Recently in pets and vacations Category

Southwest Airlines has announced a reversal of its no-pets policy.

Beginning this summer, small dogs and cats in carriers will now be permitted to ride in the passenger area ($75 each way). Larger pets are still banned from the airline's cargo area, however.

For more details, visit Southwest's P.A.W.S. web site.

The winter holidays are behind us at last. Coming right up before you know it: spring, summer, vacation time. And no one wants to leave their best friend behind these days.

Petlovr.com has some good tips on preparing your dog (or other pet) for a road trip:

With more and more hotels becoming pet-friendly, an increasing number of pet owners are deciding to take their cat, dog, ferret or other pet along for the ride on that road trip or vacation.

It takes a lot of preparations in order for a vacation to be fun and stress-free for both pets and owners. There's several things that pet owners will need to do in order to get their animal ready to travel.

Among the issues covered in the post are getting the pet used to temporary living quarters (meaning a crate); taking "practice" car rides; getting vaccination records and a health certificate in order; making up a new pet tag with a cell phone number and, if applicable, your temporary location; what cleaning supplies, toys, collars and other items you should bring along.

I've never taken a long road trip with my dogs, but it sounds like lots of fun. Or not. (Some of us at the dog park are now talking about organizing a day trip with our dogs to go folic in the snow before it all melts. This could lead to either great fun or great tragedy; and probably a little of both.)

Any tips or experiences or funny tales that our readers would like to share about traveling with their pets? Good, bad and ugly, send 'em on.  

Traveling with your pets can be a big pain in the rear.

It can be expensive too. Not that I would know because the cat has never been more than two miles from the house, while the dog can't sit in the car for more than 20 minutes without becoming bored and destructive.

But for those who travel long distances with their pets, this is pretty sweet. The airline JetBlue announced the new JetPaws program, which offers frequent-flier points for animals.

As part of the new JetPaws program, cat and dog owners get two bonus award points per flight through the carrier's customer loyalty program. The extra points can help pet owners earn free travel.

The New York-based discount airline's non-refundable pet fee is $100 each way. JetBlue allows up to four small cats or dogs in the cabin of the aircraft on domestic and international flights.

"With more than 80,000 pets traveling on JetBlue each year, the JetPaws program is designed to make traveling with pets smooth from start to finish, offering valuable TrueBlue points along the way," said Kim Ruvolo, brand manager.

The new in-cabin program also provides pet owners with "petiquette" travel guidelines for tips on smooth jetting with Max. For the style-conscious, the airline partnered with New York Post columnist and ASPCA board member Cindy Adams to offer custom-made pet carriers co-designed by Adams, also the founder of Jazzy Park Avenue Dog products.

Big dogs need not apply, a fact that is causing much consternation on the article's comment section.

Thinking of taking your pet on vacation?

Response Insurance has issued these suggestions:

• Help your pet get acclimated by taking some short test-runs in the car.
• Keep cats in a carrier and dogs in a restraining harness.
• Feed pets less than you normally would. Pack toys, bedding and other favorite items.
• Be sure your pets have collars with an ID tag that includes your permanent and vacation addresses and phone numbers. Bring a photo of your pet just in case you need to put up some "Lost Pet" posters.
• Don't let your dog stick his head out an open window; small stones and debris can become projectiles at highway speeds.
• Never leave your pet in the car in warm or hot weather -- even with the windows open or parked in the shade.
• Pack a first aid kit with tweezers and alcohol for tick removal, cloth bandages and topical antiseptic.