I was stressed!!!
We were flying from Orlando to Newark, a short flight in theory, but it felt like it lasted forever. Travel day energy was high. Our flight was at 9am and yes, I showed up at 6:30am because if you know me, you know I test that airport timing theory every. single. time.
First stop: check-in to get his travel tags. Then TSA. Even with TSA Pre-Check and Clear, the line was still… a situation. About 20 minutes in, and my pup? Not thriving in the carrier. I tried everything: calming spray, calming bites, tiring him out beforehand, nothing worked. He does not love the carrier and honestly, I get it.
I found a quiet corner, let him out, and that’s when things turned around (slightly). Two little girls came over and entertained him for a solid 45 minutes (shoutout to their parents because that saved me). Getting him back into the carrier though? A full mission. Toys didn’t help. Bribes didn’t help. It was a whole thing.
Once he was in and perched on top of my carry-on, he calmed down a bit. But boarding took forever, and so did his patience. Finally, we get on the plane. I put the carrier under the seat… and he was not okay with that. Cue stress level: high.
Eventually, he fell asleep during takeoff (thankfully), but if I could do it again, I’d board later instead of right away. My seat neighbor was amazing and let me take him out, which is when he really settled… on my lap, like the 5lb Yorkiepoo he is.
And yes, when we landed… I absolutely cheated and carried him off the plane. No regrets.
A few things I learned:
- Call your airline ahead of time to make sure your pup is added to your reservation
- Start positive reinforcement with the carrier early
- Check your bag if you can
- Board toward the end (trust me on this one)
- Limit food before the flight (I stopped feeding him around 2am)
Would I do it again? Yes.
Would I be calmer next time? Debatable 😅
Meet Kodi:
So the only question left is…
Where to next? 😊