Getting the dog to the plane

Hi
Could somebody walk me through this as I have never had to travel with an animal.
How do you get a 70lb Golden retriever to the plane, I know you probably need some sort of rolling cage, any good places to get one? Does the airport assist you in any way?
Anything else I should know?
Thanks I know its probably simple but it would be a lot different if it was a small dog.

I'm sure someone else who's done the entire process will post with more detailed info, but from what I can gather...

- you are expected to show up with your 70lb dog and an airline-approved travel kennel/carrier that will fit said dog (which will likely be huge, my lean/lanky 60lb dog will be in a size XXL due to the required head/tail/side room)
- you will show up several hours before the flight to check in with your animal (most airlines I've talked to have said 4, but check with whomever you book with), they'll likely check all your paperwork, make sure the kennel meets requirements, etc
- your dog will then hang out in the kennel until the time of the flight, when (I'm assuming) s/he will be sent out on a cart to the plane and loaded up

Then, post-flight, you'll head wherever they tell you to pick up the dog once s/he checks out on the landing side. Other posters have said this can take 1-4 hours, depending on the airline, how busy they are, etc.

The kennel doesn't need to roll, but the airlines do have specific requirements for how much extra space the animal has, that the door must be made of metal, there must be ventilation on at least 3 sides, etc. You'll want to check with your airline about their specific requirements. The airline may sell kennels themselves, but it's probably cheaper/easier to get one at Petsmart or something. (I took my dog there for a test run to try out various kennel sizes, actually, which was helpful since he really didn't want to get in the one I thought would fit him but was much happier one size up.)

Hope that helps!

PetsMart is a great place to get the carriers.  I found a large assortment with different price ranges.  The staff was very helpful in taking down the crates so that my dog could walk in for the size check.  I looked for crates at few different places, and found them to be the most economical as well.  Mine did not come with all the small requirements (pee pads, drink, food containers), but you can buy these seperately.
My dog (cocker spaniel) has a XL crate with plenty of room.  I am also taking two cats with me and their crates are oversized as well.  They are probably bigger then they need to be, but I can at least be assured that it will meet the size requirements and they will be comfortable.  Make sure that your crate is IATA approved.  Some do come with wheels (this only makes it easier for you)
I have heard from others that some of the airlines may have crates for sale, but they are very expensive (The price is about three times more then what you can pay on your own)

I used this website to buy my crates 3 years ago:

http://www.futurepets.com/Vari-Kennels.htm

Basically, you get your dog and giant kennel to the airport, they'll take care of the rest. You can bring the dog in on a leash and put it in the kennel when you get there. They have the proper equipment to move the kennel with the dog inside, so you don't have to worry about that.

Others have given great info about the crate/kennel itself, but just to confirm, you personally do not have to physically get your dog to the actual plane -- you take your dog (and crate, in the crate, either or) to a separate animal cargo centre at the airport -- call your airline/airport of departure to find out where this is and how to get there.

It's the not the same check-in you drop your checked luggage into! They deal only with animals. They will take your paperwork on the dog, weigh the crate with dog inside, inspect that everything is safe and meets requirements (they demand a LOT of physical body/headspace clearance for the animal, far more than the size of crate we normally put our animals for a local vet visit; call and ask) and take your money for the pet's flight.

You leave your dog with them, and they load all animals onto the plane.

Same at the destination -- they unload, take the animals to the Animal Reception Centre, where each one goes through inspections and paperwork verification before you can go pick them up.

This has nothing to do with your post, but I saw a 90+lb dog at quarantine. I could have fit in his crate!

But, yes, you don't have to get the dog to the plane - the airport will do it. And at the other side, at least in Heathrow, they brought the dog out on a lease (so be sure to have your lease/collar ready to swap, as they want theirs back) and you can load him/her into your vehicle.

Had our cat carriers been any larger, I would have needed the wheels.   A large lab was coming in to the cargo office for a kennel size check the day we left and that kennel was massive.  The bottom portion looked like a hot tub.  

As it was, the kennels were so big that we put the two cats in kennels in the back of my dad's mid-size SUV and took them to the cargo office at the airport.  Once we got them checked in, we went back to our place and loaded up our luggage and the remains of our apartment ( :\\\'() and headed back to the airport.  Luckily we were 20 mins from the airport or we'd have needed a second driver.

Thanks for all the excellent answers.
I knew it would be simple but its not one of those things you do everyday is it lol.

Just FYI:  If what you're concerned about is getting the crate physically from the car to the cargo station (not a trivial task with an XL or Giant sized crate), I found this removable wheel kit pretty useful:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=19437

The bolts stick into the crate, so they need a really squishy bed on top, butI thought I was going to be hauling an giant sized crates plus two big cat crates by myself, so it was worth it to me.