Your puppy will be traveling in an appropriate sized crate. This crate must allow the puppy to have room to stand erect, turn around and lie down with room. It must not be so large that the puppy is “swimming” in the extra space of their kennel. If you would like to see what the kennels look like, just take a look at the plasticrates in our store. Folks ask about the option of having their puppy shipped in a kennel that will last a lifetime. We do not do this as the additional shipping costs would far outweigh you purchasing a kennel of choice on your own.

Your puppy will have shredded office paper in the bottom of his kennel. This is not only great fun for the puppies to play in, but it does a wonderful job of wicking away any urine or stool so that your puppy arrives as clean as can be.

Your puppy is required to fly with food and water dishes attached to the inside of the kennel and a nice sized sample bag of food attached to the top of the kennel. If your puppy’s flight is delayed in any way, or you are delayed in picking up your puppy they will go ahead and offer food and water to your puppy. We do not want your puppy taken out of the kennel as the chance of exposure to disease far outweighs the benefits.

I also wish that the puppy would not be fed or watered during travel (except with extremely long layovers – 5-6 hours). If your puppy takes a big drink and gets back on the plane, he will likely throw it up and he will lose more of his body’s electrolytes than what he would be gaining. Remember, going without food for a ten hour day is absolutely no different than sleeping through the night without food and water.

While on this topic, know that puppies cannot store body fat. You will want to offer them food and water continuously so that they can maintain their blood/sugar levels as necessary.

All paperwork will be attached to the kennel ~ so you instantly have access to the medical records, registration forms, microchip keepsake form and tag, helpful brochures that I have written, etc. We are a well organized family and you will be elated with what you receive.

We will make sure you know exactly where to pick up when we send the flight arrangements. When you arrive, you will be asked to show a photo ID (such as a driver’s license) to prove that the puppy is yours. That’s it!

The front door of the kennel will be tied shut using plastic zip ties. Most airlines today are using ones that simply “unzip” rather than having to cut the tie with a scissors or knife. They are always happy to help you cut those ties, or unzip those ties. Just ask.

The greatest injustice that you can do for your new puppy would be to trot right outside the airline building and put your puppy down to go potty. Adult dogs can carry disease such as parvovirus and distemper and not show signs. If you put your new baby down where another dog has “gone” before, you can have a very sick or dead puppy within five days. Remember this as well when he ages and you are traveling. Rest stops with dog areas are an awesome thought, but a germ/disease ridden area. I would love for you to wait until you get home to put your dog down on the ground, or at least take that gravel road off the interstate and have your puppy relieve himself there.

Many folks are very confident that they can tell the difference between a male and a female puppy. Unfortunately, we have learned time and time again that this isn’t so. You are certainly welcome to take your puppy to your veterinarian to tell you the sex of him/her, but first we invite you to take a look for yourself.

Click Here for a Guide to Help Determine the Sex of Your Puppy