A dogbag and a pug?!

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Trolley-Dolly

Trolley-Dolly

O.G.
Nov 2, 2007
12,498
101
#1
I'm hoping you ladies can help me out. My sister has a pug and she really wants a dogbag for her dog for when she is travelling. I just want to know if any of you ladies/gentleman have both and any info about the fit etc...

TIA
 
#2
I have a pug. I got him from our local Pug Rescue group after extensive research on the breed. Pugs are the largest of the toy breeds which means they are not itty bitty dogs. They are also kind of husky framed and have a tendency to get chubby. Their brachycephalic facial structure impairs their ability to ventilate and cool well so they do poorly in ill-ventilated, hot, enclosed spaces. They shed like mad. Constantly. With all this in mind, this is my experience with carrying my Pug.

When my pug was at his skinniest adult weight he was 18 lbs. That is a lot of weight to carry around. Now that he is older he is even heavier and I would not even consider carrying him in a carrier for one second. When he was lighter I considered carrying him but of all the (non-LV) dog bags I tried I could not get him to fit properly. He is too big. So I put him in a tote with rounded handles and tried to carry him. I think I lasted 15 min and took him out and had him walk on-leash. This arrangement was much better because he was happier and so was my shoulder. I had a bunch of partly embedded pug hair to clean out of the bag and am happy not to have to deal with that regularly.

I think that pugs and dog bags are a poor fit and poor match. If your sister is travelling she would be better off with a hard-sided medium sized travel kennel/crate. Since that will not fit under the seat in front of her on a plane, she would have to check him in to travel separately. If she is travelling by car the pug should be wearing a harness and attached to the seatbelt with those dog seatbelt devices or could be in the crate also. At least in the crate she wouldn't have to cover the seats to protect from the hair. The crates are easier to sweep out and can even be hosed and scrubbed to perfect cleanliness.
 
#4
I have a French Bulldog (see icon :smile1:) and I transport her in her wire crate when we travel in the car. I think 24x18 is the recommended crate size for Frenchies, and I believe pugs are about the same size as Frenchies, maybe a tiny bit smaller. For the car, this is definitely one of the best ways to go.

Now as far as the LV dog bags, I measured my Frenchie just now (lol) and it looks like she might fit in the LV Dog Bag 50 (which is roughly 20x13.5x9 inches)... not a ton of room to spare though.

I would only bother with something like this if I absolutely HAD to take her on a plane with me, and only because she in particular is a wonderfully lazy dog who curls up and goes to sleep wherever I put her, so I don't think she would be uncomfortable. I would definitely take the dog's personality into consideration for something like this.

There is always the cargo hold for bigger carriers/crates, but I would be cautious, especially with a flat-faced breed like Frenchies and pugs. They are sooo sensitive to heat. Some airlines won't even allow brachycephalic dogs in the cargo hold except in the cool months, even though the cargo hold is supposedly air-conditioned and pressurized. However, in general it is safe... just nerve-wracking for the puppy parents. ;) (I know of a couple Frenchies traveling in the cargo hold who were just fine.)

I hope this helps!
 
#5
^^ Thanks!

There is no way my sister can check her dog in, hence I am asking about the dog bag. I also know the basic facts of pugs, i'm not a pug virgin, I had a pug when I was a teenager. Anyway, obviously the dog bag would be too small and the dog would be too heavy for the dog bag, they should make a bigger one! :laugh:
 
#6
LV dog carrier and baxter bag are pretty small. I do not think you can get a pug in one.

Here is Bella, who is only 5 pounds in the baxter GM and it is a tight fit.

P3021897.jpg
 
#9
thanks winiebean and trolley. Bella was the best thing to ever come from TPF. I rescued her from a fellow tpf'er who could not keep her any longer.
 
#12
sophiae said:
Your dogs are so cute! I think I may have asked you this before, but what breeds are they? Is Bella a Papillon mix?
Click to expand...


Bella is a pure breed long hair chihuahua. The tpf'er I rescued her from bought her from a breeder, so I know who her parents are. Sammy we think is a long hair chihuahua also. That is what the note said that the people left him with when they dumped him on the back doorsteps of the animal hospital when he was just a few weeks old.
 
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