Having a puppies shipped by airlines is a common concern of many clients. As a breeder that has been shipping puppies across USA and Canada for 15+ years, I no longer have these concerns, but I do understand them so I thought I would take a few minutes to explain the procedure and hopefully put these concerns to rest.
Airline Requirements for Shipping your puppy :
In order to ship a puppy to other states and out of the country, the airlines require a health certificate issued by a verified vet within 10 days of travel. Essentially this certificate is a confirmation that the puppy is healthy. Some airlines will also require an acclimation statement from the vet, stating that the puppy can be exposed to temperatures in a given range for short periods of time. The airlines require that the animal NOT be sedated, as their balance and equilibrium is altered under sedation which can be dangerous when the kennel is moved. There is also concern that the increased altitude pressure can cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems with animals that have been sedated. Depending on the airline and the airport, puppies are either checked in, as well as picked up, from either the nanny or baggage claim office in the passenger terminal. puppy are checked in approximately two hours prior to the flight and are generally available to be picked up arrival within 30-45 minutes of arrival or delivered to receiver’s doorstep (if you requested or paid for a doorstep delivery).
If you ordered or paid for your puppy to be delivered to you right at your home, you just seat back at home, relax and make all the necessary arrangements to welcome your new family member. All the procedure that I explained above will be done by the nanny provided by the pet couriers who I use to ship the puppy . So they will go through all the process to make sure upon arrival at your doorstep, the puppy should be ready to jump out of the crate and start running around the house immediately.
