“With favourite do not leave!”: how to travel with a dog worldwide
The photographer and editor Ira Goldman nearly two hundred thousand followers on instagram. On the incredible beauty of the photos taken in travelling, it is almost always with his beloved dog — husky space. Irina told us what it’s like to travel with your pet in all of America and half of Europe, and gave valuable instructions: how to build documents, how to buy a ticket and prepare your pet to travel.
To fly or not to fly
— Ira, many find it hard to decide on one trip with a dog, and you have the space what’s that?
I didn’t plan for the space of this life, but my husband put me before the fact: we’re moving to the United States, and its first transatlantic flight my girl was made in ten months. She is now two and a half years, and she accompanied me in fifteen trips: four trips on the route “Moscow-Los Angeles-Moscow”, and we traveled all over America — from California to Yellowstone, been to Poland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Belarus, Lapland.
— That is, the first trip was a necessity, and then you saw that it was not as bad as commonly believed?
Talk that animals carry with the bags in an unheated baggage compartment that the cells are hanging out, what they throw when loading is complete bullshit.
Pets are kept in a special compartment in the Luggage compartment, where the temperature does not fall below 17 degrees. The cells are securely fastened. When a cage with a dog sit in oversized baggage, come two people, they sealed her, carefully put on a special stretcher, fixed with belts — I have repeatedly seen with my own eyes. By the way, on our battered cage — not a scratch — it says that treat her gently.
— I want to say that you’re worried about space during the flight?
When we flew the first time, I was really worried and thought: do I get my dog alive. Requested a plan of the plane to see where exactly is the office for the animals, and even the airlines know what their percentage of fatal accidents with animals. Replied that such was not the case at all.
But in flight “or drink or to pee” poor animals…
Actually at night the dogs sleep and for a long time without toilet. I walk with space at seven in the evening, and then until morning she is suffering — this is normal. Without food and water dogs can be quite long. If the animal has health problems, before flight it is necessary to consult with your veterinarian.
— By the way, one vet advised me to give the dog a sedative before flying, is it worth it?
Our vet, whom I infinitely trust, believes that if a dog under sedation to take the Luggage, and then the cure will take place and the dog finds himself somewhere he doesn’t understand what happened, why is he here and where is home will be triple the stress. If the animal understands the least about what is happening — it is easier. And the dog handler advised two weeks before the flight to put the shipping container where the dog likes to sleep, lay there a favorite Blankie back, to put toys and let him get used to it.