Tips about flying dogs in cargo to Guadalajara

[Melinda]

Our 22-lb. dog will be flying for the first time in a cage, in cargo, to Guadalajara next month. We will be flying from Toronto to Mexico City then Mexico City to Guadalajara.
We are very concerned about the 1.5-hour layover in Mexico City. Will the airlines transfer our dog automatically from one plane to the other or do we have to pick up our dog upon arrival in Mexico City and bring him over to board the plane leaving for Guadalajara? We have heard horror stories of dogs missing flights and ending up far away from their intended destinations.

Would appreciate any tips about flying a dog in cargo and what to expect when transferring from one plane to another.

[ibbocat]

We brought 2 cats and 2 dogs from England in cargo with an overnight stop in Mexico City no problems at all and no contact with them. The dogs had been walked/exercised and none of them were stressed when we got to Ajijic.

Just make sure all the paperwork is in order.

[Serenity6]

I would do a lot of research with the airline company's handling of pets if you haven't already done so. I hear Alaska (I brought my dog down on that airline) is very good with pets, but it just takes one :() who doesn't care to cause a bad thing to happen. The big thing is to not travel during a hot time of year.

My biggest surprise was when I arrived in the PV airport, my dog's crate (with her in it) was placed on that moving belt where the luggage goes.

Then, despite having all the paperwork as listed on the website for the MX consulate, I was informed of "new law" that a "stamp" from my vet's office had to be on the paperwork. Of course nobody had one, because there was no such law, so we all had to wait inside the airport for two hours until a "local vet" came by, charged each of us $40US to stick a thermometer up my dog's butt (like she didn't have enough to deal with it as it was) and he declared her "healthy and free of disease".

The one good part was when she took a massive, steaming dump in the tiny, carpeted office of the animal control office that refused to let us even go outside to let our pet's relieve themselves. The guy was screaming in Spanish and I just looked at him with a "well, what do you expect?" expression. Later, I thanked my dog for a job bien hecho.

[bdlngton]

There is a difference between shipping a pet as cargo and checking them as baggage on the same flight you are on. Also some airlines only ship pets as cargo even if you are on the same flight. I believe United does this. This method creates more hassle for you as you cannot pick them up in baggage and clear them through health inspection and customs; you have to go to the cargo customs building and it can take longer. I suggest finding an airlines that accepts pets as checked baggage an your flying on the same flight. Be sure all the dog's health papers are in order.

[camillenparadise]

BRAVO! to your dog, Serenity6!!!!!

[Serenity6]

BRAVO! to your dog, Serenity6!!!!!

She sure looked proud. Wagged her tail and everything. I was on the phone talking to the "vet" and suddenly the guy behind the desk starts screaming. I turn around and observe my girl has assumed the dump position and in my haste to grab something to catch the incoming deposit, I drag the corded phone across his desk, which results in swiping all the stuff on the surface of his desk to the floor in a heap.

I did manage to grab a cardboard box top that I later found out they really needed for their filing and caught most of my dog's gift to animal control. I tossed the very rancid smelly pile in in the non-lidded trash right in his office. I hope he enjoyed the tip from my dog when he split the fee of the forced bribe I had to pay.

[camillenparadise]

Now if we only had security camera footage! Viral material....

[mudgirl]

I flew into Guad. airport some years ago from another Mexican location, and I left my 70 lb. dog in her crate just outside the arrivals door, (but inside the airport) while I moved my baggage outside the doors because I had friends picking me up and couldn't move all at once. When I went back inside to retrieve dog in crate, a porter had loaded the crate on his dolly and was standing just inside the doors, no doubt assuming he'd get a big tip, but as he started to move the dolly, he managed to dump the crate, which turned over, freaking out the already stressed out dog. Porter beat a hasty retreat sans tip.