just curious if anyone has left the island with their dog and had to check it? i am just planning on when i am leaving and all that and it looks easiest to go through puerto rico because i can get an early morning flight, keep it cooler for the dogs, but anyone else have any advice or airlines they suggest?

We flew out of SXM with out dog in april 2006 through american airlines. We went through Puerto Rico and everything seemed to go okay. You are probably right about it being cooler in the morning but I wouldn't make that a deciding factor for which airline or schedule you pick. I would worry more about your dog being cold than anything because when you get to such high altitude it quickly gets cold. We did switch to USair for part of our way home and they had a nice feature where the flight attendent would bring you a little card stating that your dog had been loaded on before taking off, for your piece of mind.

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Director of Anatomy --
Skipper's Medical Univeristy of the Dutch West Indies--SMU-DWI

most people who ship dogs use American Airlines. Usually though, you have to ship the dog back before the may semester or after the august semester, since the temperature must be forecast to be below 85 degrees everywhere that you will stop. My neighbor is leaving at the end of this semester, but had to ship his dog back at the end of the last semester to make sure that he could get him back.

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AUC 5th Semester!!

Is that 85 deg, rule only if the animal must be loaded with cargo? I wouldn't see the temp being an issue if the dog is coming on board with the passenger.

Yes, only as cargo. However, the dog has to be pretty small to go on the plane since their carrier has to be usual carry-on luggage size, and that has to give the dog enough room to turn around and stand up.

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AUC 5th Semester!!

For cabin pets it must be <20 pounds and able to turn around in the carrier. The carrier must also meet the under-seat dimensions. The airlines couldn't care less about your pet's comfort though, so I'd say if you think your pet is ok in the container, then the airline certainly won't be checking. I've flown several times with my two cats and the only people who have so much as looked at them is customs.