So you found us through social media, love our breed, and want to buy a dog? Awesome!
We do our background check on you and discover no red flags so you're clear to buy?
Amazing! You aren't interested in bargaining for a cheaper rate? Take us out to dinner first.
But you live three states away. And can't pick the dog up yourself?
Did you hear something? It was the sound of us audible sighing at the though of doing another shipment arrangement. Logistics are messy, no one enjoys the business of coordinating among different parties. It's can be a complex process. However, our job is to make this easy and help you get your pup! And, that is what we'll do.
If you purchase a dog and you can’t make the drive to us, we have to send the product (a puppy) to you. And that becomes slippery for one main reason: it cannot be, under any circumstances, a scary experience for the puppy.
Imagine the first time you flew on a plane: you at least understood what a plane was and why it was in the sky. Dogs don’t know that. And puppies are just baby dogs! It’s scary and stressful, what kind of monster wants to put a puppy through stress?
Luckily, there are two ways to get the puppy from our kennel to your loving home: Flight Nannies or Ground Shipping.
Unclear on the terminology? No problem.
A “Flight Nanny” is a physical person there to ensure that the puppy is boarded from location to location and delivered to the right person. There are many services that specialize in this specific process for shipping dogs. This is traditionally covered by the buyer and the price depends on how fast you want the puppy. There is a difference between overnight delivery and a few weeks for your amazon package. The same goes for dogs. If you order a puppy and decide on flying, it all depends on how much you want to spend. There are a couple of rules: the puppy can’t be over 20 pounds or older than 6 months. And they must have a health certificate from a vet which is usually covered by the breeder. This might seem like a lot of hoops to jump through, but the flipside is that it ensures many people from different fields are part of the sale.
It's also timing. A middle-of-the-week booking tends to rate cheaper flights. It’s a lot of arranging between clients, breeders, and flight nannies. But, we've done it many times and we'll get us through the process!
Our personal opinion of hiring a flight nanny is that it can be a stressful process but it’s honestly not that bad. Many different hands are there to make sure the logistics make sense and the animal isn’t put in any danger. And the dogs don’t seem to mind, so why would we?
But let’s say you live far away with no international airport? Ground shipping is totally possible. But keeping with the ongoing theme, it’s all about the logistics. Usually, with ground shipping, someone with a sizeable van or truck picks the dog up from us and hand delivers it to the buyer. The biggest headache with ground shipping is waitlisting and finding someone to trust. Scams are everywhere and it’s not enough to know that the puppy will be transported successfully. It has to be done right with a lot of attention to the dog. Like using a flight nanny, we have options and together we'll make this happen for you and your pup.
How to go about finding a good ground shipper? Do the research and find the perfect shipper. We’ve been extremely happy with Pet Limo, a pet relocation service. Look for consistent web presence across all their social media, testimonials, and transparency. We knew we could trust them. Also, go with your gut, if something seems fishy it probably is. There are tons of scams in the dog world, trust your instincts.
Which is better? It’s honestly a matter of the customer, their budget, and how quickly they want the dog. Want it in a few days? Go with the flight nannies. Not concerned with time? Maybe weigh your options with ground shipping. But more importantly: do what’s best for the dog. And our experience will help make this a success!