Flying The Canine Highway

Dogs Can Be Surprisingly Good Passengers … Usually
 

- Dick Kart

It is always hard to know about dogs and airplanes. I know how I feel about both — I like them — but will a dog like flying in an airplane? This is a chronicle of one airplane and three dogs.

Ubu was a Lab-shepherd mix, not known for loyalty or obedience. I attributed his wanderlust to the fact that he wasn’t “fixed.” He came to riding in the Cheyenne my wife, Cathy, and I owned in his middle age and after several flights in the holds of various airliners while cooped up in a box. I assumed he was such a mellow passenger because his previous experiences had been so unpleasant that he was grateful.

Ubu’s aircraft behavior was impeccable, except for one minor quirk and one slightly embarrassing habit. He would greet each landing, whether soft or less so, with a burst of male-anatomy exuberance. That was the quirk. The more troublesome trait had to do with occasional aggressive behavior upon landing. He would sometimes lunge at a lineman at home base after disembarking. I could never figure out why he chose just one or two guys to threaten. No harm was ever done, but I was chagrinned with this anti-social behavior toward people I liked and relied upon.

He lived until 15 and died of natural causes one afternoon while sunning himself in the backyard.