How big is your dog? Most airlines allow a carrier no larger than 17"l x 12.5"w x 8"h, give or take. We have one from Sherpa (http://www.sherpapet.net/) that our dog (who is normally very fussy) tolerates almost happily.

My understanding is that most (all?) airlines require your pet be in a carrier of some sort, but I don't know if buying an extra seat lets you bring in a bigger carrier than that which fits under your seat. It's worth calling around, though -- I've had good experiences with Delta and JetBlue.

Honestly, if you have a big dog (and a little extra time on your hands), it may be easiest to drive.

It's not a size, but a weight limitation. Most airlines won't allow a dog over 8-15 pounds into the cabin even in a crate. I have a giant dog who has a crate with more space than what I get in cattle class and his airfare is a lot cheaper, too. With a dose of herbal calmatives, even a transatlantic flight isn't that traumatic.

In weather extremes, e.g. hot or cold, you should route your flight to avoid layovers in busy airports. These days, too, flying at all is a major hassle given the security delays and such. If you can avoid flying I'd think that would be the way to go.

She's a full-time school therapy dog and is a 60 lb. (small for the breed) Golden Retriever. We would be traveling with her to do an educational presentation and demonstration. She is certified by a non-profit organization that trains dogs for disabled people, including therapy dogs for use in nursing homes, schools, hospices, and individual situations. SO...she is not a service dog for someone disabled, but a therapy dog who works every day at a school. Driving isn't an option, but all expenses would be paid, so cost is not a problem.

My dogs are therapy dogs as well and I recall during our training (which was about 4 years ago) that we were told that some airlines allow therapy dogs in the main cabin. If I remember correctly, Delta was one of those airlines. A fellow member of our training class took her greyhound dog in the main cabin on a trip to Germany and he sat at her feet - I think she had to buy an extra seat for him. I rember seeing the pictures and she said they had no problems. I'm not sure if Delta still allows this, but I beleive that's the airline she used. I beleive she had to present his certification as a therapy dog and he was also outfitted in a vest that she bought him that stated he was a therapy dog.

Check out our blog on this subject. We flew our terrier from Hawaii to Seattle and have shared insights gained in the process. Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck!

http://flyingurdogs.blogspot.com/

Does anyone have any information on traveling with a dog by train or bus ? I live 3 hours outside of NYC and go quite often by Amtrak and Greyhound. I just adopted a puppy and when she is crate trained I would love to bring her to NYC with me. Is this possible by train or bus ?

Thanks !!