So in 10 days my friend is coming to visit from America and I'm picking her up from Heathrow Terminal 2 first thing in the morning next Friday. We're going straight off for a 2 day rally trial with one of the dogs, so I will have the dog in the car with me. I haven't quite worked out how to manage the parking and pick up - I'm not keen on leaving the dog unattended in the car in the short term car park while I go into Arrivals to wait for my friend, but I'm not sure how to time my arrival and organise contacting her to tell her where I am if I wait in the car with the dog. Last time we had a lot of trouble with her getting a network and a signal, and I was waiting about a 20 minute drive away somewhere that I could walk the dogs, but ended up having to rush to the airport as she didn't manage to contact me until she was through baggage reclaim and standing in Arrivals. Any ideas?

Can she make it to a set carpark and meet you there?

I would do as Sue has suggested - that way you can stay in the car with your dog and make sure he/she doesn't get too hot whilst waiting. Or she could catch a train from Heathrow and meet you at an arranged station where you could meet in the car park there. Or taxi to an arranged spot near the airport.

I don't want to ask her to catch trains or taxis after being on a long haul overnight flight from the US! I did think of trying to meet in a car park in Heathrow, but as I won't know where I will end up parking, particularly what floor and area etc, until I get there, I'd have to rely on us being able to contact each other better than we did the last time we tried this. I did wonder about just taking the dog with me and seeing how far I get before I'm stopped.......

phone or email the airport and ask how far into arrivals you could get with the dog
https://www.heathrow.com/more/contact-us

Lucy decide on what carpark in advance and then you can text to say what floor you're on once parked up.
Can you not use the pick up drop off point?

Book the car park in advance. Short stays tend to be right next to the terminal, no need to use taxi or anything just a short walk.

Take the dog with you to arrivals.

As Barbara says, take the dog with you.  I took ours to pick my husband up from Heathrow once a good few years ago now, I think it was either T4 or 3. 

No one said anything.  Although she did go crazy when she saw him come through the doors and scrabbled away on the floor, sounding like a dying cow, until he reached us(!!).

I think that's the best option Barbara. She's well behaved and will be interested to trot around the place, and we'll see how far we can get into the building. :-D

I don't think you're allowed to pick up at the drop off point, and I don't know Heathrow well enough to know which car park I'd be aiming for, was just planning to head down the M4 and follow signs for airport, terminal, short stay parking. :-D

I spent several hours wandering around the airport with when I last flew abroad with one of mine because of checking in 4 hours before the flight.

We were a bit of a curiosity unlike at JFK and Brussells where there were lots of dogs around.

I know it's not the same terminal..... We brown people now use terminal 4 ;)

But in the last 8 years we've never parked up in the car park. We've always let the collector know our flight time and ask them to arrive at the drop off point for DEPARTURES 30 minutes after our flight is due to arrive. We always wait in the furthest lane, at the last parking point.

Costs are so high, its pointless to spend that much just to wander in, wander out and load a couple of suitcases!

I may be suggesting something out in left field, but it occurs to me that your friend, fresh off a long-haul flight, and into a different time-zone, may  be tired and prefer to make her own arrangements to get to your place while you go off on your 2 day rally trial.    You could leave a key where she can find it and then get together once your weekend plans are over??

Oh no she's not getting out of it, she's going to be working the dog in 2 classes. And we have a bunch of other stuff planned on the IOW too. She's coming to visit me and do stuff, not spend 2 days by herself in my house while I'm at a trial.

I did wonder about trying to meet her at the drop off, but you're not really supposed to do that and it's hard to co-ordinate as I don't know how long it'll take to get through passport control and baggage claim, and I might have a good or bad journey traffic wise, and her flight might be late etc. But it's a possibility. :-)