I do not ship puppies at all, but I wonder if I'm loosing to place some puppies in great show homes because of that. I know the risks and that's why I don't do it, but is it really so bad? I'm not talking about the puppy been scared for a few hours, I'm thinking about the puppy getting frozen, cooked or getting parvo, real bad things. Can you tell me your experience good or bad. TIA.

I don't ship either just because I feel it is very inpersonal and feels like a "parking lot drop off"

Why not fly with the puppy?

I don't fly puppies. Only you can decide how much risk you are willing to take to place a puppy in a home far away. What benefits would justify the risks? Only you can decide. For me a show home would not be a benefit at all. Kate

Well I keep my show prospects and I do not like to ship baby puppies to pet homes...so I don't. I have not had a problem placing puppies in great pet homes that were willing to drive to me.

All my pet puppies are spoken for even before the puppies are born. I'm asking for experiences from people that do ship puppies to show homes. I would never ship a pet puppy. There is always a pet puppy close enough that the new owners can go and pick it up.

I wish I could sell all my puppies locally to the types of homes I want, but I live in a rural area with many breeders closer to the population centers than I am, and I can't. (I usually have no more than one litter a year and often skip years between breedings, and I find that people in this part of the country will not wait for a puppy, so building up a list of potential homes is not feasible.) I have shipped over 20 puppies and adult dogs over the years for breedings before AI was generally available, as well as to new owners. I always have multiple conversations by email and phone so that I am convinced that the puppy will have a good home and is appropriate for the people on the other end. I still hear regularly from most of these people and have kept in touch with some until their dog died of old age. Only one that I can remember went to a show home, but a number of the puppies have run in hunt tests, obedience, and agility trials. All are house dogs and family companions. I would rather sell to someone out of state with those types of plans for the puppy than a local home where the pup will be in a kennel outside most of the time, and that includes many show homes. Usually the out-of-state people are referrals or have one of my dogs already.

I always try to get a direct flight, even if it means driving past one airport to get to another with better connections (I have to drive right past the Milwaukee airport to get to O'Hare). I pay attention to the weather and I always wait at the airport until the flight is airborne. If possible, I visit the pup in the holding area. That suddenly transforms the pup from a piece of baggage into an individual with a name and someone who cares about them in the eyes of the baggage handlers. I call the person at the other end to confirm departure and to update them on expected arrival time. I arrange that they will call me as soon as the puppy arrives. Typically, the puppy recovers from whatever trauma they felt during shipping within seconds of being released from their crate. I have had several puppies shipped to me over the years, so I know this is the case.

I have never had a puppy lost or mistreated in any way. The restrictions for shipping in extreme weather conditions are, if anything, more stringent than are necessary for Lab puppies. You should have a conversation with the airlines about what happens if a flight is delayed. It is probably a good idea to avoid shipping if bad weather is expected at any point at which the pup will be on the ground. I would be concerned if the pup is stranded in the plane while waiting for thunder storms to let up on a hot day. I've been in that situation myself, and it was most unpleasant.

I am the grateful reciepient of one of the puppies that Peggy has shipped over the years and recently had the experiance from the other side of the transaction.

I agree with all of Peggy's points, I found my puppy buyer thru a network of people that I deal with professionally. I had several conversation with the prospective owner and especially as we discussed transportaion options, I was able to get very comfortable with him. The only point on which I was tenative was that the buyer was an older gentleman. Knowing that I would not likely be able to get to this puppy to retrieve it if something should happened to the gentleman, I looked for a way to gently ask about his support system should he become unable to care for his puppy. He was very open to the question, turns out he has a sister who he is quit close to and even she sends me updates on the pup perioducally. She continues to let me know that she is actively involved in his care. I get pictures and updates more often from this owner than I do from a local family that I've placed a puppy with.

As for flying this little fellow, he was going to Tarrytown NY. We were very selective as to which airport we would fly him into, opting for a direct flight, on a sunday morning into a smaller regional airport. Seamus was on the ground and with his new owner literally within minutes of landing. Like Peggy, I stayed at the airport until I was sure he was airborne and was in contact with the owner until he had possesion of Seamus.

I would say that flying a puppy should be decided on a case by case situation. If you can't get him on a non stop to a smaller airport, or if it's an especially long flight. I would certainly look for an alternative.

Thanks for your answers. Maybe, I'll consider it next time I have a prospective show home.

http://petairways.com/
They are really growing!

We have been shipping for 11 years +, and have 100% success rate.

We use DELTA DASH (formerly Northwest VIP), & and American Counter to Counter, and occasionally Frontier Airlines.

We ship from MEM or STL depending on who has the best flight for the puppy.

We buy the furarri carriers from KV Vet Supply, and write a nice story about how labs have rescued people in the past, etc, and in turn request the airlines to take good care of our puppies.

We take the puppies or dogs to the airport ourselves, and track them to make sure they are in the air before we leave. A lot of the times, the attendents play with our puppies before they are taken to board the airplane by a suv that has heating & cooling system.

Most of the time, the puppies arrive to their new destinations before we make it home from the airport, which is a lot less stressful than making a long road trip.

We are greatful to the show breeders who have shipped show dogs to us, and as well as those whom we have imported stud dogs from abroad.

Hope I have imparted some encouragement.

Julie