Traveling to Italy with My Service Animal
Time to move to Italy which meant Bodhi was finally going to go with me. She happens to be a service animal, which allows her to travel in the cabin with me. This is a major advantage for those having a dogger than 20 pounds. She is more on the medium side and 40 pounds. Now, traveling with Bodhi comes with its own set of requirements, but let me share my experience and some tips that might help you out, whether your pup is a service animal or not.
You can watch or listen to our YouTube Podcast Episode 24 fulling explaining how I traveled with Bodhi.
First off, let me tell you, I was freaking out a bit before the trip. I mean, who wouldn’t, right? The whole airport scenario can be overwhelming, especially with a dog. But as it turns out all that worry was for nothing. I had all my paperwork and prepared her for the trip and it turned out just fine.
You see, Bodhi hasn’t been exposed to much in the last 6 years from her training. There were all the COVID restrictions and me working from home even before that period. So, before the trip, I did some refresher training with her trainer and took her to places she wouldn’t normally go, like Home Depot, train stations, in an elevator and more just to get her used to different environments. Exposing her to larger, louder, busier settings was a key element in her preparation. It let her know what was to come and what was expected of her.
Now, one big thing you need to sort out before traveling with your pooch is their paperwork. It’s essential to have all the right documents from a USDA-approved vet. Finding the right vet for this can be a bit tricky, but once you do, it’s smooth sailing. I looked on the USDA site and call a few around me. Most answering the phone knew a little about it but said someone in the office could figure it out. Not comforting. The one I decided on was well versed and put me at ease.
Speaking of paperwork, Bodhi needed a rabies vaccination more than 21 days before our trip. Now, here’s the catch: in Europe, they consider a three-year rabies shot as only good for one year. So, I had to get her a one-year valid rabies shot within the correct timeframe. She had one appointment for the rabies shot and one for the health certificate which needed to be issued within 10 days of travel.
And let me tell you about navigating through TSA with a dog. It’s not as simple as it seems. Bodhi’s collar, leash and service animal vest would set off the metal detector. I wanted to avoid a pat down in a strange place as well as the delay. Therefore, I purchased a travel collar with sturdy plastic rings and put a piece of rope in my bag for a temporary leash. When we approached TSA, I took off her vest and leash. I slipped on the rope to her travel collar and walked through the metal detector with her. It worked like a charm!
Most major airports have pet relief centers. You can find them online on the airport directory. It gave me comfort to know they were there and I would take her there twice before each flight, just in case, But, guess what? Bodhi didn’t even use them! Maybe she didn’t get relief but I did knowing she had an opportunity to use the restroom if needed.
As for the flights themselves, Bodhi was a rock star. It was as if she was a jet setter her whole life. She slept most of the time, while as usual, I struggled to catch some Z’s. I was surprised by this because she is a very active dog. I was also worried she wouldn’t fit in the assigned leg room I had. Now I have to say I was fortunate enough to go business class for the long flights so she had more space. On the short flight from Rome to Palermo it was economy and she laid down just fine. I have since flied with her on flights lasting a couple hours and she was good with those too. If I were to take a flight longer than say 5 hours I would buy two seats so I would have more leg room and she could stretch out if she wanted to.
Now, if you’re pet isn’t a service animal and too large to fly in the cabin there are some options. First you can check them into cargo. If this is your choice make sure it is an airline approved crate and coordinate carefully with your vet and the airline. You can also charter a private jet with a group of others to share the cost.. There are Facebook groups and pet transport companies that offer these services, but they can be quite pricey. It’s all about finding what works best for you and your pup.
So, there you have it!
Traveling with your dog might seem daunting, but with a little preparation and some patience, it’s totally doable.
