This year 2024 has seen a lot of changes when it comes to airlines, requirements and how to be a flight angel.

This is an updated guide for anyone interested in helping us save a Meximutt!

Are you on vacation in Mexico and want to give your trip a bit of meaning? Be a flight angel for one of the many Isla dogs that need to go to their forever home!

The whole experience of being part of helping these dogs having a much better life is rewarding and even fun!

It doesn’t matter where are you flying to or when, please contact us and let us know your plans, if possible, we’ll do our best to match you with a doggie and their adopters. You’ll be a hero!

The US has a new requirement for dogs to be 6 months to enter the country.

(all dogs, not necessarily rescues)

This has been a blow to how we rehome our animals.

Why to be a flight angel?

Thousands of Mexican dogs are rambling the streets sick and unwanted. Many are abandoned, others were just born in the wild and have zero chances for a decent life and the love of a family.

Dogs here are often left to fend for themselves in the street, rarely vaccinated, and very often not taken care of at all. We get puppies found abandoned in the jungle, surrendered dogs from families that just don’t want them anymore, sick doggies that have struggled to survive in a world that was not designed for them.

Dogs need love and attention and care, and we, humans, are the ones responsible for them!

Being a flight angel for a doggie means helping out in the process of ensuring they will have happy, fulfilling lives, and be loved as they deserve to be. It’s also very rewarding to know they are home thanks to you!

Being a flight angel – Step by Step

Being a flight angel is very easy and it requires very little from escorts.

First of all, we need to match you with a dog and an adopter. For that, we need your flight information, including airline, destination, times of departure and arrival, and reservation code, as well as some personal information from you.

Once we have made the perfect match, we take care of the booking and meet you at the airport on your departure day.

We provide all necessary documentation, as well as a carrier o crate and a to-go bag that has a few cleaning supplies, leashes, toys, and food for the trip. Having wet towels in hand is a good idea but we can’t find them here!

What to expect on traveling day?

Once we deliver the dog, it’s all very easy! You go to the check-in counter and do your check-in showing the documents for the dog. Please keep the dog in the carrier during check-in.

Please note that some airlines require payment for the dog at the check-in desk. We cover all costs and if necessary we may check in with you. Otherwise the fee will be reimbursed. 

Then it’s time to go through security. For this, the dog must not be left in the carrier. Our puppies are usually very calm and love traveling. It’s like they know they are going home!

Please pick up the puppy and take it in your arms when going through security. As soon as the bags are out of the X-ray machine you can place the puppies in their bags. 

New airport regulations now requires dogs to stay in their carriers also at the airport. There are no relief areas in the Cancun airport. 

When boarding the plane the dogs must be inside the carriers. Most airlines won’t allow dogs to be outside, however, some air hostesses are not as strict as others. Please keep in mind that the rules state that the dogs have to be in their bags for the full length of the flight, trying to open the carrier or take the dogs out may be ok, but know they may ask you to put them back in their bags.

Upon arrival we will have organized to either the adopters or some of our friends around the world to pick up the dog. We will of course put you in contact with them before your flight. You meet them at an established point and give them the dog (please don’t forget the documents too!).

Easy, right?

What does Isla Animals provide you with?

When we bring the dog to the ferry or the airport we will give you a carrier as well as a to-go bag with some cleaning supplies. Dogs are usually good travelers, though allowing some time for them to pee before going through security may be a good idea.

We also bring you the paperwork for the dogs. They have a vaccination booklet all up-to-date as well as a health certificate in Spanish and English.

Some things to keep in mind

Things are a bit different if the dog is going to the US or Canada, and depending on the age of the animal, as well as their size. 

This guide so far has covered mostly in cabin dogs as it was what we used to do the most. With the US requiring now dogs to be 6 months to enter, and most airlines to the US not allowing checked dogs (only small enough to fit in cabin), it’s all a bit harder… as few dogs at 6 months still fit in a carrier 18x11x7 inches!

Until things change again, or while this is the new norm, keep in mind we find it hard to match all moving parts, even though we do our best! Reaching out to let us know about your trip plans really helps, especially in advance as we keep a calendar with all that information and may be the key to confirm an adoption!!!

Another new requirement is a CDC permit. This is easily done online, and we are happy to fill it out for you (we will be asking for some extra info). In most cases, doggies fly as your personal pet. We are happy to explain a bit better how this works!

Additionally, as of the end of November 2024, due to a case of screwworm in Mexico (something that had been eradicated long ago), a new health certificate is going to be necessary, though the logistics of how this will work, are not clear yet. Once we know more, we will know how this will affect us sending doggies!