Moving to ALASKA: Traveling with pit bull & phone plans

[PitBullLove]

Hello there, I am going to be moving to Alaska next month and am hoping to get some help & insight.

Traveling with an APBT when they are a restricted breed on Alaska Airlines:
When traveling with an American Pit Bull Terrier - it states on the Alaska Airlines website that there are breed restrictions and obviously the APBT is one of those restricted breeds. Has anyone ever had their vet write a different breed on the health certificate in order to get their beloved pet to be able to move states with them?

Here is their list of restricted breeds: American Pit Bull, American Staffordshire Terrier, Boston Terrier, Boxer, Brussels Griffon, Bull Mastiff, Bulldog, Bull Terrier, Chow Chow, Dutch Pug, English Bulldog, English Toy Spaniel, French Bulldog, Japanese Boxer, Japanese Pug, Japanese Spaniel, Pekingese, Pug, Shih Tzu, Staffordshire Bull Terrier

Looking at these pictures I am posting below, what breed should I have my vet put on the health certificate? I am skeptical of putting down just any breed because what if they check inside his crate?

14605752001_d782511fa3 by pittieluvr4life, on Flickr

14585943656_56736edefd by pittieluvr4life, on Flickr

14422346548_e2fc855bc4 by pittieluvr4life, on Flickr

Obviously I absoutely cannot go without him, and I think he may be able to pass as a Hound mix or...something?

Medicating a dog to sedate him on the flight:
Magnum was a rescue and although we have made tons of progress, I still do believe he will be extremely scared on a flight. Does anyone have experience with this? What did you medicate your dog with?

Switching my phone service to "GCI":
I have had T-Mobile for many years but I hear GCI is the #1 cell service in AK. Do you recommend GCI? If you have GCI, what are your montly rates/fees? Do you have good coverage? Do you like it? How is customer service?
If you do not have GCI and you are in Alaska or have a phone service that has good coverage in Alaska - why did you choose it? What service do you have rather than GCI? Do you like it, why? What are your monthly rates/fees?

Using a portable "MiFi" device from Verizon for internet:
I have the Verizion "JetPack" which is no longer listed on the Verizon website from what I can see, if it is indeed no longer carried, do you think they would still hook me up with a plan for it?

Any other info is welcome and appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Julee]

Choose a different airline to ship him. If they look at him and deem him a pit bull, they will not fly him, regardless of your vet paperwork. I shipped my APBT with Delta to separate times with no issues.

It's also not terribly safe to medicate while flying, I definitely recommend against it.

 

[Torch]

Choose a different airline to ship him. If they look at him and deem him a pit bull, they will not fly him, regardless of your vet paperwork. I shipped my APBT with Delta to separate times with no issues.

It's also not terribly safe to medicate while flying, I definitely recommend against it.

Agreed.

And if he's a rescue, with presumably no papers, why are you calling him an APBT?

I would stick with bull breed mix or pit bull mix.

 

[PitBullLove]

First, let me thank you both for your replies, I really appreciated both of your guys's input.

As far as calling him a purebred American Pit Bull Terrier, you are right, I should not do that, and I have always thought that he is mixed with something else, maybe I can find some better pictures of him and show you some more and you could even give me some breed guesses on him.

Julie, I thought that Alaska Airlines was the only one that flew to Alaska? Are you suggesting that I actually ship him through a different airline? I was planning on having him fly in the same plane as me so I could pick him up directly after I get off the plane, I know he is too small to travel as cargo, I believe that's what it's called, I am so confused about this entire thing it's not even funny which is why I'm asking for advice.

Why is it dangerous to medicate while flying? Not even valium or tramadol?

 

[Grab]

You might ask Adrianne what airline they used when they went to Alaska. I know they took Shamoo with them without issue.

I would probably not medicate, since you have no way of gauging if they have an issue, and sedation meds do affect heartrate and such.

 

[milos_mommy]

Cargo is where you will send the large dog. It's a pressurized cargo area. Dogs who travel with you (under a seat or service animals) are in-cabin.

I only know people who have sedated their dogs for in-cabin flights. I might be willing to sedate if the dog has been safely sedated regularly before, but I think it's safer not to.

Do not ship him on an airline banning his breed. Either change your flight, or if that's not possible, ship him aboard another plane. Do you have someone who could either keep him and bring him to his flight where you are now if you leave first, or pick him up in Alaska if you send him first?

 

[AmberD]

I don't know which airport you're flying to/from, but a quick Google search shows that Delta, which Julee says she's had luck with in the past, goes from Seattle to Anchorage.

... Although I wanted to double check before I posted this, and Delta says its only restriction are for snub/pug nosed dogs - but it's classified pit bulls and other bully breeds as such. So not sure about that.

http://www.delta.com/content/www/en...needs/pets/pet-requirements-restrictions.html

 

[stardogs]

Nothing much to add, but tramadol really does nothing for anxiety/stress. You have to be VERY careful drugging a dog because of the potential for side effects. I think the big concerns are heart rate effects, paradoxical reactions (more hyped instead of calmer), and decreased ability to regulate body temperature.

 

[SaraB]

Nothing much to add, but tramadol really does nothing for anxiety/stress. You have to be VERY careful drugging a dog because of the potential for side effects. I think the big concerns are heart rate effects, paradoxical reactions (more hyped instead of calmer), and decreased ability to regulate body temperature.

Just want to second this. Sedated pets means sedated nervous systems which means inability to completely regulate body temperature. Cargo can be cold, especially since you are traveling in a month to Alaska, I wouldn't medicate with a sedative or something that causes it.