My dog Hunter is an 11-month old Rhodesian Ridgeback, and weighs about 85 lbs; I had written off the idea of him ever being able to fly with me due to his size. We have flown a 50lb Husky mix before, but she was small enough to fit in the baggage compartment.
I am planning a trip up to NC around thanksgiving, and insisted my wife fly commercial as she doesn't have the flexible schedule that I do. That means Hunter would either have to fly with me or spend a week in a kennel. I decided I would slowly start introducing him to the plane and see if the idea was feasible. He is also mature enough now that I am completely comfortable with his temperament - he is tolerant of everything and never reactive or jumpy. As long as he is with his people, his is up for anything.
I started by removing the right side seat back, cushions, and stick, and putting an old dog bed in their place, extending back into the baggage compartment. I practiced first putting him up on the wing, which I covered with an old section of carpet to prevent sliding and scratches. Then I worked on lifting him up into the cockpit. Each step was accompanied with lots of hot dog bits. I had him wear his harness, and attached a short tether to the rear crossmember, long enough for him to lay down and move around, but short enough to keep him off my lap or from tangling himself in it.
The next time out, we practiced starting the engine and did a quick taxi test. He sat up in his seat most of the time, even putting his head outside, and didn't seem too concerned. Eventually he just laid down with his head on my lap as I fed him treats.
The last step was to attempt a quick flight. Taxi and run-up were fine and he seemed unconcerned, so I started a takeoff roll ready to abort should he spaz out. He didn't seem to notice though and pretty soon were were cruising around for about 10 minutes before coming back in. He looked out his window briefly during the approach, but otherwise stayed curled up on his bed. He must have been a good co-pilot because somebody stopped by my hangar to tell me "beautiful landing".
All in all I think it was a success with the key being a slow introduction to the plane, lots of treats, and getting him thoroughly exhausted at the dog park prior to flying. I don't think flying with him will be a regular occurrence but I think we would both prefer it to him being left at home for a week without us. I have also ordered him some mutt-muffs to protect the ears. If anybody else has any tips on flying with big dogs, I'd love to hear them. My #1 concern is making sure it is done without any possibility of hurting himself or interfering with flight controls - so far I think it is doable.
Chris
(Big) dog is my copilot
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