Flying with the Big Dogs!

[AggieMike88]

SixPappaCharlie and I did a Pilots-n-Paws mission today, sending Murphy the St. Bernard on his way to Denver to be adopted through Mountain Pet Rescue.

100# of canine makes for some warm furry ballast in the 182.

This was the largest dog I ever spent time with (I fostered him since Thursday).


@Nate, he would make a good companion for Dino and you. Low energy mostly, but a good walking/hiking buddy. And a real goofy side once he gets to know you.


More photos will be posted as we collect them.

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[timwinters]

I'm definitely a big dog person. The one we flew yesterday was a snack! Still fun though.

 

[denverpilot]

How far did they get? I mentioned the cruddy winds here today in the other thread.

We wouldn't pass most adoption place's questionnaires for big dogs right now, since we don't have the field fence up.

We wander Dino around on a 30' lead, and anxiously await warmer weather to get fences built. He'd probably like the ability to run full speed around the property, and probably have a buddy once the fences are in.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[poadeleted21]

Here's Wally in the back of my Cherokee.

He flies pretty good, except on warm days, for some reason the air vents blowing on me are preferable to the ones blowing on him.

 

[timwinters]

Wally's a good lookin' dawg!!!

 

[AggieMike88]

Dana Haglin from KBJC and his older Cessna 210 met us in Borger. He made it home and I got an email from Sybil of MPR that Murphy was with their intake coordinator.


@Ron Levy... Half way through the flight, a certain odor reminded me of your story about Chewbacca and his worried then relieved look. Unfortunately, I didn't have a canopy to open for venting.

 

[PPC1052]

I am too nervous to take my big dog flying with me. He's still too young hyper. He used to freak out and pace back and forth in the back seat of my car, and bark constantly. Now I can get him to do a down stay, and he has quit the constant barking routine. But I don't have enough confidence in him to take him in the air yet. Maybe when he gets older he will finally calm down enough.

 

[murphey]

I am too nervous to take my big dog flying with me. He's still too young hyper. He used to freak out and pace back and forth in the back seat of my car, and bark constantly. Now I can get him to do a down stay, and he has quit the constant barking routine. But I don't have enough confidence in him to take him in the air yet. Maybe when he gets older he will finally calm down enough.

Have you tried a harness attached to the seat belt in the back seat of the airplane? Plenty of salck so he can sit up or lie down but not jump around.

 

[AggieMike88]

Have you tried a harness attached to the seat belt in the back seat of the airplane? Plenty of slack so he can sit up or lie down but not jump around.

Plus, in a car, there is lots for them to see and lots of odors to sniff, causing them to get excited.

Flying eliminates some of this. So dogs get bored and zone out.

Flying at a higher altitude also helps to calm the dogs. Two of our canine passengers this weekend were full of nervous energy before we loaded them. But once we climbed through 3000 ft they started settling down. Once we were at our 8500 cruise, they were curled up against one another slept most of the way.

 

[AggieMike88]

More photos from the Air Murphy flight

And a big shout out of Thanks! to Dana Haglin of Boulder, CO for meeting me in Borger, TX and flying the dogs to Denver.

And Wade Roberts for bringing "Golden Boy" from Houston to Denton.

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[murphey]

More photos from the Air Murphy flight

And a big shout out of Thanks! to Dana Haglin of Boulder, CO for meeting me in Borger, TX and flying the dogs to Denver.

And Wade Roberts for bringing "Golden Boy" from Houston to Denton.

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Definitely more fun than the $100 hamburger....

 

[AggieMike88]

Definitely more fun than the $100 hamburger....

Just ask SixPappaCharlie about the Borger landing. I think I heard a few "ohmygod!ohmygod!ohmygod!ohmygod!" over the intercom and him bracing against the right door as we came in right wing low and full left rudder over the numbers.

It was my first full on wind blowing hard 15kt crosswind component front slip all the way down final landing ever.

And I did a good job of it.

 

[murphey]

Just ask SixPappaCharlie about the Borger landing. I think I heard a few "ohmygod!ohmygod!ohmygod!ohmygod!" over the intercom and him bracing against the right door as we came in right wing low and full left rudder over the numbers.

It was my first full on wind blowing hard 15kt crosswind component front slip all the way down final landing ever.

And I did a good job of it.

And the airplane can be reused!

 

[Clark1961]

Just ask SixPappaCharlie about the Borger landing. I think I heard a few "ohmygod!ohmygod!ohmygod!ohmygod!" over the intercom and him bracing against the right door as we came in right wing low and full left rudder over the numbers.

It was my first full on wind blowing hard 15kt crosswind component front slip all the way down final landing ever.

And I did a good job of it.

Winds at BGD can be fun. I've stopped there half-a-dozen times and it seems the wind is always fairly strong. I've got to ask: You didn't like the crosswind runway?

 

[AggieMike88]

I've got to ask: You didn't like the crosswind runway?

I thought 3/21 WAS the crosswind runway!

Actually glad they have two runways... Made the landing task a little simpler.

Borger's FBO/Terminal a nice one. The county did a good job making a nice comfortable space for pilots and passengers, 2 crew cars available, and the ramper that helped us Sunday was super nice and helpful.

 

[PPC1052]

Have you tried a harness attached to the seat belt in the back seat of the airplane? Plenty of salck so he can sit up or lie down but not jump around.

The short answer is no. I haven't even tried to get that far. It's hard to explain unless you meet him. He is a very, very sweet dog, but trying even to just put a collar or a leash on him is sometimes difficult because he gets hyped up, bounces around, and he is big and very strong. He is not vicious, and he is not a biter. But the process can devolve into a wrestling match if you don't know what you are doing, or if you lose your patience. I know the first thing you are going to say is he needs training. Yes. That is true. I am not an inexperienced dog owner, or trainer. We have, are, and will continue to train him. In fact, every day is a training day. But it takes time. He also needs to mature. He is 1.5 years old, and has very much a puppy brain. Big dogs often mature slowly in that regard, and he takes it to the extreme. He has gotten soooooo much better over time. So, this isn't a lost cause. But it is a work in progress. He's actually quite good with obedience. In fact, I have taken him to restaraunts, and he will stay down at my feet (for the most part), even with all of the excitement and strangers around. But it's relaxing and knowing how to behave when not on command that he needs help with, and will improve with maturity.

 

[AggieMike88]

Then just take your time introducing him to the airplane. Perhaps start by doing several sessions where the only objective is to get him to lie down and be quiet on the back seat. No flying, just calm, perhaps even sleep. Get him to think the aircraft is a oversized doggie bed with wings.

Just like your current training efforts, small steps and small achievable goals.