Greg
Louganis
on
Traveling With Pets
by Andrew Mersmann
There are images of Olympian Greg Louganis
etched in our collective memory; executing flawless
dives; that head-cracking Tokyo Olympics bit of videotape
played endlessly on TV until we all had sympathetic
migraines; quietly coming out to Barbara Walters on
20/20 in 1995; and walking along an airplane gangway
with a dog in a bag. That last visual may not be as
well known as the others, but he does a lot of that
as he covers the globe with at least one of his faithful
companions frequently in tow. An outspoken animal advocate
and author of For the Life of Your Dog, the normally
shy Louganis is perhaps most at ease with his canine
friends. He calls from his home in Malibu between gym
visits (morning workout, afternoon yoga) to answer a
few questions about traveling with pets.
What is the current roster of animals
in Louganis-land?
I have two dogs, a Jack Russell Terrier called
“Nipper” (named for the RCA dog) and son,
“Dobby Gryff” (names from Harry Potter), and
four rats.
Do the dogs have their own luggage?
I have a Sherpa Bag that holds some of their stuff.
I’ll pack food, bowls, treats, if it’s winter
a sweater or coat, and lots and lots of poop bags.
Your small dogs travel in the cabin,
have you ever had a pet fly in baggage hold?
So much more stress for me. I make sure the captain
knows they’re on board, and I won’t stay on
a plane unless I can see them loaded. One time, from
America to Paris Nipper had to [stay in the cargo area].
I was a wreck.
I probably already know your answer
to this, but what about sedatives?
NO! They’re very used to traveling, they know
their carrier is a safe place. Even in hotels, it’s
the most familiar and comfortable place to be, which
is required in a lot of hotels anyway, that they be
confined.
Any travel nightmares?
I don’t find it too much of a problem. One
time with Continental, the right hand didn’t know
what the left hand was doing. The carrier was fine,
then somebody else said, ”No” it was too small.
It was a mess, just ridiculous. We had to be put on
a later flight. I had to buy another bag. It wasn’t
even an animal bag, it was a gym duffel bag and I had
to cut out the mesh so the dog could have some air.
It was just absurd, nobody could agree on the rules
because it wasn’t standardized.
Every time I’ve flown, let’s say from L.A.
to New York, most of the time we’re three-fourths
of the way through the trip and the passenger next to
me will turn and say, “Do you have a dog in there?
Has it been there the whole time?” My dogs travel
better than most kids. I actually prefer it when nobody
knows because Nipper is afraid of kids. Kids tend to
want to peer in or poke fingers in, and she’ll
bark and growl – she has a nasty little greeting.
I can usually catch it and tell them to give her some
room. She’s fine with adults and ignores other
dogs.
What pet travel lesson has been hardest
to learn?
I see a lot of people making huge mistakes. Maybe
the biggest one is getting the bag the night before,
throwing them in there for the first time at the airport,
and they’re freaked. I always condition my dogs
to the carrier well in advance so they know it’s
a good thing. Even at 7-8 weeks old they start to get
accustomed to being there. They get treats when they’re
quiet and ignored when they’re not. I’ll even
feed them meals in the carrier with the door open, so
they look forward to going in it. Have lots of dry runs
so they’re not freaking out. Dry runs in the bag,
in the car, hanging out at home, hanging out at someone
else’s place. Anything to get them used to being
in different environments and to know it’s not
a punishment.
Ready for the Barbara Walters question?
What kind of tree would I be?
If you were president of a commercial
airline and could make any decisions with no concern
for cost, what would you do differently?
I’d have a pet relief station in the terminal
so they wouldn’t have to go all the way outside
and check back in through security. If you have connecting
flights, that can be such a hassle if you want to give
them a chance to stretch their legs and relieve themselves,
you have to go all the way out to find a place. [I’d
also provide] larger space under the seat in front of
you. Footrests are getting bigger and more comfortable,
at least in first class, but it takes away space underneath.
[Updated:
April, 2008]
|
