In the past, I've brought an eight-week-old puppy in cabin from AMS to SFO on United. No biggie. I would like to do this again from ARN. However, United Airlines states on its website that the minimum age for international flights is now four months "due to rabies vaccination requirements." In fact, there is no rabies vaccination requirement for puppies coming to the USA from low-risk countries, such as Sweden. The minimum age for an imported puppy from a low-risk country is eight weeks according to the USDA. (I know that most EU countries have a 15 week minimum age for import, but this is an export situation.)

I understand the need to comply with all applicable regulations. However, I don't understand United Airline's reliance on a non-existent regulation. Perhaps a website summary cannot capture every circumstance, so United set forth the most restrictive rule that could apply. I reached out through social media with a citation to the USDA rule and received a non-responsive reply citing restrictions applying to high risk countries. Sigh.

What's the real deal? For domestic flights, United's minimum age is eight weeks, so there is no principled objection to carrying young puppies.