Travel

Pup Safety And Quarters During Travel

In recent years, specialized pet travel has become more customary and safety has become a key factor in dog travel. I have been breeding dogs for 54 years and believe me, these changes are well received!

For local delivery, many people use our kennel courier to bring dogs to them making it easier to spend less time traveling by car. Estimates are given at the time of set up.

If your dog travels by air, it travels in a sturdy crate according to airline specifications. This involves a new crate which is clean and secure. We are not allowed to put certain things in the crate, again, for safety reasons. So your pup has padding with a blanket and bowls for food and water and a special mesh screen covering the door creating a den-like experience for the puppy.

The crate is marked clearly with your information on it with a tag attached to the handle. A Royal Frenchel bag with dog food to make your way easier the first few days and help the pup transition well will be attached to the crate. It will also include a special file on your dog with your contract, pictures of mom and dad, birthdate, all necessary info regarding your purchase. Vaccination records will be in the file as well.

We only use what is known as Pet Safe Programs for our dog’s travel itineraries. This means your dog is in a temperature controlled and pressurized cabin just like we would be. There are air conditioning and heating as necessary. There is also an assistant who cares for your pup during the flight.

Your pup is boarded last and removed at the destination first and is kept at the Pet Safe Program desk with specialized personnel for explicit dog and animal care. This is a really important part of travel for your dog securing its comfort and good health.

Also, once at the airport and ready to board, the airline secures the crate so that it is virtually impossible to open unless the airline personnel needs to during a layover or complications in the flight that might arise. These are rare instances, however, Pet Safe programs give the dogs very good care with an attendant who is present and a special cabin where the dogs make their flight. So, all is secure and well even if your dog has a special need of drinking water or eating during an extended period of time.

We are very attentive to the dog during this process of transferring at the airport. We are fortunate that our long history with the airlines allows us to know people that more often than not, allow us to stay with your dog up until the very last minute before departure. This helps reduce stress and get the dog used to airline noises before we leave him or her for their journey.

Itinerary and Arrangements for your dog’s travel are handled with care. You are invoiced separately for this preparation as we reserve the flight to ensure Pet Safe programs, veterinary clearance for health, kennel staff courier for airport departure and crate to airline standards.

What Determines Readiness For Flight?

What’s most important is the health and maturity of the pup. Of course in the purchase process, we discuss this fully regarding the puppy you are interested in. But for the sake of understanding the process of saying a pup is ready, these are some of the things we consider:

  • Has the pup moved out of its original pack to play showing confidence with older dogs and people?
  • Does the pup return to mom swiftly given rough pack play or loud noises etc?
  • Does the pup eat well after situations like that?

Quite frankly, there is a look in the pups eyes that reveals a certain awareness and excitement of the world around it beyond its original pack. I guess after being a breeder for so long, all of these factors gather together allowing me to either feel confident or not in shipping your puppy.

That said, Royal Frenchels are the easiest dogs in the world to travel and transition to new homes because they are so companion oriented and they love other people and other animals so well, the fear of the journey seems to be coupled with excitement and a tad of joy at being in the limelight with their new family.

Generally speaking, pups can make a journey by air anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks whenever this maturity strikes! I’m happy to discuss it with you as you choose your pup.

Special Preparations Before Flight

The bottom line is, dogs and people operate hugely by intuited communication. So, one of the things I do in preparing a dog to go to its new home is I sit with the dog and I visit it with a deep sense of connection and share with it that it is going to a new home, sharing images, names, numbers of people in the family and any other information I may have.

Now you may think this doesn’t do much in preparing a dog for a flight, again, but after 54 years of breeding, I can tell you, it does! The truth is if we give any living thing space and attention to anticipate a transition, they pick up the details that are important to them, just like any of us.

We also ensure a good blood sugar level and hydration level. A day prior to travel and up to 6 to 8 hours before leaving, your puppy is given special food and fluids with a blend of electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals.

This is really important as the dog is relaxed and in its first home, so it eats and enjoys the special soup and liquid it gets, filling up to a nice round belly. This ensures the dog has a really good nutritional foundation for its trip. However, it will be important to get your dog fluids when it arrives as the trip may have used up its resources.

One last note, when your Royal gets home sometimes they don’t want to eat or drink due to the stress of the trip and arrival to a new home. To remedy this situation, I have included Breeders Edge Milk for the 8-week old pups.  Just mix 2 parts water to 1 part breeders edge powder to make the milk and you can store it for 2 days.

After Making It

So you will make the breeders milk as the instructions direct and then you cut it 50% with water. You can give it full strength, but they have not had it in a while and it isn’t necessary and it may also increase mucous which may not be best.

For all ages, simply make up some good cuts of meat, small bites so as not to choke the puppy and for this one time only use cut pieces of chicken. Then put the dog in your lap, and give them to them by hand. They will love it and it is hard for them to turn down even not feeling the greatest!

Just remember that fowl today, chicken and turkey primarily, is no longer being used by the savviest of breeders or dog families as they are consistently related to allergies across all breeds and the nation. But this one time won’t hurt a thing and it will break up the non-eating syndrome.

Ok, I could write a book here, so I won’t continue for now! You have plenty to ready yourself for your new pup. I am excited for you!

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