Statistics show that from May of 2005 to September 2012 there were 330 incidents reported on the major airlines that included injury, lost pets and even death. What statistics do not speak of is the amount of unnecessary stress that every other dog has faced. Here are the issues that revolve with a dog flying.

First they are not allowed to eat or drink several hours prior, as it will make them extremely sick. If the plane is delayed on the ground with the dog in it, there is no fresh air and the temperatures can fluctuate dramatically in a very short time. Baggage handlers remove the dog from the plane during a layover and could forget to load it on again. Animals are shipped in a compartment near the door of the plane where baggage is loaded.

The dog is shipped to the wrong place. Few airports are equipped to handle animals well. A dog flown to the wrong destination can have a bad or even life-threatening experience waiting for another flight or for you to show up and claim it.

The dog is left in the heat, cold, or rain. Many airlines don’t accept pets during the summer and federal regulations prohibit shipping animals if they will be exposed to temperatures below 45 degrees or above 85 degrees for more than four hours.

The dog is left unattended, without food or water, in a “lost luggage” area. Because most airlines don’t have special places for live animals, employees care for dogs as best they can. But if a dog is scared and snappish, as it may well be, it may get little care. Employees may not even know a pet is there.

Even if you plan carefully and everything goes as planned, air travel is frightening and stressful for a dog, let alone a 12 week old puppy! We can’t help the puppy deal with the stress as we are not there during the critical times.