I wasn't sure where to put this. Has anyone had any experience with buying a puppy and having it shipped to you? In the first place it is really expensive. But I'm wondering about the safety of the puppy.

[Yogi]

Prices can vary slightly. Depends on if you are shipping via air as carry on or as cargo. Airlines will not carry dogs or puppies on as cargo during certain times of the year ie: too cold or too hot. In addition, pricing is based on the dim weight of the crate and weight of the dog. Dim weight is measuring the length x the heigth x the width of the crate so as to determine space in the cargo hold it will take up. Smaller the crate the lower the price. In addition, airlines base their price on zones. Example, up and down the coast (either) is one zone. Shipping from West coast to midwest would encompass another zone so price is higher.
When shipping you or whomever is doing so will need to have a health certificate, usually only good for 30 days. Obtained from a vet. This is required by the airlines. Also, only certain crates are accepted by airlines so would need to confirm which ones. Once this has been taken care you will need plastic zip ties like automotive ties. These need to be used to double secure the door to ensure no chance of opening (do this just as you drop off). I personally have not had any problems with shipping, but one thing to insist is that the flight be a direct non stop. This is very important. Also note that no animal under 8 weeks may be transported by Federal law.

there are gazillions of scams with this & you are taking a huge chance of that happening to you. send the money - get no puppy.

by the airline's own numbers, they loose 10,000 pieces of luggage a DAY.

stress from shipping often causes parvo after arrival.

reputable, responsible breeders don't normally ship. it is one of the criteria which seperates them

RB's want to meet the people that are getting a puppy & often do home checks. would you really want a puppy that you had not seen the conditions under which it lived or how it was kept?

[Yogi]

one correction to note Sue, cargo is not luggage. It is not fair to assume this. Pets are not handled with luggage and are placed in a specific area designated and handled separately from luggage.
Also, many RB's will work with one another with regards to helping someone purchase. Keep in mind if this person contacted locally and found none available she could have been referred to another RB that has pups available. If this is the case as with me I many times will give my recommendation to another breeder with regards to the individual.
Just to say there are circumstances in each case and we need to be open and ensure fair evaluations are made and not just point to the bad but to all aspects with regards to purchasing and having to ship an animal. In all my years I have never had an issue with parvo with regards to shipped pups. I have checked with couple of the other breeders I know who have been in this for over 50 years and to their knowledge they have never had issues either. They also have shipped pups. Granted majority are going to other RB's but it is safe to assume that as we do talk amongst ourselves that this would have been something that would have been discussed if any of us had seen this.
This is just to clarify but your point is one that does need to be considered with regards to scams. Purchaser beware. It is always best to check the breeders credibility to ensure that one is not taken.

sorry, I should have been clearer as to the luggage - if they lose that amount of luggage, do you want them handling your puppy. this info ( the numbers ) I have seen quite often on national news broadcasts.

I'm glad you've had no problems shipping, but I see probably every couple weeks, people asking for help or some direction as to what they can do because they had a puppy shipped & now it is in the hospital or dead. also, I'm sure when RB's receive a puppy they know what not to do with it, where you know what happens when the average JQP gets one.

as for the scam business - it boggles the mind the amount of people that get taken. they don't smell the rat until no puppy arrives - then they can find the message boards they should have looked for before they sent the money.

Yikes. This makes me think this wouldn't be such a good idea. We don't have alot of breeders in ND, that I have knowledge of, for West Highland White Terriers. I have bought puppies sight unseen in the past and they were good dogs. I drove to pick them up. However I have read of cases where the puppy is shipped and ends up in tinbucktoo. And from reading where the breeder will ship, some charge $300 - $350 to ship. Not logical really. And heck, with that price the puppy could almost have a seat of it's own on the plane.

I think I will pass on doing something like this then. Thanks guys.