We’re crazy about dogs, and we’re apparently not alone. Pet owners in the United States spent over $150 billion on their pets in 2024 and Morgan Stanley predicts that number will hit $260 billion by the end of the decade. People love their pets.
Helping our clients plan for travel with their pets has become a significant part of what we do. Our journey down this road actually started over 25 years ago, when through a series of events no one could have predicted, we ended up taking a client’s Maine Coon Cat into our home for several months. Yes, these things happen when you develop a close relationship with your clients.
Our period of cat stewardship ended with us loading this cat (Lyndon) into a limousine that took him to a nearby airport, where he was flown by private jet to the home of our client’s relatives in Durango, Colorado. Lyndon went on to live a long life in a loving home.
Our client profiles often contain as much information about a client’s dogs as their children, and we frequently help with transportation and accommodations for every member of the family, including those with four legs. Over the years we’ve learned a thing or two, particularly about traveling with dogs…
Preparing Your Pet for Travel
First and foremost we’ve found though our clients’ experiences that a healthy, well mannered dog makes the travel experience infinitely better. Your pet’s health is the primary consideration, and we assume that you will have that well in hand. For those traveling abroad, meeting the health requirements of the country you’ll be visiting is of utmost importance, as are the requirements for bringing your pet back into the United States. Since these are such critical components of planning your trip, we turn to business partners who specialize in these critical steps.
It’s equally critical to ensure your pet is ready to handle the challenges of thriving in new and unfamiliar surroundings. For dogs, we suggest starting with professional training, which results in a calmer, better behaved dog that is acclimated to the stresses of travel. From the time we welcomed Sophie, The Official Dog of Elán, into our family our intentions were to bring her along on our travels. Since the time we picked her up, she’s been on the road with us; it’s no exaggeration to say that Sophie has easily logged over 40,000 miles with us as we transit back and forth between our offices. Her inaugural Big Girl trip was last year, when we traveled with her to a Tennessee cabin for a week of touring that included a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and a sojourn to Mardi Growl, a celebration of dogs in Knoxville. She was a champ, but there comes a time when every dog owner realizes that their pup needs a little bit of finishing work. Once Sophie reached adolescence she found her independent “I don’t necessarily have to listen to you” streak, and it was time for outside help.
When we found that one of the country’s true superstar trainers was based just over an hour away from our Wisconsin home we immediately reached out. A visit to Italy and France provided a window of opportunity to introduce Sophie to her new training environment and the results were phenomenal; the slightly naughty pup that we dropped off was returned to us as a well mannered and obedient dog after four weeks of finishing school with Rising Starr K9 (https://www.risingstarrk9.com/). Rising Starr’s owner Rick Pederson and his wife Joane provide a truly exceptional opportunity for a dog to be trained in myriad environments—in their home, in classroom settings with other dogs, and in a variety of social settings, including offices, clinics, stores and motorcycle dealerships. At the end of this process, Sophie emerged with poise and a full range of obedience skills. Remarkably, she also was independently tested and achieved three levels of certification through the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen program.
A Four Seasons Dog?
Having been set up for success, we then put Sophie to the ultimate test: Would she be able to pass the test of a visit to the Four Seasons Chicago? The answer, as it turned out, was “Absolutely, yes.” We loaded Sophie into our vehicle for the ride to Chicago. Upon our arrival, we were all greeted enthusiastically at the hotel’s entrance with the warm welcome known to all who have ever entered the “Four Seasons bubble.” After a brief walk to introduce her to the neighborhood, Sophie proudly trotted into the Four Seasons to universal approbation. She proved to be a real superstar, greeting staff and guests—once she was given permission, of course—with the sort of “I love you more than life itself” enthusiasm that golden retrievers exhibit so naturally.
As with every Four Seasons, their Chicago hotel sets the benchmark by which all others are measured. Having recently undergone a top to bottom renovation the Four Seasons Chicago, situated on the Magnificent Mile, hits the mark for an exceptional hotel experience in every way. Once you’re greeted at the entrance you travel to the seventh floor lobby, and are immediately impressed by the sophisticated tone of welcoming luxury that distinguishes the brand. Of course, Sophie was immediately the object of much fawning attention by staff and guests alike, a role she quickly and happily adopted. We were shown to our beautiful suite, which quickly met with Sophie’s approval. And why wouldn’t it? The hotel had set up a dog bed inside a tent for Sophie, put out water and food bowls, and lavished her with treats and toys. While Sophie brought her own food, it’s worth noting that the hotel’s Chef will assist with meeting a pet’s special dietary needs by making meals in house.
It’s within the discretion of each luxury hotel property to determine whether to permit pets and to design a program for them and their owners. The Four Seasons Chicago not only provides the amenities we have shared, but also can arrange for pet-sitting or walking through the concierge desk. As with many other aspects of the luxury hotel experience The Four Seasons sets high standards, but a number of our other luxury hotel and resort partners offer similar amenities.
Whatever your destination, if you want to experience it with your pet there are numerous options. It’s truly extraordinary for a hotel to go to the lengths that the Four Seasons went to, and there are often additional charges, but if you’re among those of us who might want to occasionally travel with your pet, let us help you discover the possibilities. We get it…and we’ll help to arrange it.
Jetting with Pets
The Four Seasons Chicago was an easy drive for us, but many travelers are looking to travel further afield. In recent years pet airlines have come into existence, a service that may be exactly what you need. Elán partners with K9 Jets (https://www.k9jets.com/), who offer a unique service, flying owners, along with their pets, to and from locations in the United States to foreign destinations.
In addition to the flights themselves, K9 Jets offers assistance in securing the essential paperwork needed to bring pets into another country, bringing experience and expertise to a process that few of us have had to navigate on our own. Their website provides a fascinating insight into this creative service: https://www.k9jets.com/..
Helping our clients plan for travel with their pets has become a significant part of what we do. Our journey down this road actually started over 25 years ago, when through a series of events no one could have predicted, we ended up taking a client’s Maine Coon Cat into our home for several months. Yes, these things happen when you develop a close relationship with your clients.
Our period of cat stewardship ended with us loading this cat (Lyndon) into a limousine that took him to a nearby airport, where he was flown by private jet to the home of our client’s relatives in Durango, Colorado. Lyndon went on to live a long life in a loving home.
Our client profiles often contain as much information about a client’s dogs as their children, and we frequently help with transportation and accommodations for every member of the family, including those with four legs. Over the years we’ve learned a thing or two, particularly about traveling with dogs…
Preparing Your Pet for Travel
First and foremost we’ve found though our clients’ experiences that a healthy, well mannered dog makes the travel experience infinitely better. Your pet’s health is the primary consideration, and we assume that you will have that well in hand. For those traveling abroad, meeting the health requirements of the country you’ll be visiting is of utmost importance, as are the requirements for bringing your pet back into the United States. Since these are such critical components of planning your trip, we turn to business partners who specialize in these critical steps.
It’s equally critical to ensure your pet is ready to handle the challenges of thriving in new and unfamiliar surroundings. For dogs, we suggest starting with professional training, which results in a calmer, better behaved dog that is acclimated to the stresses of travel. From the time we welcomed Sophie, The Official Dog of Elán, into our family our intentions were to bring her along on our travels. Since the time we picked her up, she’s been on the road with us; it’s no exaggeration to say that Sophie has easily logged over 40,000 miles with us as we transit back and forth between our offices. Her inaugural Big Girl trip was last year, when we traveled with her to a Tennessee cabin for a week of touring that included a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and a sojourn to Mardi Growl, a celebration of dogs in Knoxville. She was a champ, but there comes a time when every dog owner realizes that their pup needs a little bit of finishing work. Once Sophie reached adolescence she found her independent “I don’t necessarily have to listen to you” streak, and it was time for outside help.
When we found that one of the country’s true superstar trainers was based just over an hour away from our Wisconsin home we immediately reached out. A visit to Italy and France provided a window of opportunity to introduce Sophie to her new training environment and the results were phenomenal; the slightly naughty pup that we dropped off was returned to us as a well mannered and obedient dog after four weeks of finishing school with Rising Starr K9 (https://www.risingstarrk9.com/). Rising Starr’s owner Rick Pederson and his wife Joane provide a truly exceptional opportunity for a dog to be trained in myriad environments—in their home, in classroom settings with other dogs, and in a variety of social settings, including offices, clinics, stores and motorcycle dealerships. At the end of this process, Sophie emerged with poise and a full range of obedience skills. Remarkably, she also was independently tested and achieved three levels of certification through the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen program.
A Four Seasons Dog?
Having been set up for success, we then put Sophie to the ultimate test: Would she be able to pass the test of a visit to the Four Seasons Chicago? The answer, as it turned out, was “Absolutely, yes.” We loaded Sophie into our vehicle for the ride to Chicago. Upon our arrival, we were all greeted enthusiastically at the hotel’s entrance with the warm welcome known to all who have ever entered the “Four Seasons bubble.” After a brief walk to introduce her to the neighborhood, Sophie proudly trotted into the Four Seasons to universal approbation. She proved to be a real superstar, greeting staff and guests—once she was given permission, of course—with the sort of “I love you more than life itself” enthusiasm that golden retrievers exhibit so naturally.
As with every Four Seasons, their Chicago hotel sets the benchmark by which all others are measured. Having recently undergone a top to bottom renovation the Four Seasons Chicago, situated on the Magnificent Mile, hits the mark for an exceptional hotel experience in every way. Once you’re greeted at the entrance you travel to the seventh floor lobby, and are immediately impressed by the sophisticated tone of welcoming luxury that distinguishes the brand. Of course, Sophie was immediately the object of much fawning attention by staff and guests alike, a role she quickly and happily adopted. We were shown to our beautiful suite, which quickly met with Sophie’s approval. And why wouldn’t it? The hotel had set up a dog bed inside a tent for Sophie, put out water and food bowls, and lavished her with treats and toys. While Sophie brought her own food, it’s worth noting that the hotel’s Chef will assist with meeting a pet’s special dietary needs by making meals in house.
It’s within the discretion of each luxury hotel property to determine whether to permit pets and to design a program for them and their owners. The Four Seasons Chicago not only provides the amenities we have shared, but also can arrange for pet-sitting or walking through the concierge desk. As with many other aspects of the luxury hotel experience The Four Seasons sets high standards, but a number of our other luxury hotel and resort partners offer similar amenities.
Whatever your destination, if you want to experience it with your pet there are numerous options. It’s truly extraordinary for a hotel to go to the lengths that the Four Seasons went to, and there are often additional charges, but if you’re among those of us who might want to occasionally travel with your pet, let us help you discover the possibilities. We get it…and we’ll help to arrange it.
Jetting with Pets
The Four Seasons Chicago was an easy drive for us, but many travelers are looking to travel further afield. In recent years pet airlines have come into existence, a service that may be exactly what you need. Elán partners with K9 Jets (https://www.k9jets.com/), who offer a unique service, flying owners, along with their pets, to and from locations in the United States to foreign destinations.
In addition to the flights themselves, K9 Jets offers assistance in securing the essential paperwork needed to bring pets into another country, bringing experience and expertise to a process that few of us have had to navigate on our own. Their website provides a fascinating insight into this creative service: https://www.k9jets.com/..
K9 Jets is a fantastic option for those traveling to select overseas destinations, but we also have access to options for charter aircraft within the States or abroad for those who may prefer to travel solely with their own family and pets, and this service is in fact one that we frequently provide through our fully certified partners, who carry the highest level of safety certifications and can whisk you and your furry companions to a variety of destinations at high subsonic speeds.
The focus on travel with pets now means you no longer have to leave them behind. It can require a bit more planning to find the right destination and figure out the best way to get there, but it is entirely within the capabilities of Elán to arrange for your four-legged family members to travel with you as you explore the world. If you’d like to explore the possibilities, please phone us at 630.420.3538 and start the process.
The focus on travel with pets now means you no longer have to leave them behind. It can require a bit more planning to find the right destination and figure out the best way to get there, but it is entirely within the capabilities of Elán to arrange for your four-legged family members to travel with you as you explore the world. If you’d like to explore the possibilities, please phone us at 630.420.3538 and start the process.
