I want to share my experience of transporting a large dog in the cabin of an airplane from Tbilisi to Petersburg

The task was as follows: to transport a Shiba (10.5 kg) from Tbilisi to Saint Petersburg as quickly as possible, avoiding the baggage compartment. I decided to try Belavia because:

• There was the nearest available flight.
• They allow animals over 8 kg in the cabin if you purchase an extra seat.

I found out that I needed to fly on July 12. The next morning we went to the veterinary clinic where we regularly go (ZooPlaza). I took my passport, the pet passport, and my dog with me. Our vet filled out all the required information in the documents and wrote a note for the ministry. We paid 30 GEL for this. I was also advised to give the dog a sedative and was given the dosage.

Next, I went to the Belavia office because I needed to find out whether they would allow my dog on the nearest flight (this usually has to be arranged 1–3 days in advance). I went on a whim, hoping for the best. In the end, the office staff sent a request to Belavia for me and my dog, first reserving two seats for us on each leg—Tbilisi–Minsk and Minsk–Saint Petersburg. We waited in the office for about 40 minutes, and Belavia confirmed the booking. We were lucky that there were no other animals on the nearest flight.

I paid for the tickets by bank transfer to a card (cash was also possible). They printed the tickets right there in the office and also sent them to my email. Price-wise: x2. In other words, if you see the ticket price (Belavia), multiply it by two to get an approximate cost of flying with a dog.

After that, I went to the ministry to get the certificate. It’s located here: Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia

+995 32 237 66 89

https://goo.gl/maps/uz52XKsGQHzb1aF99

The process there was as follows: we entered a building with turnstiles, a man came out to meet us and told us to pay a fee at the nearby office (101 GEL). It seemed to be done based on a passport, but I had mine with me anyway. Then we went with the dog into his office, and using the pet passport and the clinic report, he prepared the certificate for us.

Next, I still needed to find a carrier. Belavia’s size standard is 55×40×40, and it must have a metal door. I found the most suitable option at Zoomart—it cost about 120 GEL. It’s important to understand that my dog fit inside only curled up. He couldn’t stand at full height, and I was worried the airline staff might notice and comment on it.

Half an hour before leaving for the airport, I gave my dog a sedative. I thought I would take him in the taxi in the carrier, but he panicked, so I just put the carrier in the trunk and seated him in the cabin.

We arrived at the airport and went to the check-in counter. The staff member checked in the system that I had two tickets and asked the dog’s weight (he was standing next to me). Then we weighed the carrier and that was it—I was allowed through to security.

Security screening: my dog kept walking next to me, and I carried the carrier to the scanner. I put all my belongings on the conveyor belt. I carried the dog through the metal detector in my arms, and then I went through once more separately. After that, they asked me to put him into the carrier. I was really scared because he hadn’t been sitting calmly in it before. But he went in спокойно, and I carried him to passport control.

At passport control, they asked only for my passport and asked a couple of questions—they didn’t look at the dog. We entered the Duty Free area, and I immediately took my dog out of the carrier.

After that, we simply waited for boarding and calmly walked around all the areas. The staff reacted very kindly. When boarding began, I put my dog back into the carrier and carried him all the way to my seat. No one asked me to take him out, and they checked only my documents.

On the plane.

It was really hard to carry the crate down the narrow aisle by myself, and the metal grate popped out a couple of times. Luckily, my dog didn’t get out and nothing broke off. I placed him on the seat and was glad I hadn’t taken a carrier 5 cm larger— it simply wouldn’t have fit, and I have no idea what I would have done. Basically, the carrier was pressed right up against the back of the seat in front of me. So I warned the girl sitting there and asked her not to recline.

Then I was probably incredibly lucky. Either the pill worked, or my dog understood everything, but during the whole flight he didn’t make a single sound! He only barked once during takeoff, when everything started getting noisy. For all 4.5 hours he lay quietly—either sleeping or licking himself.

And he didn’t cause any discomfort at all, even though he had never flown before.

After landing, I carried the crate with my dog to the jet bridge and immediately let him out so he could walk on his own. We reached passport control; again, they only checked my documents, didn’t ask for anything from the vet clinic, and we went through the green corridor, bypassing baggage claim.

In the green corridor, we were stopped and told I needed to declare that I had a dog, since we were arriving from abroad. They gave me a form where I filled in my details and his (chip number, weight, etc.). Then a special officer came, checked all our certificates, and prepared the paperwork. I filled out a couple more forms and signed to confirm the information was accurate. It took about 10 minutes, but we were first (after us there was another dog from a different flight). And that was it—we could leave.

We took a walk near Minsk airport (there’s a park there), hung out at a café, and about two hours later went to the “RF transit zone” (something like that).

There was a security check there (the crate went on the belt, and I walked through the metal detector with my dog). And that was it! We were let into the waiting area. They didn’t even ask me to put the dog away.

We waited for boarding at the gate. As soon as it started, I put my dog into the carrier, showed our boarding passes, and we headed to the plane. Everything was the same there: I placed the carrier on the window seat. Plus, this time a flight attendant let me secure the carrier with the seat belt. On the second flight my dog stayed silent as well. Such a good boy!

We landed at Pulkovo, walked to the jet bridge, and I let him out. At passport control they asked only for my documents. Then we went to collect the suitcase and went through the green corridor. They scanned my suitcase and didn’t check anything else.

And that’s it! I was expecting something terrible or a dog meltdown. In reality, my biggest complaint was the quality of the carrier—it felt like it wasn’t designed for his weight and was generally flimsy (the grate and latches kept coming loose). And carrying him alone was very hard at times. The ticket price, of course, also hits the wallet, but I bought it almost on the day of departure and I didn’t have other options. Overall, I’m very happy: my dog is totally fine and is now resting from +38°C in the cool Saint Petersburg weather.

Wishing everyone happy travels!