I want to share my experience of transporting a large dog in the cabin of an airplane from Tbilisi to Petersburg

The task was as follows: to bring a dog (weighing 10.5 kg) from Tbilisi to St. Petersburg in the shortest possible time, bypassing the baggage compartment. I decided to try Belavia because:

1. There was the nearest flight

2. They allow pets in the cabin over 8 kg if you buy a separate seat.

I found out that I needed to fly on July 12th. The next morning, we went to the veterinary clinic where we regularly visit (ZooPlaza). I took my passport, vet passport, and the dog. Our vet filled everything out in the passport and wrote a note for the ministry. We paid 30 lari for this. They also advised me to give the dog a calming medicine and prescribed the dosage.

Then, I went to the Belavia office to find out if they would allow the dog on the next flight (this usually needs to be arranged 1-3 days before). I went there hoping for good luck. In the end, the office worker sent a request to Belavia for me and the dog, and booked two seats for us on each flight - Tbilisi-Minsk and Minsk-St. Petersburg. We waited in the office for about 40 minutes, and Belavia confirmed the reservation - luckily, there were no other animals on the next flight. I paid for the tickets by transfer to a card (or could have paid in cash), and they printed them out and sent them to my email. The price was x2. That is, if you see the ticket price (Belavia), multiply it by two to get an approximate calculation for flying with a pet.

Next, I went to the ministry for a certificate. It's located here: Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia

+995 32 237 66 89

https://goo.gl/maps/uz52XKsGQHzb1aF99

The procedure is like this: we entered the building with turnstiles, and a man told us to pay a fee at the nearby office (101 lari). It seems to be based on the passport, but I already had it with me. Then, we went into his office with the dog and he prepared a certificate for us based on the vet passport and clinic report.

The only thing left was to find a carrier. Belavia standards are 55x40x40, and it must have a metal door. I found the most suitable option at Zoomart, which cost about 120 lari. It's important to understand that the dog fit in there only curled up. He couldn't stand up straight, and I was worried that airline staff might notice that.

Half an hour before leaving for the airport, I gave the dog the calming medicine. I thought I would take a taxi with him in the carrier, but he panicked, so I just put the carrier in the trunk and let him sit in the cabin with me.

We arrived at the airport and went to the check-in counter. The staff checked that I had two tickets and asked for the weight of the dog (he was standing next to me). Then we weighed the carrier, and that was it. They let me through to security.

At security, the dog walked next to me, and I carried the carrier to the scanner. I put all my belongings on the belt and carried the dog through the scanner. Then I passed through separately. After that, they asked me to put him in the carrier. I was very scared because he didn't sit in it properly before. But he calmly went inside, and I carried him to passport control.

At passport control, they only asked for my passport, asked a couple of questions, and didn't check the dog. We went to Duty-Free, and I immediately took the dog out of the carrier.

We just waited for the flight and walked around all the areas. The staff were very friendly. When boarding the plane, I put the dog in the carrier and carried him to the seat. No one asked me to take him out, they only checked my documents.

On the plane.

It was very difficult to carry the cage alone down the narrow aisle, and the grate flew out a couple of times. Fortunately, the dog did not jump out and nothing fell off. I placed him in the seat and was glad I didn't get a cage that was 5 cm bigger, it simply would not have fit and I don't know what I would have done. In general, the carrier was right up against the back of the person in front. So, I warned the girl next to me and asked her not to recline her seat.

Then, I think I was incredibly lucky. Whether it was the medication or the dog understood everything, but he did not make a sound throughout the flight! He only barked once on takeoff, when everything started to get noisy. For all 4.5 hours, he lay quietly. Either he slept or licked himself.

But he did not cause any discomfort, even though he had never flown before.

After landing, I dragged the cage with the dog to the ramp and immediately released him to walk on his own. We reached assport control, and I only showed my documents. They did not ask for anything from the veterinary clinic, and we walked through the green corridor, bypassing the baggage claim.

In the green corridor, we were stopped and told that we needed to report having a dog since we were flying from abroad. They gave me a form where I filled out my and his information (chip number, weight, etc.). Then a special officer came and checked all our documents and prepared our papers. I filled out a couple more forms and signed the accuracy of the information. It took about 10 minutes, but we were the first (another dog arrived from a different flight after us). And that was it, we were allowed to leave.

We walked in the park near Minsk airport, hung out in a cafe, and after two hours went to the "transit zone of the Russian Federation" (or something like that).

There was a security check (the cage on the belt, I walked with the dog through the frame). And that was it! We were released into the waiting area for the plane. They did not even ask me to remove the dog.

We waited to board at the gate. As soon as it started, I put the dog in the carrier, showed our boarding passes, and we went to the plane. Everything was the same on the plane: put him on the window seat. Plus, the steward gave me a strap to secure the carrier this time. The dog spent the second flight quietly. Such a good boy!

We landed at Pulkovo, walked to the ramp, and I released him. We went to passport control, and they only asked for my documents. Then we went to get our luggage and came to the green corridor. They scanned my suitcase, and that was it.

That's it! I was expecting something terrible or a dog tantrum. In fact, my biggest dissatisfaction was with the quality of the carrier, which seemed to not be designed for his weight and, in general, was flimsy (the grate and clasps flew out). And it was very difficult to carry the dog alone at times. The ticket price also hits the wallet, but I bought it almost on the day of departure, and I had no other options. But overall, I am very pleased, the dog is in perfect order and is resting from +38' in the coolness of St. Petersburg.

Happy travels to everyone!

1. Hotels for dogs: temporary pet overexposure points in Tbilisi
2. To transport a pet from Moscow to Tbilisi via Yerevan
3. How to move with a cat or a dog from Minsk to Georgia - a detailed instruction