Thanks for the responses, glad I wasn't the only one feeling 'paranoid' about it.
Have some questions.
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If you are going to go that route then my recommendation is to fly out and pick up your puppy. Both Nicky and Rally are from Georgia. Nicky was shipped out, they put him on the wrong plane took him off but he missed his flight and didn't tell me nor his breeder until they "fixed" the mistake which also meant his 5 hour direct flight ended up being a 12 hour ordeal. On the other hand, I flew out and picked Rally up and flew back with her via sherpa. We had no problems, she took the sherpa fine and was a good pup the entire trip.
As a breeder, I will not sell a puppy to anyone not willing to come and pick the puppy up.
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Expanding your search further away can actually be beneficial. It will give you a broader range of responsible breeders to talk with to find someone who you can work well with and will have what you're looking for. (Not to say there aren't a few great people in your area though too!) So a flight is not a big deal. As Lisa said the important thing is that you fly out to get the puppy. You need to meet the breeder and puppy and they need to meet you. And then you will be traveling home with the dog so that you can make sure they get to where they need to go and it's less stressful for the baby.
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What about shipping a puppy from a reputable breeder that's listed on the BCOA Breeder Directory website.
Is it bad for the puppy to be shipped on an airplane for about 3 hours?
You guys are probably going to say, why cant you just get one from a local breeder, etc.. but I'm just curious.
There is nothing wrong with getting a pup from a breeder that is not local, if that is the way you want to go… If you fly out to pick up your puppy, then you can bring them back in cabin using a Sherpa bag. Anyone considering a puppy from me would have to do that.. as I will not ship a puppy. People must personally come and pick up the pup.
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I did ship out a puppy this year to BC and had no problems whatsoever. Everyone at the airport was very helpful, as well as when I booked the ship. There are stories for and against shipping. There are good stories as well as bad. I'm not sure about the US, but in Canada they will not allow a dog in the passenger section at all.
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Nicky flew as cargo with me to the 1999 Nationals and did fine. I also shipped TC from North Carolina to California this fall with no problems so it is not because I think that there will always be problems. In the US we can fly with a dog in the cabin as long as they fit in the correct sized bag. Basenji puppies easily fit in the sherpa bags. I prefer not to send young puppies unaccompanied. My mom flew Sawyer, TC's owner's puppy, back to North Carolina in a sherpa so he would have a person with him.
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I would have preferred not to send the puppy out by itself either, but the $750 price tag for me and the puppy-with the puppy travelling in cargo anyway, was a bit pricey. If I send any to the US, I can fly out of Buffalo and then have the puppy with me on the plane-if the airline allows it.
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I would expect that the puppy owner does the travelling not the breeder. Sawyer was different because he was the puppy back for the lease of TC.
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Thanks for the info Lisa, I will remember for next time!
