Need advice for transporting my puppy-to-be (clean, poop, breeders, cleaning)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've reserved a puppy from a great breeder who's dogs I've admired for a very long time and we are very happy that our little boy will be ready to come to his new home in January.
The breeder lives in Missouri, and we live in California, so I am thinking and worrying about his transportation. I'm hoping someone here can advise me of the best way to 'ship' a dog as I know nothing about this.
When a small puppy is flown are they placed in the cargo section of the jet? Is there a way to avoid this and have them in a safer area? I know that the best way to do this would be for me to fly to Missouri and bring him back with me, but this is not possible.
What about ground transportation?
I would appreciate any advice or past experiences !
as a missouri resident.... i have to ask..... have you seen the puppy?? its parents?? the breeder's operation?? how do you know it is not a puppy mill?? there are MANY MANY MANY puppy mills here in this state..... it is something that missouri is known for......... in fact, if the breeder is within a couple of hours of here, **I** would be willing to check it out for you..... assuming they are amenable..... a mill or unscrupulous byb likely would NOT be.......
i'm SURE you would not want to support an unscrupulous breeder.........
there are volunteer rescue transports for dogs and cats moving from shelters to foster or from foster to foster..... but if you are buying a pup from a breeder, you will likely have to pay for its safe transport..... do you want to subject a baby to something like that??
I have known of this breeder for many years. She's been breeding for 30 years and breeds once per year. I've been trying to get a puppy from her for a long time, but the pups are always reserved. This time I got lucky. She is very reputable, one of her dogs was on the cover of Dog Fancy Magazine. All of the people whom I met at this years National Specialty Show know of this breeder and recommend her. I have done my research.
I am willing to pay for his safe transport, that is my concern I just want what is best for him.
Thankyou for your reply
Quote:
Originally Posted by latetotheparty
as a missouri resident.... i have to ask..... have you seen the puppy?? its parents?? the breeder's operation?? how do you know it is not a puppy mill?? there are MANY MANY MANY puppy mills here in this state..... it is something that missouri is known for......... in fact, if the breeder is within a couple of hours of here, **I** would be willing to check it out for you..... assuming they are amenable..... a mill or unscrupulous byb likely would NOT be.......
i'm SURE you would not want to support an unscrupulous breeder.........
there are volunteer rescue transports for dogs and cats moving from shelters to foster or from foster to foster..... but if you are buying a pup from a breeder, you will likely have to pay for its safe transport..... do you want to subject a baby to something like that??
I've reserved a puppy from a great breeder who's dogs I've admired for a very long time and we are very happy that our little boy will be ready to come to his new home in January.
The breeder lives in Missouri, and we live in California, so I am thinking and worrying about his transportation. I'm hoping someone here can advise me of the best way to 'ship' a dog as I know nothing about this.
When a small puppy is flown are they placed in the cargo section of the jet? Is there a way to avoid this and have them in a safer area? I know that the best way to do this would be for me to fly to Missouri and bring him back with me, but this is not possible.
What about ground transportation?
I would appreciate any advice or past experiences !
Thankyou in advance
When you are talking about a "small puppy" are you speaking of breed size? Depending on the size of the dog, the safest way would be to fly in get the pup in person and fly back with it in the cabin with you. I know you say you can't go personally but is there anyone else that you could send? The breeder could meet them at the airport to keep costs down. Remember....Please be sure that the dog will meet the minimum age and vaccination requirements for travel no matter whatever way you decide to use. There are dog transports through out the country but they are not cheap. Speak with the breeder & see if they have any suggestions on which is the most reliable for that area. I would NOT recommend flying the puppy in cargo. Being taken away from the litter and then immediately being put in the belly of a plane would certainly traumatize the poor thing.
If she is as reputable as you say, there is no way she would release a dog without having you pick it up or at least meeting him once. Reputable breeders want to ensure that the dog meshes with the new owners and how the potential owners behave with the dog. They won't just put the dog on a plane. In fact, most don't like the dogs to be far away and keep in contact with the families long after the dog leaves them. We were required to go to our breeder's home when our boy was 5 weeks old to meet his parents and the breeder's family. Then, when we picked him up, he said to expect at least 2 hours for discharge instructions. We are still in contact with him to this day and he lives only a couple of miles from us and has been extremely helpful when we call with questions. He's even accompanied me to the e-vet when I had an emergency.
And an FYI, Missouri is puppy mill capital of the USA. All the major puppy borkerage firms are in that state, the most known being the Hunte Corporation which supplies to Petland. They buy from these breeders, then ship to pet stores all over the country. I cringe any time I hear Missouri and puppies because of its reputation for puppy mills. This site is wonderful and has links where you can research a breeder to see if they are part of a mill.
To answer your question OP, there is very little trauma involved in ground shipping or air transport
Your biggest concern should actually be the weather forecast for that day, it will determine whether or not it will be safe to fly, if it's too hot usually the airline or ground transport will tell you no, but sometimes it slips through the cracks, the same with cold. For a puppy it's going to run you about 250-300 to include health certificate, crate and air fare
There are many reputable pet transportation companies nationwide, just do a little research to make sure that they are timely, and do what they say they will. This will probably run you around 250-400, but these guys are door to door service, and make you feel a little better about the whole thing if you have reservations
And if you really feel some sort of way, worst case scenario is hop in the car and take a road trip, but if you can't do that, the next best thing (IMO) is to get ground transport from a reputable company
Oh yeah, and enjoy your new puppy!
Last edited by Viralmd; 12-01-2009 at 06:19 AM..
Reason: Personal attack
What kind of puppy is this? A lot of top notch [show, competition, working dog] breeders do this. I flew a puppy from Alaska to NC and had a much better relationship with the breeder than one who locally just disappeared when I had problems. A lot of folks fly puppies from Europe. It is not traumatic for a healthy puppy with good nerves and health. A lot of folks like to fly their dogs on Continental [at least they use to] your breeder will probably know the best companies.
Can we not take for face value that sapphire1 has done the research and this is not a puppy mill and focus on the transport question?
About the only suggestion I have is that if the puppy is small enough to go under the seat in a crate, you may be able to swing a cheaper ticket and pay less to carry the puppy that way than to transport it as cargo.
If she is as reputable as you say, there is no way she would release a dog without having you pick it up or at least meeting him once. Reputable breeders want to ensure that the dog meshes with the new owners and how the potential owners behave with the dog. They won't just put the dog on a plane. In fact, most don't like the dogs to be far away and keep in contact with the families long after the dog leaves them. We were required to go to our breeder's home when our boy was 5 weeks old to meet his parents and the breeder's family. Then, when we picked him up, he said to expect at least 2 hours for discharge instructions. We are still in contact with him to this day and he lives only a couple of miles from us and has been extremely helpful when we call with questions. He's even accompanied me to the e-vet when I had an emergency.
And an FYI, Missouri is puppy mill capital of the USA. All the major puppy borkerage firms are in that state, the most known being the Hunte Corporation which supplies to Petland. They buy from these breeders, then ship to pet stores all over the country. I cringe any time I hear Missouri and puppies because of its reputation for puppy mills. This site is wonderful and has links where you can research a breeder to see if they are part of a mill.
To answer your question OP, there is very little trauma involved in ground shipping or air transport
Your biggest concern should actually be the weather forecast for that day, it will determine whether or not it will be safe to fly, if it's too hot usually the airline or ground transport will tell you no, but sometimes it slips through the cracks, the same with cold. For a puppy it's going to run you about 250-300 to include health certificate, crate and air fare
There are many reputable pet transportation companies nationwide, just do a little research to make sure that they are timely, and do what they say they will. This will probably run you around 250-400, but these guys are door to door service, and make you feel a little better about the whole thing if you have reservations
And if you really feel some sort of way, worst case scenario is hop in the car and take a road trip, but if you can't do that, the next best thing (IMO) is to get ground transport from a reputable company
Oh yeah, and enjoy your new puppy!
mak's post is all very familiar to me...... which is why i offered what i did..... i have transported mill rescues and they are heartbreaking........... the fact that the breeder is selling the pup with the op never having met it, that the op has never seen the breeder's operation or the pup's parents, that the breeder has never met the op in person....... all are red flags, imo.......
but ..... based on the additional information in the op's second post, sounds like it may be more on the up and up........
Can we not take for face value that sapphire1 has done the research and this is not a puppy mill and focus on the transport question?
WHHATTT?? And ruin all the "fun"?!
OP - what sort of drive time are you looking at - i.e. from which part of MO to which part of CA? The problem with ANY transportation at that time of year is going to be weather.
Effectively, you have three choices and a lot of it is going to come down to finances. Hire a personal "chauffeur" and have the pup driven from one end to the other. The route could be shifted south to avoid some of the more wintery states. You could place a listing on a site like UShip or something like it BUT - and I've used UShip with fantastic results although it wasn't for an animal - it is very much a case of "Buyer Beware". There are good, caring folks who do transport BUT it will be your job to weed out the mavericks. If you do go that route the best advice I can offer is to make sure you get references and then call or email each one individually. Speak to real people who have actually used the company in question for a job similar to what you need done.
As you say you can't do the flight, what about asking the breeder for a friend or a relative that she would trust with the puppy to act as a "courier" at your expense? The person gets a trip to sunny CA and you get your puppy looked after.
The pup can be sent unaccompanied. It's not beyond the wit of man and we've relocated with large dogs (i.e. they're in the hold) any number of times. Best advice I can offer here is get the closest direct flight even if it means you driving a couple hours your end. Some domestic airlines ARE better than others when it comes to transporting animals. Again, do your research because the information is out there. By reputation, Continental is certainly one of the better/best ones.
You could also look into the newly established pet airline and see if its route goes anywhere near where you need it to go.
Flying would be the best bet for you because the pup will be in air and at your place in one day and less travel time. Transport by big truck in the vehicle for hours and hours and no human contact.Isn't good to my opinion. Correct me if I am wrong I don't think you can have a pup on the passenger place next to you? Expect to have a huge mess to clean up on your side... Because puppy can't hold thier pee or poop. So bring lots of cleaning supplies. The usual cost for flying a puppy in a crate is about $200.00 because the breeder have to pay cargo ticket and approved airline dog crate. If you want you can pay extra money to have a deer antler in the cargo or something that the puppy can't shred up so it has something to do. They are in a chewing stage at this age and get bored real quick. Good Luck and it is exciting.
I wish people would stop bashing. Yes there are puppy mill in Missouri I live here but it sounds to me he/she has done her homework. Now he/she is trying to ease her/him-self how to transport the pup the best way and please answer her/his question
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
