Traveling Home With Your Puppy
Whether you need to fly or drive your puppy home, we can help make the trip easier! Knowing what to expect, and being prepared, can help make the journey less stressful.
Flying Your Puppy Home
If you need to fly to us to get your puppy, we are happy to meet you at SeaTac Airport for a $100 travel fee. We'll meet you right at the airport curb and place your darling puppy in your arms. And we are happy to guide you in gathering the supplies and making the arrangements you will need for the journey. Most of the time, flying with a puppy is easy! Alternatively, we also offer flight nanny service, where we deliver the puppy to you at the airport of your choice. The fee for this service is dependent on flight costs, but starts at $1200.
Roadtripping with Your Puppy
That first car ride with your puppy is always easiest with a friend to help. In general, a puppy is going to be happiest in a lap. And, puppies CAN get car sick! We try our best to help puppies prepare for riding in cars by taking them for rides around Hanson Hill in our ATV, and for a car ride to our vet for their wellness exams, but motion sickness is not uncommon in puppies. We will occasionally hear of a puppy getting sick and mopey on that first car ride home. So be prepared!
- When you come to pick up your puppy, please bring an old towel, paper towels, and wipes. Alternatively, you might want to bring some disposable pee pads to protect your lap and seats.
- ADDITIONALLY, and particularly if you have a long car ride, I recommend that you bring some Dramamine for the car ride home for your puppy. It is not unusual for puppies to get car sick and feel quite ill. Dramamine really helps to alleviate this. If you do decide to dose your puppy with dramamine, the recommended dosage is 2 – 4 mg/pound of body weight. We can let you know your puppy’s weight at the time of pick up.
For long trips that require hotel stays, we recommend that you have a crate with a soft pad. You can cover the soft pad with a disposable pee pad for in case your puppy gets sick. The crate provides your puppy with a consistent, safe, and secure place to rest and sleep.We recommend the Amazon premium soft sided crate which folds down for storage. Medium puppies can use the 30″ for 6 months or so and eventually will need a 36″ crate. This is a great crate to have for traveling in the car and for use at home.
When People Want to Pet Your Adorable Puppy
When someone wants to pet your beautiful pup, be ready to answer like this: "Thank you for asking, but he is too young to be fully vaccinated and I need to protect him for now." You DO, of course, want to socialize your puppy--but with people who you know have clean hands and haven't been around other animals.
Taking Your Puppy Potty On-the-Go
Until your puppy is fully vaccinated, it's imperative that you do not take him to designated pet areas. Do not allow your puppy to run or potty in public pet areas like parks or even beaches; and do not place your puppy on the airport floor, benches, or seats without first placing a pee pad protector under your puppy. If you are at an airport, find a secluded area behind an unmanned counter, or in a restroom for nursing mothers, etc., where you can spread out a puppy pee pad. If you are at a rest stop or place on the road, look for a spot where other dogs don't go to place the pee pad. Then, keep your puppy on his pad and encourage him to eliminate by saying "Go potty, Go potty" in a happy relaxed voice. He may take a few minutes, but if he has to go, he will! Remember to praise him when he does. Offer him a small drink of fresh water in his pop up bowl, and perhaps offer a training treat, wrap up the pee pad, and dispose of it properly.
