Halloween is upon us! It’s the time of the year where our furbabies are out on the prowl, parading in spooky costumes and bamboozling us in all manner of trickery. Pawrents, we know you’re excited, we are too! So before you hurry to get their outfit, here’s what you should know:
Make.Costumes.Safe.Again
When choosing outfits for your pets, we have to make sure the costumes won’t cause any harm to them. Avoid tight-fitting costumes as it might make it difficult for them to breathe. For pawpals on the fluffy side, that also includes costumes that are too thick or have many layers. Animals have a layer of fur to insulate themselves and thick clothing would lead to overheating, especially on hot Singapore days.
Also look out for costumes with small, loose objects like buttons and bells. Never let your furbaby chew on something they shouldn’t. And don’t furget: no fairy lights, no glitter, and no glow sticks.
Dog in halloween costume standing on pumpkin Halloween photo created by gpointstudio – www.freepik.com
Your pets may look good, but they ought to feel good too
Doggos are expressive creatures. They show their emotions through facial expressions and movement. That’s why instead of wearing a mask, you could get them hats! Cattos are also extremely sensitive to clothes and accessories. Some cats especially might freeze and fall over, and even try to shake the clothes off in a panic. Alternatively, you could dress your pets up in halloween inspired collars and bandanas.
You should always let your pawpal try their costume on before the big day. If your pets freeze when you put the costumes on, you could try conditioning them with treats or toys so they know they can move freely in their new outfit. A lot of pawsitive reinforcement is needed so that your pet warms up to wearing accessories and costumes. You could also wear your costume around them too!
For all the pets who do not qualify for flying in-cabin, you will have no choice but to fly your pet as excess baggage in-cargo.
I have flown with pets in-cargo many times and always fly them as excess baggage with Singapore Airlines because it is the cheapest method so far.
Please note that when I am talking about in-cargo, I am specifically referring to your pet travelling on the same flight with you as checked/excess baggage. If your pet was not flying with you, but flying individually as a cargo, you will have to check with the airline/your agent for the exact details.
Flying with Nina and Yuzu
Upon arrival at the airport, you will need to bring the pet to your check-in counter, to handle check-in for your pet. Be sure to arrive in advance to give them ample time to handle everything.
I have flown several times, but only have the video of my travel with Yuzu and Nina. Yuzu flew directly from Shanghai to Singapore; while Nina flew from Chongqing to Singapore, with transit at Guangzhou. Every airport has a slightly different policy when it comes to pet travel, so please check with the airport you are flying out of, on what requirements they have.
Nina flew from Jiangbei Airport in Chonqing and the airport required double nets on the crate for safety.
As Jiangbei is a domestic airport, they only served short flights and does not allow for a water bottle.
Yuzu flew from Pudong Airport in Shanghai and the airport only requires the standard straps on the crate. I wrapped her crate with a layer of cotton blanket since she was flying in the winter, and I was worried it will get too cold.
After handling the check-in, we then handed over the dogs to the ground staff. I went through my standard security checks and boarded the plane.
When flying with Nina, we had a transit flight in Guangzhou, so after arrival in Baiyun Airport, I picked her up along with my luggage before checking in again for my second flight.
Give some food and water to replenish their energy, but be careful not to give too much in case they need to go to the toilet. It’ll make their trip miserable.
Also, if you transit time is longer, or if the next flight will be long, then be sure to let your pet out for a toilet break. But because the transit time and the second flight was short, I did not take her out.
And finally… HOME SWEET HOME!
For more information on the procedure for arrival in Singapore, please click here.
I’m sure that everyone misses travelling this year and just can’t wait to visit other countries again. However safety comes first, and we just gotta put the travel plans aside for now and save up for a trip!
But, this might be the perfect time to start preparing all the necessary documents, health check-ups and planning for the trip if you wish to bring your pet overseas for travelling when borders are open again!
Today I’m gonna share about how you can travel with your pet along with our personal experience (because I have travelled with pets way too many times).
First thing first, air travel is split by in-cabin and cargo for pets. In-cabin means your pet is flying with you inside the aircraft. Cargo means the pet will be in the luggage holding area. I’ll split the two forms of travel into two different posts as the post will get pretty long. To find out about flying in-cargo, please click here.
The flight with Mitsuko
I’m sure this is everyone’s preferred way of travelling with pets, to bring your pet into the cabin with you. But do note that there is quite a bit of restriction and costs for flying in-cabin, so do read the following information carefully.
I’ve only flown in-cabin once with this little cutie called Mitsuko. We flew from Shanghai, China to Jakarta, Indonesia; with a transit stop at Seoul, Korea.
Mistuko in Pudong Airport, Shanghai, as we are sorting out check in for me
It was really cool to fly with your pet in-cabin to be honest. I’ve always enjoyed flying, and having a little dog with me just made it even better. Plus, I was lucky to have been met with a really nice passenger beside me who absolutely loved Mitsuko.
P.S. So technically you are not supposed to bring your pet out from the carrier, they are expected to be kept inside the carrier at all times. But the passenger who sat beside me loved Mitsuko so much, she told me to bring her out and will warn me when an air stewardess was coming so we could hide Mitsuko under my blanket. I had a really nice chat with her throughout the flight as we spoke about Korea and Singapore.
So once we in the air, Mitsuko sat on my lap throughout the flight. In the very beginning, Mitsuko was really nervous and was shaking quite a bit. But she soon calmed down after 30 mins and was sleeping comfortably or moving around our seats the rest of the flight. I was able to feed her some treats on the flight, brought her to the toilet to pee, and she basically got to enjoy herself on the flight.
Then we landed in Seoul to transit to Jakarta. It was supposed to be a relatively tight schedule, but our flight got delayed so I could end up taking my own sweet time in Incheon Airport to shop and walk around with Mitsuko.
The first thing I did after arrival was to bring Mitsuko for a toilet break, then gave her some food as it was her usual mealtime. After her tea break, it was time to go shopping.
She was most nervous during take-off and landing, plus the crowded airport did not help. So it took her a good 10-15 mins to calm down and stick her head out from her carrier. I pushed her around on the trolley as I went around shopping, and she got so many compliments along the way!
Finally, it was time for our connecting flight to Jakarta, and Mitsuko and I went to security to get ready for flying. She had to go through a round of check, and all the security guards were so cute when they saw her. They crowded around her as we were doing security clearance to play with her haha. At this point, Mitsuko was comfortable and enjoyed all the pretty security guards pampering her lol!
It was pretty late by the time we were on the connecting flight, and I got pretty hungry by then. But the good news was there was no one sitting beside me, so I got both seats to myself and Mitsuko.
Once again, Mitsuko took a while to relax before enjoying herself on the flight.
On a side note, the dinner on Asiana Airlines is honestly really good.
Then we finally reached Jakarta and I handed her over to the mum. Didn’t take any photos here because I was busy sorting out the paperwork for her entry into the country. But anyways the procedure for this will differ for every country, so it will not be too helpful to share the experience in Jakarta.
