Kennel-Aire Extra Large Travel-Aire Pet Carrier

Great kennel that did it's job perfectly

We recently had to relocate from Florida to the San Francisco Bay Area and needed a 500-series kennel for our 75 lb retriever named Cooper. We had never done anything like this with a...Read complete review

We recently had to relocate from Florida to the San Francisco Bay Area and needed a 500-series kennel for our 75 lb retriever named Cooper. We had never done anything like this with a dog in tow and wanted something that we'd feel was sturdy and safe enough for the trip as well as comfortable for the pooch. The Kennel-Aire XL really fit the bill.

The kennel is delivered as an upper and lower shell and some minor assembly (no tools needed) is required. The top and bottom are held together with no less than 16 twist-lock plastic fasteners - 5 along each side, 4 at the back and 2 at the front. Also, directly molded in to the top and lower shell are 4 "handles" for easily picking up the kennel. The handles also have small pre-drilled holes for plastic zip-ties as an extra safety against the kennel coming apart. (In my opinion, this is _completely_ overkill but it never hurts to err on the safe side!)

The top and lower half also hold the door in place. The kennel comes with a (somewhat) small water bowl (divided into 2 sections) that attaches to the kennel door. (One great tip we got was to freeze the water in the bowl for the trip so it doesn't all spill on the 1st bump.)

We bought the kennel a couple of months before the move for Cooper to get adjusted to it. He loved the thing, felt very safe and before long it became his "go to" place for a quiet nap or to gnaw on a bone.

I think the best review I can give the Kennel-Aire XL is a description of the state it arrived in: near perfect. Despite the multitude of scratches, not a single fastener or other piece of plastic was broken. The door was likewise in very good shape with nothing broken or bent.

Overall I was impressed with the sturdiness of the Kennel-Aire XL and fully expect it to last us for years pulling double duty as a traveling kennel and as a great little home for our dog.

As a final note I'd like to give a recommendation to Animals Away which was the company that transported Cooper coast-to-coast. After researching several transport companies, Animals Away impressed us with their pricing and straight-forwardness about travel and travel arrangements. We were especially impressed with the transport agreements they have with Continental that guarantees them a spot in a heated cargo area (receiving the same air/heat/etc. as the passengers) and a proper airport kennel with access to a vet in case of delays or issues.