Pet travel rules in India: every way to travel, summarised

Indian Railways bars dogs from AC sleeper (including 2AC and 3AC), AC chair car, sleeper and second class coaches. A puppy or kitten small enough for a basket may travel with you in any class after the usual booking charge. Any other dog goes in the brake van's dog box, booked at the parcel or luggage office at least 3 hours before departure, with a vet's fitness certificate from the 24 to 48 hours before the journey.

Coupe pets are booked online on IRCTC under Dogs/Cats Booking, which opens once the first chart is prepared. The charge is the Scale L luggage rate on a fixed weight, 60 kg in a compartment and 30 kg in the dog box, and an online pet ticket is not refunded if you cancel or the train is cancelled. A dog found unbooked pays six times the luggage rate. The train guide has the booking steps, the fee ledger and the Vande Bharat news.

Air India and Akasa Air carry dogs and cats in the cabin up to 10 kg including the carrier, for Rs 7,500 a flight; Akasa's fee includes taxes and Air India adds them. Heavier pets fly in the hold: on Air India from 10 to 32 kg for Rs 16,000 plus taxes. SpiceJet takes dogs in the hold only, up to 35 kg without the cage, and refuses snub-nosed breeds. IndiGo and Air India Express carry trained service dogs only.

Behind the airline policies sits rule 24C of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, which allows animals on aircraft only under a general or special written permit from the Director-General. The flights guide compares the five airlines row by row, with each airline's own page linked.

MoRTH's Driving Regulations, 2017 tell the driver to keep their view and hearing clear of "passengers, animals, the load". Section 125 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 bars anything placed so that it hampers the driver's control. And carrying an animal so that it suffers unnecessarily is cruelty under section 11(1)(d) of the PCA Act.

Vets advise a carrier for small pets, the back seat and a harness for bigger dogs, and a stop every 2 hours for water and a toilet break. Never leave a pet in a parked car: RSPCA figures show a car can reach 47 degrees Celsius within an hour when it is 22 degrees outside. The road-trips guide covers cabs, state buses and parks that do not allow pets.

Size decides a lot. A pet of 10 kg or less with its carrier can fly in the cabin on two airlines or ride a coupe on a train; a bigger dog flies in the hold or rides the dog box, or goes by car. Snub-nosed breeds such as Pugs and Shih Tzus are refused by SpiceJet and kept out of the hold by Air India and Akasa Air.

Paperwork has deadlines. The train dog box wants a vet's certificate from the 24 to 48 hours before departure, the AQCS export certificate is valid for 10 days, and the Advance NOC needs at least 7 days. Keep the vaccination card with you on every journey.

For many trips, the pet is better off at home. A Petym sitter in your home, or a stay with a sitter who hosts, keeps the pet's routine while you travel, and the comparison of a sitter with taking your dog along sets out when each makes sense.

Section 11(1)(d) of the PCA Act binds "any person" carrying an animal, and section 2(f) counts anyone in custody of a pet as its owner. When a Petym sitter takes a client's dog or cat to the vet, the pet goes in a carrier or harness on the back seat, never loose on a lap where it blocks the driver's view, and never left in a parked car.

In an emergency the sitter calls the owner and takes the pet to the nearest 24-hour vet on the city's list. Knowing in advance whether the clinic is a short cab ride away, and whether a cab will take a pet, is part of the meet and greet.

Sitters do not book a client's pet onto trains or flights unless the owner arranges it. If an owner wants a sitter to bring a pet to the station or airport, the owner's papers, the booking and the vet's certificate travel with the pet.