Pet owners often decide, reluctantly and for their pet’s sake, not to travel or to leave them at home. But when owners are forced to take a pet along, for example for an overseas relocation, they have a hellish trip, worried all the time about their friend whose condition they cannot check on in any way. In fact no one, not even the crew, can access the area in which the pets are packed.

The owners of medium-small, medium and large dogs are the most affected by these rules, but they are not the only ones. Each passenger can travel with one pet only in the cabin, so anyone who has two or more cats or dogs, even if small, won't be able to bring them in the cabin. The owner will have to be accompanied by someone else or will be forced to put them in the cargo hold. Not to mention those who have other pets such as rabbits, ferrets, turtles or birds, for which each company has different rules and restrictions.

In a society where dogs and many other pets are full members of the family, they can travel on trains and ferries, they are accepted in restaurants and hotels, current airlines rules that prevent us from traveling with our friends are completely anachronistic.

Someone will object current restrictions are for the comfort and safety of the other passengers. They are not. How could anyone be comfortable travelling next to a 10-pounds-dog that barks all the time or next to a cat that, after 7 hours confined to the pet carrier, pooped in it?
The current rules are discriminatory because they allow some dog and cat breeds and their owners to have a safe journey, while others have a hellish one. The fact that weight and size are the discriminating factors and not other characteristics such as noise, odour, or aggression, doesn't make any sense and is immoral.

What’s the solution? 
One place to start would be to create a small, welcoming and soundproofed pet area with 5-10 carriers of different sizes, accessible by the owners during the flight. This arrangement would already solve many situations and would make for a pleasant and secure trip for pets, owners and everyone else.
Another option could be special seats with a big pet carrier nearby. But there are many other possible solutions that could be adopted in the future.
On Youtube you can easily find the Boeing concept for "the 2030 airplane" that includes even a gym, a golf course, and augmented reality. Beautiful, but not a word about our pets.
Maybe they think that in 2030 we will have dog-holograms and robot-cats ?!
First comes an equipped animal area and then the golf course!

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Join this campaign if you think everyone should be able to travel safely with their pets.
Like DogInCabin Facebook page and share on Fb, twitter, istagram, whatsapp, tag friends and famous people! The more we are, the more our request will be strong and will be heard. We can change our planes!