Ever taken your dog to the airport?

[jeninejessica]

I mean in the sense of greeting a family member home... not to take them on a flight.

I was musing today that I wanted to bring our puppy to the airport to greet my husband when he gets home, but I was worried about leaving him in the car in case we're delayed. I had several people tell me that they take their dog in every time they have to meet someone at the airport.

Can't find anything on the website, and am waiting for a reply (yes I swallowed my pride, and emailed customer service).

Anyone had experience with this? I never would have thought of it, but my boss mentioned the fact that animals fly right... so obviously they do have them in the airport. I just can't wrap my head around it.

[Oubliette8]

I have. I was picking up a friend from an early morning arrival at O'Hare. I thought I'd wait at the curb, or park close and leave the dog in the car, but I ended up being VERY early, and the closest parking was on the other side of the airport. So, she came in with me. It helped that she is a small dog (about 20 lbs) and I could carry her when needed- for instance, at one point all the elevators I needed were out of service and I had to pick her up to ride the escalator instead. It also helped that she is very well behaved and walks nicely on a leash, and that the hour was so early there was nobody else there. I was worried we'd be kicked out, but the airport staff all smiled and waved when they saw her. Even the guy riding the floor waxer We only stayed in the baggage claim areas, I suppose dogs are ok there because thats were the majority are picked up after their plane rides. I did try to be sensitive to other peoples needs- we kept to ourselves, and one point we needed to ride a tram and I picked her up because there were other people in the car, and made sure we kept our distance in case any of them had dog fears etc.

I would reconsider bringing the dog if-
-Your dog is not perfectly behaved in public
-Your dog is large/giant
-You will be meeting your loved one at a busy time of day

Also think about-
you said its a puppy- are you sure it wont have an accident in the airport? How is it on its shots? Has it had previous socialization? The airport can be overwhelmingly busy and could scare a nervous pup, or one with little previous socialization.

and-
What if the flight is delayed? In our local airports, areas suitable for potty breaks are not easily accessible. If its going to be several hours, it might be a good idea to bring along water etc.

Overall, I'd probably not do it. I only ended up doing it because of poor planning on my part. We had a good experience, but its not something I would think most dogs can handle, nor would I necessarily subject a puppy to. And of course, it was like 4am. If it had been busy, I think the whole thing would have been very stressful. Your pup will probably be happier waiting at home to greet your LO. And you'll be less stressed, and have more freedom to help with luggage etc without the pup there as well.

[~Adorkable~]

i know the 3 airports i usually got do not allow pets that are not flying or service dogs to come into the building at all. and if they are to be flying, then they need their crate.

[Ola_]

Around here pets are only allowed if crated the whole time they are in the airport buildings. Now when we've flown with one of our dogs we didn't put her in the crate until we were boarding her because I didn't want her to be crated longer than necessary. We were very popular that day, everyone (including airport personnel) gushed over her, but we had the option to put her in the crate in case someone objected to her being out.

The point about being potty trained is a good one, cause you don't want to get peed on (if you're carrying the puppy) or for him to potty on the floor. Also there normally isn't a lot of grass around airports and many dogs don't like to potty on concrete.

If your airport allows uncrated dogs and you don't have potty concerns then I'd bring him, along with a big pocketful of treats for anything that might spook him (moving doors, elevators, etc).

[jeninejessica]

Thanks guys. Sorry I used a poor choice of wording. He's my 'puppy' but I guess he's not technically a puppy anymore, he just turned two. He's a 7lb papillon, and very friendly, pretty well behaved. I wasn't planning on letting him down, just holding him the whole time. I'm not worried about him pottying, he's well trained in that respect, but if we did need to go out, the airport is very small and it would take less than a minute for me to get outside.

The official answer I've now gotten from the airport customer service is that no, they're not allowed. But every single person I've talked to about it has said that they've either brought theirs, or seen others bring, dogs into the airport to greet family. So it's a little mixed signals. I think I'm going to bring his crate with us, but leave it in the car, and take him in with me, in my arms. I have to bring in my husbands jacket in with me anyways, so there's a chance no one will see him anyways. And then if someone does say something, I'll apologize and I can put him in his crate in the car.

Good idea with the treats. That'll keep him busy and focused.

Thanks guys... wish me luck!

[Ola_]

If you have a soft bag-style carrier that should do just fine in terms of confinement since he's so small. I think your plan sounds just fine.