Puppy or Adult Transportation

There are a few ways that we know of to get your puppy home and I will go over them below:

Cargo Option - Alaska Air Cargo - The costs below are at your expense, not the seller.

• You will need a Kennel (typical size will be the 300, but this will depend on the puppy's size at 8 -12 weeks). We can pick up the kennel for you, locally, so that when we take your puppy to the airport, it has it's kennel and water/food dish with it, as it is required.
• We will need to schedule a vet appointment for a health certification which is required by the airlines. (Current cost at our vet is around $120 to $150 dollars for the health cert and Rabies shot. This can change at any moment.)
• We can send food, but we are now limited on one small zip lock from the airlines new rules.
• Please also note that there are temperature requirements to allow the animal to fly. If it is supposed to be higher or lower than specified temperatures at the departure and arrival airlines, your puppy may be turned away and not allowed to fly!
• The cost to have me take your puppy to the airport IF it is flown out of anywhere but Medford will be $17/hour for my driving, as well as the cost of gas.
  Medford to Portland - 574 Miles there and back, and 9 hours 20 minutes drive time. Cost $264 (This cost is separate from your flight and vet appointment and if I cannot get the pup on the flight due to weather or other canceled means out of my control, the cost is still due, and we either try another day, or you choose another route for transport.)
  Medford to San Francisco - 1064 Miles there and back and 17 hours drive time. Cost $469 (This cost is separate from your flight and vet appointment and if I cannot get the pup on the flight due to weather or other canceled means out of my control, the cost is still due, and we either try another day, or you choose another route for transport.)
  Medford to Seattle Wa - 880 Miles there and back, and 14 hours drive time. Cost $386 (This cost is separate from your flight and vet appointment and if I cannot get the pup on the flight due to weather or other canceled means out of my control, the cost is still due, and we either try another day, or you choose another route for transport.)
  

Fly with your pup - Pets in the Cabin

This is from the website as of 6/18/2022

Passengers must be 18 years or older to travel with a pet in the cabin. A passenger traveling with a pet may not occupy an emergency exit row or bulkhead row., The First Class cabin can accommodate a total of one pet carrier per flight, and the main cabin can accommodate a total of up to five pet carriers per flight.

Important notes for travel with your pet in the cabin:

• The pet carrier counts toward your carry-on bag allotment . You may bring either a pet carrier and a personal item, or a pet carrier and a standard size carry-on bag. You may not board the aircraft with a pet carrier, a standard size carry-on, and a personal item.
• A customer may travel with a maximum of 2 pet carriers in the main cabin, only when the adjacent seat is purchased by the same customer.
• Pets allowed in the passenger cabin are dogs, cats, rabbits, and household birds. Dogs and cats must be at least 8 weeks old and must have been fully weaned and accustomed to take solid food and has done so, without nursing, for a period of at least 5 days.
• Up to 2 pets of the same species and similar size may travel in the same carrier, provided no body parts protrude from the carrier and the animals are not in distress.
• The pet must stay in its container (including head and tail) with the door/flap secured at all times in the boarding area (during boarding and deplaning), Alaska Lounge, and while onboard the aircraft. They must be stowed under the seat during taxi, takeoff, and landing.
• Animals with offensive odors or those that create a noise disturbance must travel in the climate-controlled baggage compartment.

Carriers in cabin
The USDA and IATA have specific requirements.

Pets must be small enough to fit and stay comfortably in a kennel under the seat.

The following carrier sizes are accepted for travel in the cabin:

Kennel size chart for travel in cabin Type Kennel size Dimensions (length x width x height) Hard-sided 50 17" x 11" x 7.5" Soft-sided 50 17" x 11" x 9.5" (As of 8/7/23, I have messaged and verified that the 17x11x11 is acceptable if it is soft sided. You can find one here: Petsfit Expandable Large Cat Carrier Small Dog Carriers, Airline Approved Soft-Sided Portable Washable Pet Travel Carrier with Two Extension for Kittens,Puppies,Rabbits)

To be accepted for travel, your pet carrier must:

• Be within the listed dimensions above
• Be clean and leak-proof with absorbent bedding made of material that is safe and non-toxic to the animal
• Fully enclose the animal and be escape-proof
• Have adequate air ventilation
• Be free of tears, cracks, or breaks

This is NOT all of the information pertaining to flying with your pet, but is the basics. Please see the website above for ALL of the details. Please note, there is a weight limit! Many of our dogs are more than the weight limit at 8 weeks, so please be aware of this and plan accordingly.

My personal suggestion - This is my personal choice and what we do when we have picked up our own pets in the past.

Fly into Medford airport or Portland and rent a car to drive you and your puppy home. The reasons why this is my favorite?

1. This gives you and your puppy time to get to know each other.
2. It gives the puppy a chance to get use to basic commands. Quiet while in the car, go potty while on potty breaks, heal while on the leash for the first few times and often times, your "go potty", "heal" and "quiet" commands are DONE and LEARNED before you even get home!
3. And lastly, it is pure and utter bonding time with little distractions.

Private Delivery to your Home - Hire an outside company to delivery your puppy

This may not be the cheapest option, or so I have found. It also depends on how many dogs they are traveling with, as to how long it might take them to get to you, and also puts your puppy in an environment with MANY other animals of unknown places they have been and I personally have found it to be risky as to who you get to handle your dog too.

The transportation you choose to get your puppy home is what YOU feel most comfortable with. I cannot make that choice for you, I can only help direct you to what you might feel most comfortable with. Because of COVID restrictions and the changes in how the world is working, and how businesses are handling their work days, the sooner you learn about the best ways to transport your puppy home, the better. Sometimes, airlines can be booked out, prices can be higher because you may be rushing to get things settled, and vet offices may not have availability to get a heath check when you might want to get your puppy on the plane. These are but a few things that can cause alterations to plans you might think are set in stone. Please be patient. We will do ALL that we can to make sure your puppy is out when you want it, but know that the only ABSOLUTE way to get your puppy in the time and manner you want, is for you to pick your puppy up personally.

I look forward to working with you when you have chosen your puppy, to ensure that transportation is as easy as possible!

And to those of you that are close enough to just drive here in one day, we look forward to seeing you!