Thinking about buying a puppy from a breeder that lives distantly from you? Thinking about flying with your pet on vacation this summer? Though air transportation remains the safest form of travel for animals, there are many issues for owners to be concerned about. On this page we will first examine how we at Darkwind prepare our puppies for "the friendly skies." Secondly, we will provide you with general nformation on flying dogs.
Since most of our dogs arrive at their new families via air transportation we believe in letting our infant puppies play and live in airline approved crates. We have crates in all rooms in our house and in the puppies' play and sleep area. Puppies are transported to the vets in crates and will be transported to the eye doctor in these crates.
We encourage our owners to send old t-shirts and soft toys for the infant puppies to play with. Later, these will accompany the puppy on his journey to his new home. If at all possible we send puppies in the crates they've been playing in and the purchase of the crate buys a replacement rate for us here. This is so the crate is a familiar "den" for the traveler.
We will not send puppies during hot weather without special accomodations such as midnight flights. Likewise we will not ship in extremes of cold. We encourage our buyers to come and pick up their new puppy if at all possible, and this way he can travel inside the cabin.
We arrive as late as possible to the air cargo center and stay with the puppies as long as we can. We have frozen the water and keep it in an ice pack so it is frozen solid when we leave.
Natasha and Spotty playing in an outdoor crate. (Photo above.)
There will be dry food on the top of the crate and a can of food on the door of the crate. The puppy will have familiar toys but nothing to small for him to choke on. We DO NOT tranquilize our puppies as that can be very, very bad for any dog.
For the proud parents on the receiving end, here are our instructions for picking up a puppy at the airport:
The initial moment of meeting at the airport can make or break your entire relationship with your new puppy. It is critical to understand the puppy's needs, and what you can do to start bonding with the puppy from the outset. The objective then, is to ensure that from the very first moment the puppy sees you, he is greeted with care and acceptanceno matter what condition the puppy is in, you must begin by holding him close to you.
Wear "old" clothes" that you don't mind getting dirty. Bring to the airport a plastic trash sack, two old towels, vanilla yogurt, bottled water, water and food bowls, and a collar and leash with nametag. You should also know where the nearest emergency vet hospital is, just in case.
Expect the puppy to be stressed. He may be somewhat frightened and overwhelmed by the journey. You need to make personal, loving contact immediately. If the puppy is soiled, bring him out of the crate, wrapped in an old towel and hold him close. It helps to have a little butter on your hands so the hand is appealing to sniff and lick. If the puppy is in major distress take him to the vet's immediately. Put on the collar and leash. Offer him some water immediately, sitting on the floor with him. Next offer him some yogurt. In this fashion, you will have seen to his most immediate needs for reassurance, water, and foodhis basic needs. After seeing to his basic needs, CALL ME!!!! (505) 281-7693.
DO NOT let him potty in the close vicinity of the airport as many dogs use these "facilities" and he could come in contact with an infectious agent. If the crate is soiled, empty the dirty things into the trash sack. Put in the clean towel, refill the water bowl, and add a treat of some sort, and put the puppy back inside, and transport the puppy to your vehicle.
If there is a long ride, find a spot off the busy roads that is NOT marked for a rest stop, and put the puppy on grass or dirt and give him your command to go potty. He may not do anything, and ten minutes is plenty of time to let him do his business. Again, offer a little treat of food and water. Then put puppy back into the crate for the ride home.
At home you should have prepared a place for the puppy, where he can run around securely off lead unsupervised for a bit, to relax and unwind. Clean the crate and put it into his "area" with clean water and a clean blanket and toys. A few feet away you can put newspaper if it is your intention to paper-train the puppy.
You should try to balance the puppy's need for routine with time getting to know each other and play time. DO NOT hype up the puppy within 2 hours of bedtime. It may take a few days before the puppy begins eating regularlydo not hand feed him, just give him time to settle in. It may be a good idea to feed him in his crate. Call me if you have any questions about settling him in. (505) 281-7693. Relax and enjoy your bundle of love.
COSTS OF AIR TRANSPORTATION
The costs of flying a puppy to you are not included in the purchase price of the dog. We try to fly with Delta as much as possible, though our main concern is using the most direct flight available, with no more than one connecting flight.
Average costs are:
Air transportation: $395.00
Health Certificate: 65.00
Crate: 75.00
Airport parking: 5.00
At Darkwind we do not charge any service fee for the veterinarian apporintments or for airport delivery.
We have never had any puppy arrive ill or injured, but we are always anxious and worried about our babies. However, the pros and cons of air transportation must be carefully weighed when you are making your decision to buy a puppy.
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