Puppy Shipping

nrmorrisnrmorris
edited January 2013 in General
What's the deal with shipping a puppy to you? I see that it appears to be a common thing, but still scares the heck out of me. How does it work? Does it traumatize the puppy for long? Anyone have first hand experience?

Is there a company or airline that I can price it at?
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Comments

  • cdenneycdenney
    Just assume in the u.s. by flight including the price of a crate and vet check it will be about $500 (maybe a bit less as they are priced on weight). Sometimes you get crate anxiety but it's not common (think a 12+ hr flight in a crate). Due to it being a one off from a normal day to day experience for them while it may not be forgetable it is safe, and quick.
  • nrmorrisnrmorris
    @cdenney all I can think about is him ending up in lost luggage somewhere...
  • Hinata23Hinata23
    edited January 2013
    Our kai pup was fine with being shipped at 8 weeks. He didn't seemed to be fazed by it. He just came out of the crate like a happy puppy and slept all night in a crate. 2 months later we shipped him cross country when we moved and he did fine with that too.

  • ZinjaZinja
    Being lost rarely happens. Yes it happened to Mochi during transport, but I've only heard of that happening once.

    Most dogs get over the flight within a few days.
  • tjbart17tjbart17
    I had to ship both my dogs. Koda wanted to be held in my arms when he got to me. He was fine though.

    Mika wasn't phased at all. That's kindve her demeanor though. Nothing phases her usually.
  • cdenneycdenney
    @nrmorris they have special flights if they aren't shipped with their human. They go to a special office for pick up.
  • MapleTwinkieMapleTwinkie
    edited January 2013
    If you fly with them, they are placed in a heated cargo hold where the flight attendents have access to them and they usually will get a visit just to ensure they're okay. It is better to fly to get the puppy and fly with them back.

    (edit - not that they're placed in a different cargo area if not accompanied)
  • PoetikDragonPoetikDragon
    edited January 2013
    Actually, if you fly with them or not, they go in the same place on the plane. They may end up in a different waiting area before getting on the plane depending on airline. The two real differences are price -- cargo you pay by weight and excess baggage you pay a flat fee -- and where you pick up the dog afterwards -- baggage claim or cargo warehouse. I prefer flying someone with a dog from Japan because even with their round trip ticket it is cheaper than the cargo costs for an Akita puppy (100,000 JPY to 150,000 JPY depending on weight don't even get me started on adult costs!). However, I was extremely displeased when my dogs were taken to the baggage claim without anyone to watch them, especially given that we were stuck in customs for an hour and fourty five minutes. Anyone could have bothered or stolen the dogs, which were left unguarded about 10' away from the doors to the outside. We were not challenged at all when we came up and took them out of the terminal. The dogs were howling and barking and freaking out with all of the people making noise and going past their crates. Conversely, when my puppies have come in to the cargo warehouse, I've had to fill out paperwork, prove that I am the consignee (receiver) of the dogs, and they were kept in a calm place in the offices of the cargo building.

    PS. When you come back from Japan with your puppy, @MapleTwinkie, had a friend or family member arrive early at your final destination airport to watch your dogs in the baggage area while you're going through customs! It may not happen at your airport, but it did with us flying United to LAX. (I'll never fly United with dogs again, for many reasons.)
  • cdenneycdenney
    Yeah Sachi flew by herself I had to identify myself and show her number before they even brought her to the pick up area. The boys there poured alittle water in her bowl during the wait and was driven from the plane by herself (rather than with the other dog that was also being picked up) so she wasn't feeding off anyone elses energy. She was calm at pick up and the ride back.
  • HeidiHeidi
    Sosuke seemed totally fine when we picked him up. It wasn't actually in the airport; we went to a different building. It was with a shipping company, not just the airline.

    Honestly, I do think they are less likely to lose a dog than a regular piece of luggage. For one thing, they stick out, and for another, I do think they are more careful with living creatures.

    $500 seems a bit high, though. Sosuke was $400 to have him shipped up here to Canada and it would have been much cheaper to ship him within the States and then drive across the border.
  • cdenneycdenney
    That's adding in the vet check and hassle of getting her to port of departure. Her actual shipping fee was I want to say $250-300 but add the crate, etc. Perhaps but it was totally worth it and cheaper than me flying with her.
  • WrylyBrindleWrylyBrindle
    Mochi wasnt lost by the airline staff.

    Juno was fine shipping by plane, but Matsu and his sister shipped fantastically- they were happy and playful 'right out of the box!' I think it is just Juno's nature to be more wary, she was perfectly fine, but hesitant to come out and say hi.
  • MirkaMMirkaM
    Well, I know one who dog almost ended to different plane than the owner. Me :P. It was the scariest moment in my life when I heard in JFK that they had lost my dog! But all this ended up well. Our flight was about 9 hours long and Ife was fine when I got her. Nuuk flight was 16 hours long! I was expecting very tired puppy but he came out from his kennel wagging his tail and giving kisses to me. And then we had 9 hours bus trip but he slept most of that time.
  • shibamistressshibamistress
    It's not uncommon for dogs to have to be shipped. I much prefer to pick up puppies myself, when possible (plus you get to meet the breeder, if you've only talked on the phone up to that point) so when I look for pups, I look within driving distance (which in one case meant 3 days each way!)

    But when looking for a rare breed, often shipping is the only option.
  • MapleTwinkieMapleTwinkie
    @poeticdragon - Yes you're right, there's no differnce in where they're kept. I meant to comment about the price difference but obviously left that out of my post, LOL! #-o
    Yes, it is cheaper to pay for a round trip ticket + cargo to Japan than it is to ship a dog. Crazy!

    Thanks also for the tip, I will contact my Airline and see what the arrangement is at my airport. I don't want to leave my dog unattended for a second!
  • MapleTwinkieMapleTwinkie
    @cdenney - $250 - $300 shipping from Japan? Maybe because KK, SK and HK's are smaller? But still...that's not a lot. I know that JA's (even puppies) are at least $1000, I inquired myself.
  • nrmorrisnrmorris
    @shibamistress unfortunately it looks like 10 hrs or 17 hrs each way. Not really an optimal trip to take, even if the Kai Ken would be worth it!
  • sunyatasunyata
    @nrmorris - A lot of people will fly out to pick up their puppies and fly back. At 8-10 weeks old, a Kai puppy should be small enough to be carry on. I highly recommend flying out (or driving out) to meet your breeder if at all possible. It is well worth the trip.
  • shibamistressshibamistress
    edited January 2013
    I think that's do-able actually, at least for me. I drove from NM to oregon, once, and to Colorado and NE for others. But that's just me--I prefer to drive for puppies if I can. My husband took off vacation days for the trip to OR.

    For me, it's worth it to meet the breeders and all that.
  • sjp051993sjp051993
    I have had several puppy owners drive 10 hours one way to pick up a puppy. I had a couple drive from Montreal Canada to Ohio to pick up a puppy. I have also shipped several dogs and even had ritsu shipped to me. It did not phase the puppies, but ritsu took a few hours to decompress when he arrived. Flying them through te pet safe program is great. They are well cared for.
  • cdenneycdenney
    @mapletwinkie no it was all in the u.s.
  • Hinata23Hinata23
    edited January 2013
    I drove 12 hours each way... It's doable. Lol Our Kai pup was the second dog we got from Brad and Jen. We had him shipped since it wasn't 2 months since we just traveled from Utah to New Mexico. But it's worth it, at least me and and many members :)
  • PoetikDragonPoetikDragon
    edited January 2013
    I would drive if my puppy was anywhere in the continental 48 states.
  • ZinjaZinja
    I love meeting the breeders first. I have emailed a few people that I thought were great breeders but upon visiting their kennels, I decided to go with someone else.

    I was going to get a Shiba from a breeder in South Carolina (I'm in Florida) and she wouldn't let me adopt one of her dogs without meeting with me first. I tried to just meet her husband when he was in Orlando but she wouldn't let me.

    My friends and family thinks I am crazy to want to make a long trip for a dog. I would like to visit Katja in Vancouver one day too. Plus the drive gives me time to finish deciding if I really want the puppy :)
  • jeffnkazukojeffnkazuko
    I will be flying my Hokkaido pup from Tokyo to Vancouver in March and the pup will be approximately 10-weeks old at the time. I am spending quite a bit of extra money to get a direct flight (there are only 2!) to keep the time shorter and to keep stress to a minimum. On Air Canada you can fly with the puppy in the cabin but with a carrier no bigger than this.
    Height: 27 cm (10.5 in)
    Width: 40 cm (15.5 in)
    Length: 55 cm (21.5 in)
    I have no experience with packing up a pup but when I take out my tape measure I have a feeling I wouldn't be able to fit a 10-week old Hokkaido in there but I could be wrong.
    This option costs $100. The other option is to have the dog placed in the cargo hold which costs $270.
    My question for anyone who has done this is about the pup soiling the crate when flying. It is a 9-hour flight and I am sure they will have to be secured in the crate 1 to 1.5 hours before take-off. This is a long, long time for a 10-week pup. Should I line the crate with puppy pads or something?? Should I ask the airline to feed the pup? Can I get another gin tonic? Oh wait, that last question was for the flight attendant. :)
  • PoetikDragonPoetikDragon
    edited January 2013
    @jeffnkazuko we manage to send 8 week old Akita pups in cabin (8.5" to 9" carrier depending on airline)...

    If the puppy is under sixteen weeks they will feed once every 12 hours. Otherwise once every 24 hours. So they probably will not feed the pup.

    If you have the pup in cabin, the flight attendants are usually quite smitten with the puppy and very relaxed with the rules. I'm not sure about an international flight. But a friend was able to hold his puppy in his lap the whole trip. When Fuji left us, she was allowed to stick her head out of the carrier, and he took her to the bathroom to pee on a puddle pad a couple times.
  • okironokiron
    Which airlines did you guys go with? ANA doesn't allow pets in cabin so I assumed none of them did for international flights.
  • shibamistressshibamistress
    I also brought a 9 week old GSD puppy in the cabin on a US domestic flight. I suspect you'll be able to bring your puppy in the cabin. Doesn't solve the "soiling the crate issue" (but people that have done this would have some ideas, like poeticdragon), but I bet you can bring the dog in cabin....
  • PoetikDragonPoetikDragon
    I would fly JAL / AA if at all possible. I would not fly United or any of the "Star Alliance" airlines with an animal.
  • MapleTwinkieMapleTwinkie
    Air Canada allows pups in the cabin for international flights.

    @jeffnkazuko , I was told by A/C that if you grab one of the emergency aisle seats then you can have your pup infront of you/in your lap during the flight (but it will have to be secured during landing/takeoff). This is if your crate is within those dimensions.

    I looked into the cabin option and an Akita will definately be too big (at 3 months) while I think maybe a Hokkaido might be okay. I don't know how big they are at that time but it might work.
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