How not to transport your dogs

The saying that one will be addressed the way one dresses is absolutely true. The way will present our dogs to the public will say a lot about our kennel. Some people display dogs being transported to another city or state, and to other West African countries in baskets that can barely contain them. The travel baskets are ‘too big for comfort’, smiles. For example, if you transport an adult Great Dane in a travel container meant for an adult American Eskimo, is that not animal cruelty? If these pets could talk, they would have called you a murder or murderess. They would have rained curses on you for meting out to them inhumane treatment.

You will see people displaying dogs in a dirty environment. This they do not do in their closets, but they choose Facebook. Information posted on social media has no boundary. It is worldwide. The world is watching your activities and the kennel you want to promote on social media. You may be an ethical dog breeder, but poor presentation or handling of your dogs can portray you otherwise. What we do not say is what we will be judged on -our body language! If you are taking pictures of your dogs in a dirty environment, what are you telling the world? 

It is pertinent to note that our dogs should enjoy their journey just like we do when we travel. Poor packaging can even kill the animals or traumatize them. Our dogs should travel in suitably sized Pet Travel Containers. Let us now move into how to size and make our travel crates.

Pet travel crates are usually made of plastic or wood. The main purpose of the crates are:

1. Safety of the animals
2. Comfortability
3. Safety to other animals and human during travelling
4. Easy handling

Like I said earlier, the container can either be made of wood or plastic,the onus is on you to verify the materials and specifications required from your Airline or transport company to guide you on which crate you need.

 We will be looking into the basic dimensions required by most airline. These may be the minimum requirements by airline, but going above it is not harmful, it will only make the dogs more comfortable during the journey.

It is important you get the right size of container for your animal. Airlines are meticulous in ensuring that the animal has enough space to turn about normally while standing, to stand and sit erect, and to lie in a natural position in the crate or container. This is the reason why sizing of the travel crates is important; airline will accepted or refused your dog based on this.

The below will guide you on how to size your pet travel container:

A= Length of dog from nose to base(root of tail) -Figure 1
B = Height of dog from ground to elbow joint -Figure 1
C = Width of dog across shoulders or widest point (whichever is the greater) as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3                               

D = Height of dog in standing position (top of head for dogs with non- erect ears and from tip of ears for dogs with erect ears) -Figure 1

To estimate the right dimensions for pet travel container, use the below formula:

Length = A + 1⁄2 B Width = C x 2 Height = D + 10cm

NOTE:

• The Length, Width and Height used here are internal dimensions
• The additional 10cm is to give room for blanket or shredded paper,bowl or toy
• Brachycephalic breeds like Pug, French Bulldog, English Bulldog etc require more space than the calculated dimensions. Please give extra room.
• If more than one dog is be in the container, Parameters of the largest dog should be used in all calculations
• If 2 dogs will be in the container, width = C x 3 
• If 3 dogs will be in the container, width = C x 4
• These dimensions are minimum requirements, each airline may required the crate to be a bit bigger than this.

We usually see people transporting dogs with this type of baskets. One basket will form the base, while another will be the cover. The base and the cover will be secured in place with binding wires. This is so outrageous because the space in the basket is not enough for the dog to stand up, not to talk of turning round. Usually, the dog in this type of container will stay in a position throughout the journey. Bad, isn’t it?

You can actually design your own Pet travel container from wood or plywood with simple carpentry skills and tools in a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) or get a carpenter do it for you. You can determine the dimension of the crate based on the formula and you cut your wood or plywood accordingly. The door can be made of steel or stainless wire mesh to improve the air circulation within the crate.

In conclusion, we should ensure that we transport dogs in a suitable container in terms of material and size. Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment or ask questions in the comment section. Please do use the Follow us button at the bottom of the page to follow us on social media and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

©Euniversal Stars Kennels 2020