You can prepare your puppy (or older dog) to travel safely by air -- from a wellness checkup to the flight arrangements -- with some preparation.
Vet Visit
Puppies can be shipped once they reach nine weeks of age, after having received both their six- and nine-week vaccinations.
We schedule a health checkup shortly before the scheduled departure date. For domestic flights (within the U.S.), the health certificate must be dated within 10 days of departure; for international flights, the time frame is 36 hours.
Our vet also provides a certificate of acclimation, specifying the temperature range within which the dog can safely travel, as required by the airlines.
FLight Arrangements
You schedule the flight. Before making the reservation, it is important to consider the travel temperatures that your dog may encounter. For example, you do not want your dog arriving on the airport ramp when the temperature is too hot.
Depending on flight duration, you may want to schedule an early flight, so the puppy will arrive during daylight hours (rather than at night, which may be scarier for the puppy).
You need to email us the flight confirmation so that we can present a copy upon departure. We will purchase the proper size travel carrier, in accordance with airline specifications. The carrier must be large enough to allow the dog to stand upright and turn around comfortably. (The cost of the carrier is the responsibility of the new owner.) [more]
Airport Sendoff
We get the puppy to the airport 1-1/2 to 2 hours before the scheduled departure time. A water cup will be hung on the inside the carrier door. Your dog will be wearing a collar, and we tape both food and leash to the top of the carrier for your use upon arrival.
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