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How do you load a large dog in an RV-10

Fin and Tonic

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I am close to pulling the trigger on an existing RV-10 but my one reservation is the ability to travel with two 75lb labs.

To lay the groundwork, it's an hour and a half flight to our beach house. We would like to take the dogs with us when we duck down there for a 3 day trip. We would have very little luggage. My concern is how to get the dogs into the plane. Both are Labs and one doesn't move all that great anymore.

It would be very easy to load them in a Cherokee 6 or A36 Bonanza. But I would really prefer to have an RV-10.

I have a couple of questions for those of you that have an RV-10 and travel with your dogs:

  1. How do you load them? Baggage door or over the wing? If over the wing, how do you protect the paint?
  2. Can a Lab fit through the baggage door?
  3. Do you use steps or a ramp?
  4. I assume I could remove the rear seats and put a block of foam in the footwell when traveling with the dogs to make a larger flat area for them to lie down.
  5. Is there anything I need to consider that I may be overlooking?

Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks
 
I am close to pulling the trigger on an existing RV-10 but my one reservation is the ability to travel with two 75lb labs.

To lay the groundwork, it's an hour and a half flight to our beach house. We would like to take the dogs with us when we duck down there for a 3 day trip. We would have very little luggage. My concern is how to get the dogs into the plane. Both are Labs and one doesn't move all that great anymore.

It would be very easy to load them in a Cherokee 6 or A36 Bonanza. But I would really prefer to have an RV-10.

I have a couple of questions for those of you that have an RV-10 and travel with your dogs:

  1. How do you load them? Baggage door or over the wing? If over the wing, how do you protect the paint?
  2. Can a Lab fit through the baggage door?
  3. Do you use steps or a ramp?
  4. I assume I could remove the rear seats and put a block of foam in the footwell when traveling with the dogs to make a larger flat area for them to lie down.
  5. Is there anything I need to consider that I may be overlooking?

Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks

We had an 80 lb aussie sheppard mix, about the size of a Lab. He would do anything to go with me. And he was smart. Here was our drill:
I pull the plane out, leave pilot door open, pilot seat forward, seat back tipped forward. I put an old beach towel on the wing. Champ waits in the hangar, right where his “Mutt Muffs” were stored. I put them on his head. He then trotted out to the aft side of the left wing, jumped up and placed his forelegs on the towel, and waited for me to close up the hangar, etc. I put my arm under his abdomen and picked up his back half. Champ then walked up the wing, stepped into the back, and made himself comfortable. Sometimes sitting in the seat, usually curling up on one seat and going to sleep. On arrival, reverse the process except he jumped off the wing without assistance.
Never tried the baggage door. It would be awkward.
There will be some paint scratches. That’s the cost of owning a dog.
He normally wore a harness, which we attached to an aft seat belt. Both for crash protection, and to make sure he wouldn’t try to join us up front (which he never did).
If you wanted to give them more room, I’d (1) put some foam between the seats to make it a ‘bench’, and/or (2) remove the seat backs (easy) and add some foam to the baggage area to extend the seat cushion aft.
I wouldn’t put any dog in the baggage area unless tied in. The latch is pretty flimsy if a dog made a determined effort to get out.
All RV’s are loud. Get some hearing protection for your dogs.
 
I’ve done several 4 hour trips with an 80lb lab. She was loaded through the door over the wing. We’ve lifted her on the wing and we’ve use a step stool to help her climb up. We usually tried to fill the rear foot well and removed the seat bottom.

We also used mutt muffs. I found that if we taxied out without them on, then put them on in the run up area, she didn’t fuss with them enroute.

There was also a person sitting other rear seat.
 
We have an elderly standard Poodle named Zeus. My wife, after putting on his mutt muffs, lifts him up to the wing where I take him and guide him into the rear. We have a large bed for him there.

Since the attached photo was taken, I have installed the rear seats, and put the dog bed on top of those.

He’s an excellent flying buddy!
 

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Yoga mat on the wing. I try and pick her up so she doesn’t hit the step. We found inflatable pillows that fill the footwells and take the bottom cushions out. Her bed lies nicely and gives her plenty of room. Mutt Muffs and a bungee leash that buckles into the seat belt keeps her from moving too much but still gives her enough space to stand up and turn around.
 
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