Jet setting pets in need of better services
I’ve just returned from traveling to Switzerland (see Girl and Mini Poodle: Solo hike across the Swiss Alps) and it was my first time doing a long-haul flight with Rosa in the aircraft cabin.
So, of course, I was so conscious of her toilet breaks and I wanted to give her the best opportunity to go to the bathroom BEFORE we got onto the plane. I knew that JFK had pet relief areas inside the international terminals. I had taken notice of the signs on prior vacations and I took the initiative to look up the location online beforehand and read some reviews by other jet-setting pet parents. I felt like I had done the best to prepare. The reviews said the space was something like 6 feet by 6 feet in size and that it was a faux grassed area – perfect conditions for Rosa to ‘take care of business’.
This dog knows what real grass feels like!
Hiking through the Berner Oberland.
On our arrival at JFK the terminal was completely manic – flights had been canceled due to bad weather and the check in line was out of control. But I remind myself to stay relaxed, knowing that she can go to the bathroom once we make it through security…
When we finally get through, there’s only like 15 minutes until we board our flight to Zurich.
I’ll be honest – I had become a little frazzled by this stage and it seems trickier to locate the pet relief area (even with my research) and then when we do… I open the door, I nearly die!
Instead of faux grass, it is a cold tiled space and the tiles have an IMAGE of grass on them! Like a digital photo printed on the tiles.
Flying from JFK to Zurich with Rosa inside the airline cabin
Every dog knows what real grass feels like!!
There is no way that Rosa will go to the toilet on a PICTURE of grass!!! She sits quietly and stares at the door… Completely unfazed by my rising anxiety…
This just showed me that whilst this particular JFK airport terminal made the effort to invest in providing pet friendly services, they could still really miss the mark on their execution.
Pet parents beware, there’s fake grass out there.
This blog post is part of Wolfpack NYC’s blog series on a pet-friendly vacation in Switzerland, see also Girl and Mini Poodle: Solo hike across the Swiss Alps and you can subscribe to stay connected for our next post.
