MATCHING AN ANIMAL WITH THE PROPER CRATE SIZE

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84Tango

MATCHING AN ANIMAL WITH THE PROPER CRATE SIZE

Post by 84Tango » Sat Apr 18, 2009 5:02 pm

On my last transport, there were several animals that could have been rescued at the same time and been transported on the same flight. However, because they were all listed as "large" dogs, I thought I only had room for one "large" dog in my large kennel. Instead of a Dalmation mix, it turned out to be a smallish pointer mix which would have fit nicely in a medium kennel thereby allowing me to fit in an additional medium kennel and saving an additional dog.

As a pilot who has a plane with limited space,(even though I have removed the backseat) I am continually trying to fit the proper size carrier with the animal I have volunteered to transport. If the carrier is too small, the animal will be too cramped up inside even for a few hours flight. If the carrier is too large for the animal, that may mean it could have ridden in a smaller carrier thereby allowing me to fit in another carrier and save an additional animal that needs transport. I guess what I am trying to say is, when someone is requesting transport, especially if it involves more than one animal, please be accurate about the size of the animal. Sometimes a picture will help, but a lot of times even a picture can be misleading . . . maybe taking measurements of the dog if possible. I know from now on, I am going to be more persistent about the actual size so I can match the proper size animal with the proper size carrier in hopes of being able to transport and help more animals at the same time.

We are all working for the same purpose . . . saving animals. And I know a lot of times the wonderful people who put together these transports are working long distance and never actually see the animal they are working so hard to save. We all do the best we can under the circumstances.

richclover

Re: MATCHING AN ANIMAL WITH THE PROPER CRATE SIZE

Post by richclover » Sat Apr 18, 2009 6:21 pm

Right, 84T, sometimes the matching gets complicated. We use a medium collapsible kennel. Wire type, with a door on the end and another one on the side. I had to take it apart to make the side door match our baggage door. Most of the dogs we've carried could ride in that medium kennel. Two compatible small dogs traveled well in it for one flight. The third dog rode well in a harness and leash, tied to a cargo ring on the floor. Kept him from climbing into the front seats and demanding PIC time :)

We've got a challenge on Monday... 3 medium size dogs. We'll try it with the known shy one in the kennel and the other 2 in harnesses and leashed to cargo rings.

The kennel we use is collapsible, so if a dog just won't fit, we'll fold the kennel up, cover it with the blanket, and harness the dog. Our plan with a large critter is harness and leash to a seat belt in the back seat.

FWIW, we always carry a couple of expendable/washable blankets and towels and a couple of large trash bags. A "universal" nylon seat cover, available from Cabela's, among others, goes a long way toward keeping seats and interiors clean.

arizonabsd
Posts: 104
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 1:01 pm
Zip Code: 85735
Foster?: Yes
Pilot?: No
Distance willing to fly one way: 0
Location: Tucson AZ

Re: MATCHING AN ANIMAL WITH THE PROPER CRATE SIZE

Post by arizonabsd » Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:17 am

84Tango wrote:As a pilot who has a plane with limited space,(even though I have removed the backseat) I am continually trying to fit the proper size carrier with the animal I have volunteered to transport. If the carrier is too small, the animal will be too cramped up inside even for a few hours flight. If the carrier is too large for the animal, that may mean it could have ridden in a smaller carrier thereby allowing me to fit in another carrier and save an additional animal that needs transport. I guess what I am trying to say is, when someone is requesting transport, especially if it involves more than one animal, please be accurate about the size of the animal. Sometimes a picture will help, but a lot of times even a picture can be misleading . . . maybe taking measurements of the dog if possible. I know from now on, I am going to be more persistent about the actual size so I can match the proper size animal with the proper size carrier in hopes of being able to transport and help more animals at the same time.


Not everyone is familiar with measuring dogs and determining crate sizes; maybe a chart like this (with some sample sizes) will be helpful. There are more than 40 crate sizes. And what some manufacturers call small, another company might call mini-small or medium-large. For that reason, accurate measurements of the animals, and actual dimensions of their crates are important pieces of information, as you pointed out.

I think it would be equally helpful for rescues to have something similar showing examples of a range of maximum crate sizes that fit certain makes and models of planes. What I use as a guideline is that my 36L x 30H crate fit at an angle in a Cessna 172 and was a tighter fit in a Piper Cherokee (both without rear seats). There was another couple Cessna models it fit too.

Another thing, since we're talking about what will help us all provide the best information for each other: I know that when I'm looking at routing, I spend a lot of time going between the google pilot locater map, pilots' profiles, SkyVector, and pilots' introduction posts on the Ride Board before I have a good picture of what might work. The intro posts are rather time-consuming to sort through looking for "Pilot Bob's" post, althoug I enjoy reading them. If some of the info from posts could also be found by rescues in the member profile (plane model, preferred nm range, max crate size accepted, days of week never available, etc) that'd be a tremendous help in route planning.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure not complaining! In fact, I think it's really grand that participation is so high that issues such as these float to the surface needing to be snagged and resolved. It's a wonderful thing!

Lynnette Bennett
Belgian Sheepdog of North America
[email protected]
Attachments
crate measure.JPG
Measuring a dog and selecting the correct crate size
crate measure.JPG (124.17 KiB) Viewed 1118 times
Lynnette Bennett
North American Belgian Sheepdog Rescue
[email protected]

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