Uno the flying top dog

Since winning the top-dog title at Westminster in February, Uno the Beagle has been one jet-setting pet. He flies across the country so much, he's looking to outdo Underdog for sheer amount of time spent in the air.  

Uno has racked up an impressive number of frequent flyer miles on Midwest Airlines, which offers the perk to pets as well as people. Normally, pets too large to fit in an airline-approved underseat carrier must fly in cargo. Not Uno, however, whose celebrity status, impeccable manners, and good looks have earned him the special privilege of his very own seat in the cabin, alongside the mere humans.  

The beguiling Beagle's latest trip was to the White House and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where Uno lifted the spirits of the brave patients in residence. The four-footed VIP's in-flight companion was a VIP herself: Midwest executive Susan Kerwin, who arranged that Uno's seat be customized with a doggie harness for safety. "The focus of Midwest's 'Premier Pet' program is the safety and comfort of all pets, famous or not," Kerwin says.

Kerwin is a breeder of champion English Setters so she knows first-hand what a traveling show-dog needs. Says her fan David Frei, co-host of the Westminster broadcast, who travels with Uno as part of his entourage, "After years of managing her own dogs as an accomplished breeder-owner-handler, Susan understands all the nuances of air travel for dogs, which is great for us. With her there to pave the way, and with the 'Premier Pet' program that she designed, we feel we're in good hands." 

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