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Eight puppies...one trip

Ron Lee

Well Known Member
Today I brought eight pit bull terrier puppies from Ft Leavenworth Kansas to my home airport where folks from the Boulder Humane Society picked them up. Adorable pups. They were a bit whiny at first but seemed to go to sleep once airborne.

I had three in my large crate in the back of the 6A. The Leavenworth folks had another carrier that went in the passenger seat area that held three (top load!). Note that the seatback and cushions were removed.

My medium crate held one puppy and it sat on top of the crate in the back and finally another smallish crate held the last puppy and it was on top of the larger passenger area crate.

Three hours there. Fifty minutes on the ground and three to 3.1 hours back.

I don't like this summer flying. One hour after I got home rain and lightning covered my airport. Usually I am on the ground by 11 AM.

I had told a friend that they would probably get out during the flight and go for my throat. I probably do harbor a bit of apprehension towards this breed but the pups were great. I assume that if you raise them right they can be as loving as most dogs. Well, maybe not labs.

Here are seven of the pups. The eighth was giving me puppy attention...or trying to gain my graces so he could ride on my lap. My friend just saw the picture and thinks that they are Stratford. I don't know.

As far as the large number of pups, I had never considered stacking the crates. I also have limits on what is possible to get over the side so currently that limit is around 40 pounds. In my plane, I just can't haul large dogs. So I will specialize in puppies and other smaller dogs.

PitSmall.jpg
 
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I once drove a sweet stray 90-lb Pit 30 miles to a friend of mine's kennel on a Sunday afternoon because animal control wouldn't come out to my apartment on a weekend (and even if they did, they'd have probably put him down anyway because he was a Pit.) He was sweeter and more loving than my Lab mix, and eventually found a good home. Dogs don't kill people, worthless dog owners kill people. :mad:

It's great to hear about charity flights like this! If my boss would let me haul dogs in our Jabirus, I'd love to do that.
 
Ron,
Great Job! I have been wondering how many dogs will fit in my 7 when I get it finished. I just transported a sweet 7 yr old Boston Terrier female in my C172 Saturday. So far I've only carried one dog at a time, but there have been a few "multi-pups" postings on the PnP board that I thought I'd be interested in.

It's sad that our country is currently euthanizing over 4 million dogs a year and there are folks who want dogs but have no way of getting to them. The rescue folks seem to really appreciate the work we do to help them move the dogs to good homes.

Do you have any photos of the dogs in your plane? I'm trying to remember if your RV is a slider or tip-up and would it matter either way getting the larger kennel in the back. [EDIT: I just found your 7-10-10 post with a photo and remembered your 6A is a slider...plus you described there how to get a larger crate in the rear compartment. Again...good job!]

Thanks for the post. When I was trudging along at 100 knots Saturday with one dog on a 2.3 hour return trip, I couldn't help thinking how much faster the trip would have been at 160 knots in an RV.

Thanks for the post!
 
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