Traveling consists of a couple basics including waiting in line, putting your items on the conveyor belt, but adding a small pet into the mix doesn't have to be hassle.
"The first time I traveled with her I thought 'Oh, I hope she isn't upset, I hope she's calm and everything goes well' and everything did and it always has," said traveler Paul Lankford.
The Norfolk International Airport invited five pups and their humans to demonstrate how easy it is to go through a TSA Checkpoint.
Anjani Kelm has traveled with her pup before. She said the first time she was apprehensive, but had a great experience.
"I got there and everyone loved Charlie. Every gate agent, everybody, they thought he was awesome. I felt very welcome having a dog because I was kind of concerned about that," said Kelm.
The process is almost like if you didn't have a small pet. There are only a few differences, including needing a carrier for the small pet to stay in on the plane and the option to carry the pet in your arms when you go through the metal detector.
Diane Johnson hasn't traveled with her dog yet, but says after this run-through it's on her to-do list.
"It's not difficult and that I recommend doing it. We take our Jazzy with us everywhere and we plan to take her when we travel," said Johnson.
For traveler Paul Lankford, his Papillion is a support dog. Stella is trained to monitor Lankford's blood pressure, so he can't imagine flying without her.
"She's extremely important to me. I think a lot of people don't realize when they see a cute little dog, little dogs can be very, very, very helpful to people as well, not just the large ones," said Lankford.
The Norfolk International Airport says they are happy to do run-throughs with pet owners who want to familiarize themselves with the process before traveling. Having a pet carrier does not mean sacrificing a carry-on or personal item, it's an addition.
