lolonurse

Hi all - We have had puppies shipped before, by Alaska Air (they were great!), but it was a direct flight, and only about 2 hours in the air from the breeder to us. Now, we are considering a puppy from across the continent, and in a rather out of the way area... and we are really concerned about the prospect of such a long, lonely, scary trip for a baby - and the probability that there will be connections to be made, which usually involves layovers. SO - what I want to ask is - what do you all do, who do you use, do you discourage this (one person offered to send me a puppy from Russia with her Mom, who was going to Florida!). Do airlines allow you to bring a puppy into the cabin with you? (Do you buy an extra seat?) Help - please answer my questions - plus the ones I've forgotten to ask! Thanks - Lois

Murreydobe

Puppies can be carried in the cabin with you if they fit into a carrier bag that fits under the seat and weigh under a certain amount. I know there have been discussions about this here in the past-a search should bring them up and you can find out what that maximum weight might be. Due to the fact doberman puppies grow FAST, there's only a small window of time they'll be small enough..but I certainly do know of dobe puppies who have flown home with their owners in the cabin. BTW-I believe the airlines only accept one dog in the cabin per flight, so this is something that has to be booked as early as possible.

Personally, I would only ship an animal (whether puppy or adult) on direct, non stop flights. Too much room for disastrous errors with layovers, flight changes, etc. Many of the airlines also have heat embargoes on flying animals in cargo during the summer months, too-that's also something you need to research.

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CH. Birchrun Who's On First, aka Razzle
Foxfire N KO Simply Madness WAC, aka Connor

DoyerDobes

I have shipped puppies recently and it was my first time.
I shipped Jaden and JJ on my flight from Tulsa, OK to NY on Delta.
We had a connection thru Cincinnati with an hour layover.
All went well.

Then this week I shipped a puppy from Tulsa to Atlanta.
She went via Continental through Houston.
Again about an hour layover.

Each airline has their own rules about kennel sizes, age of pup,
temperature restrictions, etc.
You also need to know what are the reqmts for the state they are
being imported to. At minimum a health certificate is required.

I found everything that I needed to know on Delta and Continental's websites.
Both had dedicated pet travel specialists who could answer questions.

Fran

sebsyd

Both of my pups were shipped, one from Indianna and one from Michigan to Connecticut. The Indianna pup was on a nonstop and arrived without complications. The second had a plane change in Atlanta and missed the connecting flight. Delta was wonderful about alerting us and assuring us that he was being held in the office until the next flight. They gave him new water and changed his papers in the crate even. He was in a great mood when he saw us and just happy to be out of the crate, I think. Most airlines have air conditioned or heated vans to transfer the animals, but check before you do send a puppy. Good luck.

__________________
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your Doberman. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."

lolonurse

Thank you all for your caring and considered replies. As you can probably tell, we are over-protective parents!! Just hate for any of our charges, human or 4-legged, to feel stressed or insecure!! Peace - lois