How to Ship a Dog: Everything You Need to Know
There’s a lot to handle during your big move. However, if you have a pet, there’s probably nothing more at the top of your mind than ensuring their experience during a cross-country move is as good as can be.
If you’re curious about how to ship a dog, there’s a lot to learn. Moving can take a lot of effort but the last thing you want to do is to make the experience either stressful for your animal or expensive for yourself.
What steps do you need to take to ensure that everything works out for the best? Read on and we’ll walk you through what you need to know.
Looking Into Pet Shipping Companies
When there’s a need, there’s likely someone out there trying to fill it. It may surprise you to hear, but there is actually a large amount of pet transportation companies out there and operating across the United States.
These companies, which include outlets like Animal Transportation Worldwide, will do precise door-to-door service if you require it. They are a great resource to rely on if you need to move your canine from one place to another.
Moving with a dog can be difficult and these companies can make it a lot easier.
However, these businesses do not all do business in the exact same way. It’s important to read up, ask questions, and ensure that the service a particular pet company you’re looking into is what you actually want.
For example, some companies offer group shipping and others offer private shipping. What group shipping means is that your dog will be transported with a number of other animals. Private shipping, as you might imagine, will mean that your dog is the only animal on the truck or transportation vehicle.
These services can actually be surprisingly cheap. In many cases, they will be more affordable than stowing your animal in the storage portion of an airplane.
Questions To Ask a Pet Shipping Company
Make sure to get all the information you need to ensure your pet will have as peaceful of a journey as possible. Of course, there are many different aspects of the trip you might need to inquire about.
You might want to inquire about what other animals will be on the same truck as your pet. A large variety of different types of animals might be stressful and strange for your dog. One or two other dogs would be ideal.
You’ll also want to ask how many stops the vehicle will make and what the total time of the trip will be. The more stops a truck takes, the longer a trip will be, and the more stress your dog will have to go through.
One of the most important things to ask about is exercise. If your dog is traveling a great distance, let’s say over four or five hours, they will need to be let out of the carrier at some point. It’s important that they get to stretch their legs and use the bathroom.
Most pet shipping carriers will make time for this during the route, but you need to make sure you know all the details. How often they will be let out, where, and what the procedure is for caring for them during this time.
Shipping by Air
If you personally are planning on flying to your new destination, you may be curious about how to take your pooch along with you. What are the options and the expenses?
The most conveneint and affordable option would be to take the dog in the airline cabin with you. Of course, this will only be possible if you have a very small dog. Regulations for animals will vary by airline, but often this means less than 20 pounds.
The reason a dog will need to be very small is that they and their carrier will need to be small enough to fit under the seat in front of you. Your pet will essentially be like your carry-on item, and thus the size is very important!
You will have to buy a ticket for your pet as well, usually, this costs around $100. Again, this price will be different depending on which airline you choose to fly with. It’s important to book far in advance because an airline is only allowed to have so many animals and there’s a chance they might fill up.
Animals in Cargo
If your dog is too big to be brought into the cabin with you, there is still the option to have them ride out the trip in the cargo area. This is not advised, as it is possible for pets to be injured or even killed when riding in cargo.
Despite these events being rare, it has happened.
If you don’t have any other option available to you, make sure to notify and double notify the airline staff about your pet’s travel plans. Make sure to triple ID the cage so there can be no mistake about the pet’s ownership.
If you can, avoid any transfers and fly direct. The smoother experience you can provide for your animal, the better. Cargo will be stressful for them, there’s just no way around it.
How to Ship a Dog
If you’re curious about how to ship a dog, you should be pleased to hear that there are many different options available to the average pet owner. The above information outlines some of the more popular methods.
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