I will be traveling from the USA to India next month. I currently live on my own with my dog, as this is the first time I will be away from home for an extended duration which is three weeks. Previously I have only been away from home for a maximum of a week, and I have someone to take care of my dog, but this time I don't have anyone. I was wondering can I take my dog to India from the USA? I think would be the best solution, and I can easily relax knowing my dog is fine. If I can take my dog to India with me, I need to know which flights allows pets? Is there anything I need to do such as paperwork before bringing along my dog with me?
I do believe you can. You need to ask the travel agency if you can bring pets and they will give you some paperwork to do. You should have your pet's vaccines updated as they may need them in order to transport your pets.
I'm pretty sure you can, but I advise you against it. Not because it's India, but because it can be very stressful to animals, and I've heard of tons of cases the pets died in the plane because there no one watches them, and India is a very long trip for a dog to be all alone in a cage. I'm always tempted to take my dog to my trips but I always end up not doing it because... poor thing.
Taking a dog on a flight is incredibly stressful for the dog and isn't really advisable; also, dogs have to be contained for the duration of the flight and may actually die due to the negligence of no one watching it for that time. I really strongly suggest getting a pet-sitter or a friend to look after your dog for your trip, as much as it'd be fun to have him with you.
Wow, you really think this would be "the best solution?" The best? I cannot recommend it. A long haul flight would be extremely stressful on an animal, not to mention on you because you'd be worrying about your dog the entire time it is in cargo. Plus, after you arrive, would you take your dog with you every single place you go? I wouldn't' advise that either unless you know for a fact, 100% sure, that your dog is not likely to slip his leash and run off. Can you imagine losing your pet in a foreign country? I would drop dead in panic ... If you have no one that you know to take care of your dog, I highly recommend that you find a trustworthy, upscale dog kennel. You obviously have the money for one if you are seriously considering paying for a plane ticket for your dog. In my opinion, this would be a much wiser option.
I agree with what most people here say. Taking a dog from the US to India would be a bad idea. The journey is exhausting enough for humans, I've done it myself, it would not at all be healthy for the dog. Then there's the question of what you would do with the dog while in India. There are probably several diseases that dogs can get in India that don't exist in America. It would be stressful for the dog to be in a strange environment with so many new smells and sounds (India is a really loud country by the way). Taking a dog around would be very difficult, I don't know if taxi drivers would be ok with having a dog in their car.
As much as you might think that you are doing a good thing by bringing your dog with you on the trip, the truth is that he will probably be miserable on that very long flight and it won't be a very good experience for the dog. Why don't you just find a friend or family to take care of it while you're gone. Or you could take it to one of those dog kernels where they can take care of it till you come back.
The airline staff will help with paperwork. You just need to take his medical reports so that the airlines as well as the officials know that the dog has been vaccinated. All international flights allow dogs. They provide special enclosures. The minimum age for flying a dog varies and you can't fly a puppy that is less than 8 weeks old.
