer at Schooner advertising services from a kennel/trainer on STX. I have no knowledge of this gentleman whatsoever, but I seem to recall he had boarding services as well. If anyone pulled that info, please post it up for the newbies that may need a place to leave their dog as the weather warms until they can return for their "real" life on STX. I tried asking Dr. Canton's office in Gallows but they didn't know what I was talking about.

Does any one have any experience with traveling to st croix from US mainland by ship?

I meant traveling with a pet and your family on a ship