What do I need to know about transporting two 8 1/2 week puppies from Fort Smith to Arkansas to PDX?

[sandy5363]

My mother has a corgi that got pregnant and I am tired of her very bad track record with dogs, so I offered to place two of the puppies here in Portland. I will be taking one and my co worker will be taking the other. We are both very excited about this. They will be 8.5 weeks when she drives them to fort smith on Thursday morning to put them on a plane to portland. I have done everything possible to make it easy ( even buying and shipping her the right crate) but I am very nervous about the tiny details. Help!! Does anybody have any tips or things to avoid? I feel like I have done evening possible to prepare her, but any help to prevent snafus would be so awesome!!

 

[alotanor]

@sandy5363 Dogs are pretty resilient by nature. Saying that, something as intense and stimulus heavy as a flight like that followed so quickly by removal from mom and siblings can make for a very stressful time. Think about how they make connections with their world and how they might relate experiences to positive and negative cues down the road.

This was recently posted, but I think it give a pretty thorough breakdown on approaching new puppies and setting them up for success. Give them space, comfort and let them make the right choices. Best of luck~

https://paws4udogs.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/diary-of-a-fearful-puppy-the-first-three-days/

 

[agnosticusmexicanus]

@sandy5363 When I was flying to az from wa a lady had a small dog carrier as her personal item and had her dog in it. You could fly down and back with them that way, but you should check the airlines policy on this.

 

[theopholustr]

@sandy5363 Try to make the whole thing as swift and non-traumatizing as possible (of course). By that I mean ask the airline about every bit of the trip from check-in to check-out. Keep track of the temperature on the tarmac because they might have to wait there a while before being loaded into the cargo cabin. Look at airport maps beforehand to make sure that you don't miss the place where you check them out so that they're not waiting any longer than necessary. They will need to get out ASAP. Since they're so young, they probably will soil the crate. It's also a good idea to check the length of the landing runway since a short runway makes a rougher landing.

Other things to know is that they may need a passport. They will almost certainly require separate crates and the appropriate corresponding stickers. Those stickers can be REALLY expensive. Inform the airline that they are being checked in by one person and checked out by another person.

After the flight, you'll have to work hard to desensitize them if they do appear traumatized. My dog was brought over from another country and most likely held in cargo in an overnight cruise ship. It's hard to get him into a crate now and he has separation anxiety (though, partial to the fact that I'm his third owner). Anyway, you have your work cut out for you but I really think it will be alright!