Taking dogs onboard

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NavByte

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I'm concerned about the loud engine noise for dogs. I talked to a gentleman in Ohio and he said his dog went deaf after some years of taking him for flight in his Bonanza.
I'm worried about my dog. I have bought 4 PAWS K-9 EAR MUFFS from aircraft spruce but am still not convinced if they protect the ears enough.

Anyone has any idea or experience?
 
Not sure what you're flying or what insulation your friends Bo had, or other issues his dog had, but I've had fine luck putting my dog in a little canvas crate without any fancy muffs or anything, she just goes to sleep and I'd imagine if it was that hard on her she should be crying.
 
My dog does just fine. He's not a frequent flyer, but we take him when visiting family 200-400 nm away. I out his crate in the back seat, then he walks into it. Almost never makes a sound enroute; he used to yelp when I put the gear down, now he recognizes the power reduction for pattern entry. Only thrown up in the crate once, he's seven years old now.
 
A flight here and there will not be enough to damage a dog's hearing. If you are flying consistently with your dog I would argue that it might be a different story. I have had my puppy Pax up with me a for a few trips and tried to find some ear muffs for him but he has a pretty slender head and big ears and none would stay on. I can tell that he did not like the noise at all unprotected. He travels with me all day in the truck and he is always perked up in the seat. He did the same in the plane...until the engine got to full power. He curled up in a ball on the floor of the back seat...which is what he does in my truck when I have him at work and there is a lot of loud noise.

Protection for harm from hearing is one thing, protection for the comfort of the dog is another depending on how they handle it.

I can tell ya the Muff Mutts are pretty much worthless if you are looking at other options.
 
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Took our black lab camping with us. 4 adults, 3 kids and the lab. Flew into a lake about 30 miles from home. Chartered a piston Otter for the trip. Lab was shaking because of the loud radial... Wife took a spare set of head phones and held them on his head. He seemed to calm down. Getting him in and out of the Otter on floats was a chore, but he loved the lake swam all day. Fishing was great, everyone enjoyed the trip.
 
My dog is a noise desensitized gun dog. He just falls asleep by the time we're 1,000 up. Turbulence doesn't disturb him either. He likes going for rides in absolutely any vehicle.
 
My dog goes with about 95% of the time. My last dog was almost totally deaf when he was old. This one's used Mutt Muffs since a pup and at 8 years she can hear a pin drop from across the house. Not scientific but I have no intention of changing our routine.
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My dogs have all been flying in my Tiger without ear protection for years, and they can still hear the rustle of kibble in the downstairs utility room from the upstairs bedroom, so I wouldn't worry about it.
 
Thanks everyone for your opinions.

Stewart, your experience is very valuable. My wife's relieved when she read your comment and saw the picture.

Thanks
 
NavByte said:
Thanks everyone for your opinions.

Stewart, your experience is very valuable. My wife's relieved when she read your comment and saw the picture.

Thanks
Click to expand...

FWIW, we didn't have much success with mutt-muffs. Our dog worked them off then chewed through the straps. Just as well, the muffs didn't seem to seal very well, and while they look cute, I doubt they attenuate much noise with the thin foam ear seals.
 
NavByte said:
Thanks everyone for your opinions.

Stewart, your experience is very valuable. My wife's relieved when she read your comment and saw the picture.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I let the dog jump into the plane and then she eagerly sticks her head out the door to get the muffs on. My biggest problem is that face-to-face her tongue is flapping trying to give me kisses. She likes to go and wearing the Mutt Muffs is part of the drill. She takes no exception to them at all.
 
Ron Levy said:
My dogs have all been flying in my Tiger without ear protection for years, and they can still hear the rustle of kibble in the downstairs utility room from the upstairs bedroom, so I wouldn't worry about it.
Click to expand...

Kibble - a new unit of measure for canine hearing sensitivity.
My dog is probably in the area of 4 Kibbles, but then again, he's over 10 years old. :D
 
My dog takes the mutt muffs off after about 5 minutes of flying.
 
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