Luxury Pet Carriers and Transport Dog Crates
– Stylish Pet Carriers as a Dog Transport Means when Traveling With Your Dog
Most luxury pet carriers are, in effect, soft sided dog crates. These stylish pet carriers come in both soft sided types and hard sided types. Pet carriers are often referred to as dog crates, and if we’re talking about portable dog crates, the term dog crate and pet carriers are often used interchangeably.
Many luxury pet carriers fold up like a small suitcase when not in use, so if you’re only going to be using it as a dog transport medium, the fact that it won’t take up a lot of storage space is probably a pretty important factor you’ll want to consider.
So what distinguishes luxury pet carriers from other types of stylish pet carriers? Well, you can expect that the luxury pet carriers will have a padded floor, and will generally look like a pretty comfortable piece of dog transport equipment.
Most pet travel carriers will have mesh panels on at least the sides and probably the front and back as well, to ensure adequate ventilation for your pet whilst in transit. The opening, or door, to soft sided pet carriers are typically closed by a zipper.
Luxury pet carriers are perfect for travel by car, or for travel by train or airplane IF your dog is traveling with you. If you’re traveling by airplane, in particular, stylish pet carriers are perfect pet carriers for small pets, because they can probably be tucked under your seat. If you have a bigger dog, though, you’ll need to consider a different genre of transport dog crates.
Transport dog crates to go in the cargo section of the airplane will need to be sturdy and have solid sides. In fact, they’ll need to be USDA approved. Travel pet carriers with soft sides are certainly not appropriate for travel in the cargo section of the airplane, as transport dog crates are not always handled with the care that we might want for our pets, and obviously only solid sided transport dog crates can adequately protect your dog from injury if the crate is thrown around.
Whether you’re looking for soft sided luxury pet carriers or hard sided transport dog crates for your dog transportation needs, the pet travel carriers you look at must be of an appropriate size for your dog. Your dog must be able to stand up and raise his head without any prospect of his head touching the top of the carrier or crate, and he must have sufficient room to turn around, stretch, and lie down. If your dog is one who likes to stretch his legs out behind him when he lies down (yes, quite a number of dogs do this!), then make sure there is sufficient room for him to lie in this position inside the crate.
(c) 2008, Brigitte Smith, Healthy Happy Dogs
Helpful Links:
Luxury pet carriers and other types of Stylish pet carriers
Transport dog crates for smaller dogs
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