7 Tools Needed for Safe and Stress-Free Pet Transport

Transporting your pet requires careful planning and preparation to ensure their safety and comfort. This comprehensive guide will cover all you need to know about the tools needed for pet transport and the steps we take to ensure we are giving your furry one the best experience imaginable while in transit.

Choosing the Right Pet Carrier or Crate

The first step in safe pet transport is selecting an appropriate carrier or crate. It should be sturdy, well-ventilated, and large enough for your pet to stand, turn around, and lie down comfortably. We use a variety of different sized crates for our passengers depending on size and age of pet during the trip. For puppies, it is necessary for the trip to be a no paws on the ground delivery because their immune systems are not fully developed. To make sure your furbaby is as comfortable as possible during transport, our puppy crates have drop through mats in them that help for when it is time to use the restroom. Urine trickles right through keeping your puppy dry and clean. As for #2, we are in the vehicles and smell all of the smells. So it is in both your pups and our best interest to pull over immediately and clean their crate! lol

Comfort Items: Toys, Blankets, Beds

A familiar blanket or toy can make a huge difference in your pet's comfort during transport. These items carry the scent of home and can help soothe and reassure your pet, making the journey less stressful for them. If you have a new puppy that we are transporting to you, we encourage the pickup party to send a blanket along the way that has been rubbed on their litter mates and momma that way they can have something to ground them while on the road. Although it may not last the whole trip because the blanket is normally the first thing they go to when it’s time to potty, it certainly helps. For adults, we can gladly take a bed and toys that they have used at home along the way!

Food and Water: Keeping Your Pet Hydrated and Nourished

It's important to pack a bag of some of your pet's regular food. Let us know their feeding schedule that way we can maintain their routine and keep their stomachs at ease the best that we can. We provide filtered water and bowls for the trip, so no reason to send those! We usually ask for an extra day or 2 of food for the trip just to make sure we have plenty in the arsenal in case of unforeseen slowdowns due to weather, traffic, and other things that we cannot take into account while on the road.

Slip Leads: A Preferred Choice for Pet Professionals

Pictured is the two ways to use a slip lead. The figure 8 (photo on the left) is what is used for ultimate control with dogs that are more hyper

We use slip leads of various sizes during transport. A slip lead combines a leash and collar in one, with a loop that goes over the pet's head and tightens when pulled. This design prevents pets from slipping out of their collars, making it especially useful for dogs that are prone to escaping or for quick control during transport. Slip leads allow for easy and quick adjustments, ensuring a secure and comfortable fit for your pet!

Communication: Regular Potty and Exercise Breaks, Picture and Video Updates

For long journeys, it's crucial to plan regular “pupdates” or “catchats” for 2 reasons. 1. Potty and exercise breaks allow our passengers to stretch their legs and relieve themselves. This not only helps prevent accidents in the carrier, but also reduces stress and anxiety for your pet. 2. We communicate these stops to you and the other pick up/drop off party, easing your worries throughout the trip as well. We started our company with the idea to be the most communicative and easy company to work with for your transport needs and go above and beyond with our communication as we know we have your sweet furry family member aboard.

We make stops every 4-6 hours to let our fully vaccinated adult dogs out to get some fresh air. Cats and puppies are a different story as it is safer for us to keep them in the crate throughout the trip. Cats are a massive escape risk. We also provide litter boxes for the trip, so it doesn’t make much sense for us to let them out for any reason. We will send “catchat” updates though of pictures and videos! Puppies do not get let out either. do not have their immune systems fully formed. Exposing a pup to a public contagion is not worth the risk of letting them out just to potty.

Health Certificate and First Aid

Pictured is an interstate health certificate. This is the form we would need for transport.

Health certificates issued within a 10-day window from pickup are an absolute requirement for our trips. A health certificate is essentially a vet check that clears a pet for travel. This certificate lets us know that all of our passengers are deemed healthy (free of disease and up to date on shots) by a vet in a reasonable time prior to pick up. While health records might not be necessary for all trips, we do encourage sending a copy of your pet's vaccination records and any necessary medicine that your pet requires. We will happily administer the medication that your pet needs. Additionally, we carry a Home Vet Bag first aid kit can be a lifesaver in case of emergencies. This includes items like bandages, antiseptic wipes, and tweezers.

Temperature Control for a Comfortable Journey

We use minivans with the seats removed for the majority of our transports with climate control in both the front and the back of the van. We put our own kennels where the seats used to be and have the vehicle fully customized for dog transport. We used to transport in a big sprinter van, but the honest truth is you need to have about 10 pets aboard at a time to make that work as diesel Sprinter vans are twice as expensive to run as gas minivans, causing longer transport times and a less than ideal service. With our minivans, we only have 6 slots in our van. This means that our trips are much shorter and less stressful on your pet. We cycle our minivans out after about 70,000 miles one the road that way we do not have to worry about big maintenance issues that can occur during a trip, slowing down the transport and putting your pet in a risky situation. Our AC system in the Sprinter gave us a multitude of issues as well. So over time, we realized that a minivan model was the best thing we could do for our clients and passengers.

Conclusion

There are many factors that go into a quality pet transport service. We have done our due diligence and have years of experience to make sure all of the details are worked out on our end, providing peace of mind to you and the most comfortable environment for your pet!