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I cover the rules of travelling with a dog: airlines, borders, trains and ferries, and the practical guides that go with them. Staff Writer
The National Dog Show is the Kennel Club of Philadelphia's two day show, where about 2,000 top show dogs are judged and stay on view all day. NBC films the Saturday for Thanksgiving. It runs on 14 and 15 November 2026 in Oaks, Pennsylvania. Tickets, which day to go, and where your dog stays.
American Airlines Cargo will not fly a dog that has been sedated, or even looks it, and IATA advises against sedation in the cabin too. What the airlines and pet shippers say, where prescribed anti-anxiety and motion sickness drugs fit, and what to do instead.
KLM, the Dutch airline that connects much of the world through Amsterdam, flies dogs up to 8 kg in the cabin and up to 75 kg in the hold, but never below on its 787s, never on a connection of three hours or more, and never into the UK as baggage.
The AKC National Championship is America's biggest dog show, where thousands of show dogs compete for Best in Show and a $50,000 prize on 12 and 13 December 2026 in Orlando. Only competing dogs may enter the hall, so yours needs a good hotel.
Everypaw, ManyPets and the Kennel Club each put their dog cover abroad in writing, and the three documents do not agree. Which takes your dog's vet cover into Europe, for how many days, and why the liability cover stays at home.
Queen Mary 2 is Cunard's ocean liner, and it carries pet dogs across the Atlantic in its own kennels on crossings between New York, Southampton and Hamburg. A kennel costs USD 2,500 on top of the fare, some breeds are turned away, and the paperwork runs to the day you arrive.
The Iditarod is a sled dog race of about 1,000 miles across Alaska, from Anchorage to Nome. The 55th leaves Anchorage on Saturday 6 March 2027, and the first day is a street party where fans can meet the mushers and sometimes pet the dogs.
Half of all ice related drownings involve someone trying to rescue a dog. How to keep a dog safe on frozen lakes and gritted pavements, which ski resorts let it on the lift, and why a wet coat is worse than none.
Air France takes dogs up to 8 kg in the cabin and up to 75 kg in the hold, keeps them out of long-haul Business, and bars snub-nosed breeds from the hold. The fees by route, the kennel rules, the connection times and the UK exception.
Westminster Week runs from 30 January to 2 February 2027 across the Javits Center and Madison Square Garden. What happens on each day, which groups are judged when, how the tickets work, and where to stay with your own dog.
Bulldogs, pugs and French bulldogs cope with heat and stress worse than other dogs, and most airlines now refuse them in the hold. What the research shows, which airlines take them and how, and how to plan the car, the hotel and the walks.
Lufthansa takes small dogs in the cabin up to 8 kg with the carrier, bigger dogs in the hold, and snub-nosed breeds in the cabin only. The 72 hour booking rule, the forms, the fees and the airports where a dog cannot change planes.
Crufts returns to the NEC Birmingham from 4 to 7 March 2027. When each breed group is judged, what to see beyond the show rings, how to get there, and the one rule every dog owner needs to know before planning the trip.
