In that regard, Kaline has learned to do something Juno never had the opportunity to do: How to pee inside in the best service dog relief area ever. Just before Kaline’s first flight, the Detroit airport put in a fabulous relief area inside security. The amount of anxiety this relieves can’t really be overstated.
“We even did a practice run through security with my friend Sonja, whose service dog Chief is Kaline’s best buddy. Practice runs are far more to settle any handler nerves than to settle the dog’s.”
First of all, having to go through security twice due to needing a potty break is just a pain, especially if your disability affects your stamina and/or mobility. Trying to get out to the distant potty spot and then having to do security during a layover is even worse. Having a relief area inside security saves a handler innumerable amounts of stress and energy.
And you may have seen the story that made news of the service dog who had such a bad accident on a plane that they had to make an emergency landing … That story features prominently in the nightmares of many handlers. The easier it is to potty your dog right before you fly, the better! The first time I asked Kaline to eliminate there, he looked at me like I was insane—”We don’t PEE inside! What’s the matter with you?” Now, when we get off the plane in Detroit, he books it straight to the area by Gate 34.
Kaline’s first flight was nerve-wracking in different ways from Juno’s. With him, I had a good idea of what to expect at the airport and on the plane. I was able to prepare him more specifically for the ordeal. We practiced the stand for examination endlessly, since he is a far more stranger-social dog than Juno and would likely try to lick the TSA agent to death if allowed. He learned to curl up in a little ball at my feet and ride in the passenger foot-space of the car, getting comfortable in a small space and becoming accustomed to the rumbling feeling, as well as occasional “turbulence” if my dad was the driver.
We even did a practice run through security with my friend Sonja, whose service dog Chief is Kaline’s best buddy. Practice runs are far more to settle any handler nerves than to settle the dog’s. Kaline was completely fine, and once I saw him do it without the pressure of a flight to catch, I was able to be much more relaxed during the real thing!
Kaline was only sixteen months old when he did his first flight. It worked out that both my parents were going on the trip, so we took up a whole row on the plane. This turned out to be really good, because Kaline did not sleep through takeoff or landing. I had armed myself with high value treats, expecting this to happen, so he got rewards all during the scary parts in addition to being cuddled by the whole family.
Being a diva Doberman, Kaline was also more high maintenance in flight than Juno because he believes any temperature under 60 degrees to be extreme cold. Our last several flights have been so warm as to be nearly uncomfortable, but back then all the planes were very chilly. Where Juno just curled up on a thin mat and conked out, in “cold” Kaline requires: a thick Ruffwear pad to insulate him from the plane’s cold floor, his Ruffwear Cloudchaser, his fleecy pajamas, and sometimes a Delta blankie from a kind flight attendant.
Though Kaline did well in the air, his apprehension during takeoff and landing was a bit worrying to me. However, with every flight he took, that diminished. Today, Kaline is a pretty experienced flyer and is unimpressed by all the strangeness of air travel.
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