2018 Updates on Shipping a Puppy

A lot of things have changed in the past year or two with airline rules and regulations so I wanted to update my information on how to ship puppies. Some of you may have read my blog article I wrote a few years ago about the process and I must say it was a lot easier back then than it is now. We are part of a small group of breeders that doesn’t mind being inspected so we are fully licensed to ship puppies but unfortunately the airlines close to us are making it increasingly difficult to get the puppies on a plane. If you live out of state and want a puppy from us we will certainly be willing to ship to you but please read this to understand that during certain times of the year it may not be possible or changes may need to be made about which airport we fly the puppy to and you will have to consider the other available options.

The closest airport to us that we ship out of is located in Appleton,WI (ATW.) In the past we were able to use both Delta and United Airlines but unfortunately things have changed and now Delta is currently our only option. United was personally my favorite, they don’t have temperature restrictions like Delta has so that makes most destinations at any time of the year easy to get to and they also offered many more flights than Delta did. Unfortunately last year United in Appleton started using planes operated by Air Wisconsin and they are not compatible for animals to travel within their cargo area leaving only Delta to deal with. Delta has always had temperature restrictions for shipping pets, in the past it needed to be between 10-85 degrees at all points or they would simply deny your flight. This is NOT because of the temperature on the plane, that is always regulated, it is because they don’t want to be transporting animals from the plane to airport and back in extreme cold or hot temperatures. In the past they also offered a “Summer Cooling Program” where they had air conditioned vehicles at certain airports to transport the animals so the temperature didn’t matter, this obviously made it easier to ship in the Summer time but in 2017 they cancelled all Cooling Programs.
 As of August 1st 2018 they have made additional changes that will seriously affect our ability to ship with them. Delta now requires it to be between 20-80 degrees at all stops to ship a puppy. For example if you live in New York and want your puppy shipped to JFK they would travel out of Appleton, WI have a layover in Detroit and then land at JFK, if it's above 80 degrees or below 20 degrees at any of those locations they will not allow the puppy to fly. Anyone who lives in the U.S. already knows that during June, July, and August it is rarely below 80 degrees in most locations during the day and 20 degrees is considered warm for us in Wisconsin during the months of December-February. These new rules will greatly affect our ability to ship out of our local airport!
There are a few options to help deal with the constant limitations being put on us by Delta airlines. The first option to deal with Summer temperatures is to ship the puppy to the layover destination while it is still cool enough, think early morning or late evening, then board it overnight at a licensed kennel who would then take the puppy back to the airport the following morning to get them on the first flight out to their destination to beat the heat. I recently did this with a puppy who needed to be shipped to Colorado in July when daytime temperatures were in the high 90's. I booked the puppy on an evening flight to Minneapolis where he was then boarded overnight and got on an early flight the next day to Denver. Delta charged an additional $175 boarding fee (can change at any moment) which was an extra expense for the buyer but was worth it in the end.

Green Bay, WI also has a small airport about an hour away from us where shipping with American Airlines may be an option. They do have temperature restrictions, it has to be between 45-85 degrees to ship a puppy and flights can be booked 10 days in advance. They are a smaller airline so may not go to all desired locations and in Winter it will be too cold to use them.

 If absolutely necessary we are able to ship out of Milwaukee, WI using either Delta, United (If it's not an Air Wisconsin Plane,) or American Airlines (as long as it's not too hot or too cold.) On a good day the airport in Milwaukee is a 2.5 hour drive each way, we have to check the puppy in at least 2 hours in advance and stay in town until the puppy leaves so it ends up taking at least 8-10 hours of our day up which is hard when you have to be home to take care of all your animals. If we have to ship a puppy out of Milwaukee for you the departure times will have to coordinate with other puppies that we may be shipping on that date so that we can get in and out of town in a timely manner. 

I always post the shipping date in the information listed about a puppy that I have for sale online. We usually ship a couple puppies from each litter so that date is the date that I will be shipping the puppies so that I can coordinate all flights and travel to work together. 

Please realize that there are a lot of rules and regulations when it comes to shipping a puppy, I simply can't go online and pick any flight I want like a person can. If you live out of state and want us to ship you a puppy I will need you to give me 2 International Airport options that I can ship the puppy to. I will try my hardest to book the location that you prefer but it will ultimately depend on the temperatures and the airline that I can use.
I will also need you to be flexible on the day of arrival, I cannot control the weather, flight delays or cancellations so please leave your day free and clear. I cannot tell you how many people have yelled at me because a flight was late or had to rebooked and they had to change their plans, please make the arrival of the puppy your priority!

Delta Rules:
It has to be between 20-80 degrees to ship a puppy and the flight has to have a minimum of a 2 hour layover. Puppies need to be checked in at least 2 hours in advance. No double connections.
Flights can be booked 13 days in advance.

United Airlines:
They do not have temperature restrictions but puppies are not able to fly on planes operated by Air Wisconsin. Puppies need to be checked in at least 2 hours in advance. No double connections.
Flights can be booked 30 days in advance and no later than 5 days in advance.

American Airlines:
It has to be between 45-85 degrees to ship a puppy. Puppies need to be checked in at least 2 hours in advance. No double connections.
Flights can be booked 10 days in advance.

If shipping a puppy does not appeal to you there are also a couple of other options for people to consider if they live out of state and want a puppy from us. You may want to consider driving or flying here. The closest airports to us are Appleton, WI or Green Bay, WI (GRB.) The two largest are Milwaukee (MKE) which is about 2.5-3 hours away and also Chicago O’Hare in Illinois that is about 4 hours from us. I have had people fly here, we order the required health certificates for the puppies and we either meet them at our local airports or they have also rented cars and driven up from Milwaukee or Chicago. 

One other possibility is having a puppy nanny personally fly the puppy to you. Remember how I said it’s difficult for us to ship out of Milwaukee because we have to be gone so long? This means that us personally flying a puppy to you is difficult and will not always be an option but if we are not available we may have friends or family that would be willing. If someone is available to fly the puppy to you, you the buyer will be responsible for the cost of the flight, the fee to have the puppy onboard the flight, the crate and health certificates needed to have a puppy on board, and a flat fee of $300 for the person traveling with the puppy to cover their time, transportation, parking fees, etc. Someone would fly your puppy to the airport of your choice and you would then meet them there to pick up your puppy.

So as of now that’s what I know as far as what is going on with the airline industry, I will continue to keep everyone updated whenever I find out new information. Please keep all of this in mind if you live out of state and are interested in getting a puppy from us.

 To see the Cockapoo Puppies that we have for sale please visit our website: https://www.cutecockapoos.com/puppies-for-sale