Shipping puppies?

a 12 hour drive is a short sacrifice to get a pup.
the breeder is welling to meet you half way
and that's still to much of a drive for your husband.
if you're not willing to drive 12 hours or
6 hours for a pup how much time are you willing
to give up raising the pup?

we were going to drive from Pa. (east coast) to Texas
to get our pup. we caught a break in the weather
so our puppy was flown to us. our 9 week old pup
arrived healthy and with no fear issues. i think
some of that fear stuff has to do with pup
having strong nerves. our breeder took care of
the sound temperment and strong nerves.

i think you should drive 12 hours for your pup
and driving 6 hours is nothing. i'm ok with flying a pup.

GSWLV said:

We are looking at a breeder who is too far for us to go see. She's 12hrs away from us. We were thinking of shipping the puppy to us. The breeder has done it before and is experient on it. I'm not fond of the idea because I hear that a puppy at around 8weeks old is going thru a fearful phase. I really think that an airplane would be a traumatic experience for a puppy at any time. So would you do it? The breeder can meet us half way but it still a long drive and my husband doesn't want to do it. If it was about 3 or 4 hrs away we would definitely drive and get him/her. Any thoughts/suggestions?

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I would be reluctant to ship dogs. I know about too many horror stories. Dogs left for long periods of time in shipping crates in the elements in the extreme heat or extreme cold and often without water. Dog spending long periods of time on the tarmac in close proximity to the deafening roar of jet engines and other support equipment they can be so loud that can cause extreme pain and permanent hearing loss. Just because there is water in a crate at the start of the trip doesn’t mean the water will be there the whole trip as often handling this so rough that any water is spilt. I’ve heard stories of containers being dropped and breaking open and the dogs running loose at the airport. I’ve heard stories of well-meaning workers opening up the cages to try to give the animals water, and the animals get out and run off. Ect…
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/08/05/national/main6744756.shtml

http://www.examiner.com/dogs-in-national/mysterious-dog-death-during-airline-transport-leaves-owners-full-of-questions-and-grief

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/dog-lost-delta-flight-airline-offers-200/story?id=10605443

http://www.petflight.com/pet_travel_reports
　
If your husband is so worried about you being alone. Isn’t there a local friend or relative that might have the time to take a road trip. Sometimes taking a road trip is one of the few ways of having some quality time with someone. If you could find someone that is a good driver and has a drivers license; it also might prove beneficial to be able to switch off drivers. Going on a road trip is a good way to have a captive audience with each other so you really can get to know each other better. Road trips can help build or break relationships.

GSWLV said:

Oh, my husband just doesn't want me driving by myself the 6 or 12hrs, that's it. It has nothing to do with the time spent raising a puppy, trust me. It's all about the drive and doing it by myself. He worries about me and I appreciate that in a man.

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Ok, I’ll sound like a real stinker, but here goes (with a smile on my face, of course)…..

Tell your husband to put a sock in his ear!! He’s not “going to let you” drive 6 hours to pick up a puppy??? What??!! Good grief!! It would be a cold day in h*** before my DH told me what I could or could not do!! Your hubby won’t let you drive 6-hours by yourself? I’m not sure what there is for him to be so worried about. You’re a big girl now, right? You can do it, I know you can!! Sure things can happen but those same things can happen 10 minutes from your house, too.
Sorry, I just have no time for overly possessive and/or controlling spouses, husband or wife.

Does your hubby really want this puppy?? Sounds like he is coming up with excuses not to get it. Maybe you need to find a breeder closer to home, say, less than an hour away.

GSWLV said:

We are looking at a breeder who is too far for us to go see. She's 12hrs away from us.

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I'm confused - "12 hours away" sounds like a 12 hour drive one way, which is a long way, especially if you've got to drive 12 hours more to get home. But people are talking about a 6 hour drive, so maybe you mean 12 hours round trip? In which case she's not 12 hours away, she's 6 hours away, which is not that far.

ETA: Ah, I see the breeder is willing to meet you halfway, missed that part the first time I read your post.

We have driven 10 hours to bring a puppy home, but I would not have wanted to do that both directions - we flew up, rented a car, spent the night with relatives who lived around a half hour away, and the next morning we drove to the breeders to pick her up and drove her home. I shipped the crate in advance so it was waiting for us when we got there.

Yes, it was a long drive, but really not that bad. A 6 hour drive would be a piece of cake, and you could spend the night in a motel if you didn't want to do the round trip in one day.

Having a friend come with you is an excellent idea. If your husband is just worried about you being out there on the road by yourself for such a long time that's a very reasonable solution.

I have also had a puppy shipped from Connecticut (breeder drove her 2-1/2 hours to Newark to put her on a non-stop flight) to San Francisco. Halo was in the air for 6-1/2 hours, and when you factor in the time to get her to the airport and before she was loaded on the flight, being loaded off the flight at SFO and driven home with us, it was nearly 12 hours. I was worried the whole time, but she arrived just fine. I was VERY relieved when they brought the crate out and I could see a little furry girl moving around inside!

Personally I wouldn't want ot do it alone considering I have never drove more than an hour from home and I am terrible with directions and would get lost, my boyfriend already expected that he would be coming and is way more than happy to go from breeder to breeder to find the best one. I would never have a puppy shipped. The pictures they send can be deceiving I would want to meet the owners see their personalities, meet the mom and dad of the pups so you can get an idea of temperaments, and meet the other pups. You don't know how a pup will be by pictures you may decide you like one of the other pups that are there. If you want the pup you should really ask him to go. If he don't want to. You go if you really want him or find one closer as said by others. This pup is a lifetime companion you need to make sure you pick the best one for you from the best place even if that means driving.