Our family pets can a chest of incredible tasks, from safeguarding our houses to leading brave rescue objectives. One job they’re not rather proficient at, nevertheless? Boarding an aircraft (and flying someplace) on their own.
And while a number of us take a trip together with our furry buddies, of the two million pets that board industrial flights in the U.S. each year, some are accompanied by folks described as “flight nannies.” And if you require to transfer an animal sans your physical existence for whatever factor, be it due to the fact that you embraced a puppy from another state or are moving, they can be an especially valuable resource.
“A reliable flight nanny can be a lifesaver for people looking to transport their pets,” discusses Bethany Tate, an animal fitness instructor and handling editor for Whole Pet Health. “I personally hired a flight nanny to assist with the transportation process for my pet dog that I got from another state. The reason I opted for this service was that I wanted my pet to be in safe hands.”
Here, flight baby-sitters and folks who’ve employed flight baby-sitters themselves break down what a flight baby-sitter does, why you may wish to employ one and how to discover the very best help.
Why might you employ a flight baby-sitter?
Technically, you can transportation an animal ignored on an airplane through freight (so, underneath the aircraft instead of remaining in the cabin). But as the U.S. Humane Society notes, while most of animals carried through freight do simply great, it can be an immensely demanding occasion for an animal — and possibly even unsafe for specific types of family pets or animals that are older or have impairments.
So while a flight baby-sitter may be a more pricey choice to transfer an animal without the owner, it’s even more gentle, says Simmi Jones, an expert flight baby-sitter and owner of the animal blog site Cat Food Point.
Here are a couple of essential reasons that an individual may require to employ a flight baby-sitter:
- Moving an animal to the family’s brand-new home (or their brand-new home). “The most common case in which the services of a pet flight nanny come useful is when an owner needs to relocate their furry friend and wants to receive them in their new home in a different state or country,” says Dr. Sabrina Kong, a vet, a dog fitness instructor and veterinary expert at WeLoveDoodles.
- Transporting an animal to an occasion. This may consist of dog or cat programs or a comparable event, says Kong.
- Getting an animal care in a various state or abroad. A flight baby-sitter would be vital if the animal requires medications administered or remains in an especially vulnerable state (and would have a condition get worse ought to the animal be saved in freight).
- Sending family pets to go to good friends. In the case where ownership of an animal is shared amongst 2 individuals or households, an animal baby-sitter can help assist in transportation.
“They’re there so your pet can travel in the cabin (in an airline-approved travel carrier, of course) and avoid flying in the rear of the plane where accidents occur quite frequently.”
— SABRINA KONG, VET, A DOG FITNESS INSTRUCTOR AND VETERINARY EXPERT AT WELOVEDOODLES
What does a flight baby-sitter do?
As Tate discusses, the main function of a flight baby-sitter is to make sure the safe airline company transportation of an animal from one area to another. “They also need to have experience dealing with the needs of animals for the duration of the flight. For an animal lover, this can seem less like a job and more like a fun activity,” she includes.
Here’s a basic breakdown of the kinds of obligations a flight baby-sitter may perform on their task:
Step 1: Transportation
This consists of choosing the animal up from the home, taking them to the airport and after that bringing them to their last location. “A flight nanny’s role is to pick up and deliver your pet from airport to airport,” discusses Kong. “But most importantly, they’re there so your pet can travel in the cabin (in an airline-approved travel carrier, of course) and avoid flying in the rear of the plane where accidents occur quite frequently.”
Jones, who focuses on transferring cats from breeders to their brand-new houses, keeps in mind that she begins her workday by right away taking a photo of herself, the animal and the breeder to send out to the brand-new animal owners — so all celebrations have complete openness.
“I then supervise the pet while traveling and make sure it’s comfortable,” she says. “Lastly, I deliver the pet to the owner’s doorstep. The best part is that it’s such a fulfilling experience.”
Step 2: Tending to an animal’s requirements throughout the journey
Like human beings, family pets will require to have basic requires satisfied throughout travel — of which a trustworthy flight baby-sitter will be a specialist at attending to. “Flight nannies should be there to tend to all of your fur babies’ needs during the flight,” Kong says. This may consist of feeding, utilizing the restroom or administering medications.
Step 3: Keeping in consistent interaction with the owner
Naturally, the idea of a precious fur infant (or future fur infant) taking a trip with a complete stranger may develop some worry for animal moms and dads. Jones says that a huge part of her task is calming those worries with consistent peace of mind of safety and convenience.
“Being a flight nanny is an extremely fun job — I just have to be alert because there is constant interaction between the pet owner and me via messaging,” discusses Jones. “I act as the middleman between the breeder and the pet owners.”
How to discover (and employ) the best flight baby-sitter
There are a range of methods to discover a flight baby-sitter — and will frequently depend upon your area, the area your animal is flying to and the kind of animal you own (or will own). There is no hard-set best method to discover a flight baby-sitter, our specialists concur.
Use these 4 pointers to discover, and employ, the best flight baby-sitter.
1. Use a trustworthy flight baby-sitter service
Dr. Amanda Takiguchi, vet and creator of TrendingBreeds.com, frequently counts on firms when she requires to transfer her family pets on planes — however warns that animal owners shouldn’t count on a flight baby-sitter company even if it exists.
Kong keeps in mind that doing substantial research study on any company is important. “The best way to hire a flight nanny for your pet is by doing an extensive search online and looking for the pet transport company with the best reviews and testimonials,” she keeps in mind.
Takiguchi suggests Pet Packers from personal experience. “I was very impressed with this company,” she remembers. “They had reasonable prices. Skyler, our flight nanny, was very professional, outgoing and kind. She kept us informed throughout the whole trip with pictures and texts. My puppies were delivered safe and sound to their new families.”
“Only pet owners can understand the stress they face when they leave their pets in somebody else’s hands. Hiring a flight nanny for their pet can at least give them the comfort that their pet is under expert supervision.”
— SIMMI JONES, An EXPERT FLIGHT BABY-SITTER
Here’s how a flight nanny service like Pet Packers works: Pet owners (or breeders) get in touch with the company with all the essential details concerning their animal and its travel. The company then recognizes a flight baby-sitter to help with the transportation.
It’s crucial to note that, when dealing with a flight baby-sitter company, you don’t get to pick your flight baby-sitter — which may be (naturally) unnerving for numerous animal owners.
Here are a couple of extra firms that Jones says animal owners can think about:
2. Scour social networks
Looking to social networks is among Jones’ preferred strategies in discovering a flight baby-sitter. This may consist of publishing on (or searching through) message boards for neighborhood- or breed-specific Facebook groups (ex: puppy “play groups” for French bulldogs in Los Angeles).
As a number of the folks we talked to concurred, utilizing a flight baby-sitter who’s been used by a buddy or relative is perfect. That said, Tate likewise suggests relying on specialists for their insight. “A career as niche as a flight nanny can make the hiring process difficult,” she says. “It would be useful to look for contacts within local animal rescue organizations.” Another concept? Talk straight to your veterinarian.
4. Run a background check prior to employing
Jones warns that, especially with the transportation of pricey animal types, there is constantly a possibility for bad guys — additional increasing the significance of doing comprehensive research study prior to utilizing a flight baby-sitter. She alerts, “Make sure you run a background check so that a scammer doesn’t receive your pet.”
Hiring a flight baby-sitter: The bottomline
“Only pet owners can understand the stress they face when they leave their pets in somebody else’s hands,” says Jones. “Hiring a flight nanny for their pet can at least give them the comfort that their pet is under expert supervision. They’ll be in the safest hands because flight nannies are trained to take care of pets.”
