I fly with my lab, Charlie, quite a bit. He's a great copilot.

For you guys who also keep your best friend along for the ride, what have you learned over the years?

One thing I'm struggling with is a long XC that I'm planning for later this year. He flew 2400 miles round trip with me last year and was perfectly well behaved, this time I'll be making longer stops and running into town whereas before they I only made quick fuel stops. I'm not sure what to do with him while I'm in town for a couple hours at a time where I can't guarantee the places will be dog friendly?

Also, have you guys ever experienced any hypoxia type symptoms with your dogs?

My boy is older now and has developed asthma. I read the older dogs and dogs with breathing issues should not fly above 5000’. So we’ll be flying along the coast a lot this year rather than over the mountains or certain classes of airspace.

I have looked into an oxygen system for dogs, however, and will experiment with it this summer with my brother as pic and me tending to my dog to see if it is a safe and viable option for him.

I bought mutts muffs for my boy Baker to protect his ears, but he hated them and kept pawing at them. I wanted to protect his ears and bought this product - it is a tight fitting cotton that goes around his ears. Seems to help with the noise. He flies at 10K and seems to do better than me but I have not taken him above 10,500. He has about 500 hours of flight time and always seems up for a flight - long or short. He has not flown in a year due to him recovering from 2 CCL knee repairs (the equivalent of torn ACLs in dogs). I have some fears as he gets older taking him to Idaho and may just keep the flights to local areas. It is awesome to have such a great copilot.

I would check out rover.com and just arrange some local care for your dog while you are running errands. People steal dogs unattended and our canine friends hate being alone - especially in an unfamiliar environment. Most rental car companies don't have issues with the dog riding in the car. Also - just say he is a service animal. i do respect that some people are truly fearful of dogs and try to avoid bringing him in public places. Baker is a dreaded Pitt Bull - so he gets a little bit of discrimination. He makes up for it with his good looks.


Josh

My Black Lab Sophie has been flying with me for 6 1/2 years, including many trips from western WA to the ID backcountry.

I use “Mack’s” silicone ear plugs with great results. They are soft, easily molded to fit her ear canals and can be found at most drug stores. She tolerates them well and does not shake them out until touchdown.

No issues with hypoxia that I have noticed,

A healthy dog won’t be hypoxic if you’re not. One with breathing problems is a different story.

I don’t know where there are data regarding how much noise is injurious to dogs, but OSHA guidelines would be a reasonable place to start. If you’re really interested, download a dB meter from the App Store, sample noise readings in your airplane, and compare to the OSHA chart. My 185 is about 95dB in cruise IIRC, which OSHA permits for 4 hours daily. That’s in the front seat. The back is somewhat quieter, allowing longer exposures. I wouldn’t worry about hearing protection for a dog flying 4 hours a day or less.