A Labrador looking out of an aircraft window is an instantly appealing travel photograph. In these pictures, however, the destination mattered much less than the departure: people and their animals were escaping the Fort McMurray wildfire in Alberta in May 2016.

Canadian North and WestJet made special arrangements for pets on evacuation flights. The images captured a welcome piece of compassion during a frightening emergency, with animals travelling close to the people who cared for them.

A Labrador looking through an aircraft window during the 2016 evacuation
A Labrador looking through an aircraft window during the 2016 evacuation. Original image credit: Cas Courcelles.

An exceptional journey in 2016

This is an account of that evacuation, rather than a new announcement about flying with large dogs. Contemporary reporting on the evacuation flights described how the airlines adapted their usual arrangements to help displaced passengers and animals.

Normal pet bookings remain a different matter. An animal's species, size, carrier and route can affect what an airline accepts. Some small pets already travel in cabins under ordinary policies; it was never accurate to say that every animal must normally travel in a hold.

The photographs are most meaningful when their original context stays attached. They show an emergency response, not a travel perk to request at an airport desk.

Make a small kit before you need it

You do not have to be planning a flight to benefit from a pet travel bag. Canada's emergency preparedness advice for pets and service animals is a useful starting point.

Build the bag around your own animal's everyday needs: suitable food and water, bowls, a lead or secure carrier, waste supplies, identification, veterinary information and any prescribed medication. A familiar blanket can also make an unfamiliar place feel less strange.

Keep a recent photograph of you together and a copy of important records somewhere you can access away from home. Check the kit periodically, particularly food expiry dates and whether contact details still work. A bag prepared years ago can quietly become a bag of outdated information.

Agree on the practical details

In a household, decide who collects the animal and where the carrier lives. If you spend long periods away, discuss a backup arrangement with someone who already knows your pet.

Animals beside passengers on an evacuation aircraft
Animals beside passengers on an evacuation aircraft. Original image credit: Jen C.

Think about possible accommodation as well as transport. A place that accepts one small dog may not accept several animals, birds or an animal with particular care needs. Ask specific questions before relying on it as an option.

This preparation also makes ordinary holidays smoother. Our story about Willow the travelling cat is a reminder that the animal's routine and comfort belong at the centre of the journey.

What stays with us about these photographs

The pictures work because the passengers are recognisable as families, even when one family member has paws. People were leaving homes and familiar streets behind; keeping an animal close removed one source of separation from an already difficult day.

That is the lasting travel lesson here: good arrangements start with the needs of the travellers actually making the journey, including the ones who cannot read the departure board.