Experiences with bringing a dog on a long holiday in cargo?

[Cassiacassie]

Every year we go to visit my mum who is Italian and stay in her house in a coastal, non-tourist spot. There are lots of dogs there and they can swim in the sea. My lab would love it but worried about the journey as she’d have to be put in the cargo for a 3 hour flight. Opinions?

I would never put a dog in cargo unless I was emigrating.
So much can go wrong, ever if it's just a delay.
Just drive to Italy or kennels/dog sitter.
If you were thinking about Italy in the summer I'm not sure a dog used to English summers would do very well in that heat.

Definitely not, I have flown pets to and from the US when relocating. Stressful for even the most laid back animal. You would be doing it for yourself, not the dog.

Three weeks is nothing, your dog will be fine without you. As a PP said, it can swim here in the UK.