flying dog out from breeder?s (bulldog, clean, poop, legal) - Dogs - - City-Data Forum

AndCatsForAll · 02-07-2018, 10:25 AM

We are going to pick up a puppy from the airport for my dad. His breeder is in FL and the puppy will go to Philly where we will pick it up and then we will drive it to my dad's home in Maryland. It's about a 2 hour and 15 minute drive if traffic isn't too awful. The puppy is just at the legal age to fly (I think it's 8 weeks?) but I'm not sure how old. We are just transport.

We've had dogs in the past but never dealt with flying out very young dogs. We did fly our dog from AZ to NJ when we moved years ago but she flew with us so it wasn't very complicated. The only info I have right now is that it's going to Philly this weekend but I don't know the airline or anything else just now.

My dad is a good dedicated pet owner but he is older and only does local driving. Yes, we are prepared to take the dog in if he becomes unable to care for it. We do love dogs thought we never got another one after ours passed away in the early 2000's.

The question is - has anyone flown out a young dog? What should we expect when we go to pick up the dog. The dog will be in a carrier with food and water bowls attached. I figure we should have a bottle of water with us to give it a drink when we pick it up. Should we also go buy a leash so it can have a piddle or should we not walk it outside. All I know is that it was too young to fly this past weekend but this weekend it's ok. So I don't know if it has had a full series of shots.

oregonwoodsmoke · 02-07-2018, 10:38 AM

I'd defiantly take a leash so it could piddle. It won't be leash trained or adequately vaccinated so go to a place where dogs aren't normally walked.

I brought an 8 week old pup home with a very long flight. I carried wee-wee pads to give her a chance to potty in the lady's room during lay-overs. I have a cargo van, so I never set her on the ground until we arrived home with the fenced yard. I had a large crate in the van and covered the floor of the van with wee-wee pads and let her potty inside the van (still 3 hours from home.)

Price it out. It might be cheaper to have someone fly down and carry the pup back up in the cabin than it is to pay for shipping in cargo.

I had another advantage to go and fetch her. I had time to get her sort of leash trained before we left the breeder's.

ansible90 · 02-07-2018, 10:53 AM

I would bring towels and baby wipes. That little guy will probably pee and poop in the travel crate. You will need to clean him before you can pick him up and give him a hug.

Be sure to have a crate or at least a good size cardboard box in your car for the road trip to MD. And a supply of wee wee pads. Sit in the back with the pup... he will be needing human contact. Probably has never spent any time alone before.

AndCatsForAll · 02-07-2018, 11:06 AM

Thank you both very much for the advice. I do have some wee wee pads here that were leftovers from one of our rescue cats. All of this is good advice- baby wipes etc. I normally work with cats so this is pretty new. Sitting in the back with the pup is a good bit of advice too. It lives with it's siblings and human people right now so yeah being alone will probably make it anxious. I'd rather it be used to us at least when we bring it to it's new home. That way it's a little acclimated before he meets his new daddy (my dad).

The breed is Coton de Coulier. I've only seen them on tv AKC dog shows.

Rowan123 · 02-07-2018, 12:27 PM

I can't really add anything but make sure the collar is tight (not too tight of course) and the pup can't slip out. Usually if they're that little the want to stay with you but better safe than sorry.

I'd be sure to get a direct flight.

Do you mean Coton de Tulear? Coton de Tulear Dog Breed Information - American Kennel Club

Dashdog · 02-07-2018, 02:11 PM

When I adopted Chaos from a high kill shelter in Texas she was 12 weeks old but too big to fit under a seat on a plane. I flew to Texas from Burbank Ca . Picked that airport so I did not have to deal with LAX. Burbank is about a 2 hr drive from me. She flew as checked baggage and to do so she had to have something absorbent in the bottom of the crate so I used an old towel.

She did not seem at all traumatized by any of it. At the Airport in Texas it took awhile to get her checked in and despite there being signs saying All dogs must stay in crates the employees said I could let her out on a leash as yes I had a leash ad puppy collar with me so she got to play with the roller bar that moves the luggage along

it was entertaining for people around us to watch. And she was very interested in all the people passing by.

When we landed in Burbank dogs are the first thing unloaded in baggage and so by the time I got off and walked across the tarmac to the door of the terminal they had her crate sitting right at the door so I asked if I could just grab it but was told no they had to bring her out to me.

I can say that was one happy puppy as everyone was stopping to peek in her crate and say hello to her. When the flight crew came out they stopped to tell me what an adorable happy puppy I had. As I said she was not bothered by it at all. I did have a few pee pads in my car so when they finally brought her out to me when I got the crate out to the car I leashed her and let her out in the parking lot on the pee pads. Then we drove home her in the crate in the back of my Outback. Not sure but I think she slept as she was quiet the whole way home and it was nighttime so dark. I had been nervous about flying a puppy but everything went great.

A funny thing was as I boarded the plane I asked the pilot if he could check to make sure if my puppy got on board. He asked why type of puppy then said he would go down in person and check. I did not tell him her name but I had put it on the crate and I had named her Chaos. When the pilot did his little welcome aboard speech he ended by saying we have a little Chaos on board. People started looking around and I started laughing as the flight attendants and I were the only ones that knew by little Chaos on board he meant my puppy was on the plane

Funny Pilot!

My brother who also lived in Ca at the time got a bulldog puppy from the east coast and he flew to get her and they had a layover on the way home. She flew in a soft crate under the seat so he had pee pads and took her into the restroom at the airport and let her out to pee on them.

Coton De Tulear they are great little dogs. One of my Co workers daughter had 2 of them. I am not a huge fan of small fluffy white dogs but did liked these two a lot. I hope your dad will be very happy with his new pup!

NoodlePoodle · 02-07-2018, 04:32 PM

Sorry, not gonna contribute anything meaningful - but I'm looking at the 10hr flight ahead and I'm scared schiteless. Have a week to get the puppy used to wee-wee pads - and a freaking soft carrier. Still deciding between cabin vs. cargo - costs are the same, but the tarmac temps of about 0F are a bit of a concern.

By 8 weeks, the vaccinations are not gonna be adequate by any means - try to avoid any places frequented by other dogs, parvo being your main concern. I'd go with pads in the bathroom vs. any kind of "relief areas".

APBT_Samara · 02-07-2018, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ansible90

I would bring towels and baby wipes. That little guy will probably pee and poop in the travel crate. You will need to clean him before you can pick him up and give him a hug.

Be sure to have a crate or at least a good size cardboard box in your car for the road trip to MD. And a supply of wee wee pads. Sit in the back with the pup... he will be needing human contact. Probably has never spent any time alone before.

Wouldn't the crate the puppy will be flying in be adequate enough?

Katie1 · 02-08-2018, 01:17 AM

Do you have any Clue how COLD it going to be in the Cargo area!! That pups going to Freeze this time of the year! We just had an Ice Storm yesterday & the Temp this week is Below Freezing! Maryland got hit Worse than we did!

Windwalker2 · 02-08-2018, 10:57 AM

The airlines are very tough about not flying dogs in cargo during weather extremes. Here the problem is heat, but cold is also a reason not to take them.
I had one puppy flown here at about 8 weeks. The airline people loved him and took care of him till I found the remote location where I had to pick him up. He was a little scared but ended up fine.
Another puppy came via one of those van transport services. That was much better. He got good care from them and was not at all traumatized. He liked the husband so much he tried to run to him after I took delivery. Unfortunately, this wonderful couple died last year in a road accident.