Is It Possible To Bring Pitbull On Board With You Or Leave Him Isolated On The Brink Of Extermination?

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has passed regulations that now prohibits the airline from not allowing dogs from any breed to board the flight with his/her owner. These dog breeds include the most dangerous the Pitbulls and its variants. However, in such a scenario, the owner needs to essentially make sure that the dog breeds like American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, or the American Bully for that matter are designated as an Emotional Support Animal (ESA).

The DOT’s ruling as of Jan 11th 2021 proclaims that any dog breed is allowed to accompany the owner on the plane (either in the cabin or the cargo hold) based on the conditions as prescribed in the ruling. In fact, many airlines on the pretext of protecting themselves as well as the passengers have prerequisites wherein the dog owners have to showcase the designated need to carry a particular breed of the dog breed, meeting the need.

And this is just not about carrying the Pitbull. In recent times, there has been frequent occurrences of the passengers to accompany service and emotional support animals including turkeys, snakes, pigs with them onboard. However, in the recent developments from the USDOT, it becomes very essential to understand the protocols as well as restrictions and ensure the species of animals that can board the airplane without going through the hassles. 

Inherent Tips to Follow before Booking the Flight for your Pitbull

The first thing obviously comes first. Are pit bulls debarred from boarding the flight on commercial airplanes? Well, that is not the case. There were instances when many US commercial liners such as Delta Air Line had banned pit bulls from domestic and international flights, but almost two years later they were allowed to board the flight with their respective owner either holding the seat in the cargo or cabin area. Airlines such as Southwest, JetBlue, Frontier Airlines, Allegiant Airlines etc. also offer golden opportunities to the Pitbull owners to fly either in the cabin or the cargo hold. On the offset, here are a few quick tips that every Pitbull owner should keep in his or her mind before s/he plans to board the airplane in company of his or her beloved breed:

#1- Do not tranquilize or sedate your Pitbull because these drugs can aggravate respiratory or other vital functions of your Pitbull in the high altitude.

#2- Plan for some exercises just to relive the Pitbull of his/her energies before they get into the carrier and finally on to the plane. Also make sure that the Pitbull has sufficient supply of water with him/her until the time of the boarding. Do not give water to your Pitbull once s/he has boarded the flight. 

#3- Leave food and water dishes in the crate for the airline staff to feed him should the flight gets delayed due to some inexplicable reasons.

#4- Do not book a direct flight with a layover for your Pitbull for the reason that your Pitbull experiences less stressful and mentally shocking. If there are no transitions in between the flight you and your furry pet will reach the destination quickly. Nonstop flights are expensive, but these are worth it for your Pitbull.

#5- Book the space for your Pitbull on the airplane as early as possible for the reason that many airlines have a cap on the dogs flying in cargo or the cabin area. If you delay the booking space for your Pitbull on the flight, maybe you lose the chance of flying in the company of your loving Pitbull altogether.

#6- Place the ID Tag on the carrier or the crate bearing the name of your dog, the type of breed of the Pitbull along with your contact number and the residential address. All of this becomes mandatory to keep track of your Pitbull during the flight and also you have deboarded from the airplane.

#7- Keep in your possession the latest photographs of your Pit, as this is essential to track him when he gets separated from you. You can show the photograph of your dog to anyone, possibly to describe his appearance in the process of finding him.

#8- Try to adjust your Pitbull in the crate for a few days before the departure. Take him for short and long rides in the crate just trying him to adjust according to the crate size and limited spacing. In this manner, you will destress your Pitbull and prepare him for traveling.

#9 – Plan to buy a pet crate based on the airline with which you have reserved the flight ticket. Now this crate could be either soft-sided or hard. Again, the size of the crate will also be decided after you read through the guidelines of the airlines. The maximum allowable size of crate is 17.5 inches x 12 inches x 7.5 inches, or 44 cm x 30 cm x 19 cm. In the recent developments, many airlines have ordered to go for the IATA CR 82 crate, which is meant for the larger or the bully breeds.

#10- Fix the meeting with the veterinarian at least 5 days before the day of your departure to ensure that your pet has all vaccinations in place. In addition, get the appropriate documentation work in place with regard to health and vaccines. The documentation is necessary and mandated by airlines and even the hotels, just in case you are planning to stay in a pet friendly hotel.

Verdict

There are still many breeds of the bully dogs that are known to be overtly aggressive and can harm or attack other passengers even without provocation. Such breeds are banned from boarding the airplane for nothing else but public safety.