CANCELLED - Need to reunite foster son & dog FL to CO

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hummervlh

CANCELLED - Need to reunite foster son & dog FL to CO

Post by hummervlh » Tue Sep 15, 2009 1:09 pm

YEAH- WE GOT THIS DONE! My now 20 year old foster son (who I call Jr.) recently lost his job and moved to Colorado to stay with an uncle there. He had to leave behind his dog (a 2 year old blue nose pitbull named Capone who is really just a giant puppy) with a friend who has since received deployment orders and cannot continue to keep him. After 17 foster homes, I daresay Jr. attached more to the dog he raised as a puppy than any of us humans. His uncle has agreed that if we find a way to get the dog to him, they can keep him in Colorado. Otherwise he may have to go to a shelter here and risk extermination. I have looked into trying to fly an unaccompanied pet, and it is very complicated and expensive. I would be willing to help subsidize a trip for someone who is driving to Denver or Boulder over the next month, and could transport Capone. He is current on shots, neutered and used to a crate. I may be able to have Pitbull rescue keep him until then as I can’t have another dog at my house. I very much would like to see Jr. & Capone reunited. Jr. calls daily to check on any progress.
Last edited by hummervlh on Tue Sep 22, 2009 12:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.

arizonabsd
Posts: 104
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 1:01 pm
Zip Code: 85735
Foster?: Yes
Pilot?: No
Distance willing to fly one way: 0
Location: Tucson AZ

Re: Need to reunite foster son & dog FL to CO

Post by arizonabsd » Tue Sep 15, 2009 4:37 pm

Hello,

A commercial flight will be MUCH less complicated and expensive than you'd find here. PNP is a message board for rescues, shelters, and pilots to connect for General Aviation transport; the only ground transport available is that which we must arrange ourselves to get animals to/from airports or to foster homes overnight.

I recommend Continental Airlines' Safe Pet Program for shipping unattended pets. Continental also sells crates for less than wholesale and you can get it when you ship the dog rather than shopping around town for one. What I like best about this airline is that once you call to make a reservation, the person you speak with will be with you until the dog arrives at the end of its flight. He or she will call when the plane is about to land and again when it's rolling to the gate. I think this will reduce your son's anxiety while his dog is on its way to him. You can expect to pay around $350-450 including crate. There is a new FL-based airline promoting pet travel too. I don't know its name but if you google "pet airline" you're sure to find it.

Compared to those options, to use PNP you would have to evaluate routing yourself, break the distance down into 300-mile segments, and then contact pilots along the route to see if they'll help you. You also have to locate a foster home or boarding facility at the various cities because a flight this long will require a number of overnight stays and may take several weeks to conclude. If you have to board the dog overnight or between pilots, and pay for transportation to/from airports, you can easily spend $1400. This is an extremely long transport and I'm afraid the chances that you'll find enough pilots (as many as 10-12) are pretty low.

If I may offer some advice, contact the breed rescue in your area and see what they recommend. The last thing that any rescue, or anyone here with PNP wants to see is a dog turned into a shelter, where it's survival is doubtful. Please avoid doing that with your son's dog. If you just can't get him on a commercial flight, consider making a poster to put in your vets office, and at Petsmart and places like that to rehome him.

I wish you, Jr, and Capone the best of luck.

Lynnette Bennett
North American Belgian Sheepdog Rescue
[email protected]
Lynnette Bennett
North American Belgian Sheepdog Rescue
[email protected]

skyking
Posts: 429
Joined: Fri Oct 10, 2008 5:08 am
Zip Code: 33043
Foster?: Yes
Pilot?: Yes
Airport identifier: KMTH
Distance willing to fly one way: 0
Location: Big Pine Key, FL

Re: Need to reunite foster son & dog FL to CO

Post by skyking » Wed Sep 16, 2009 8:25 am

Although I normally would agree with Lynnette and her assessment, it just so happens that I will be flying from South Florida to Tulsa, OK on the 24th of this month and I have plenty of room for this pup. If you can get a pilot or ground transport from Tulsa to Colorado, this move can be completed.

Jeff
305-797-6356
Cirrus SR22-GTS
N630LD

arizonabsd
Posts: 104
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 1:01 pm
Zip Code: 85735
Foster?: Yes
Pilot?: No
Distance willing to fly one way: 0
Location: Tucson AZ

Re: Need to reunite foster son & dog FL to CO

Post by arizonabsd » Wed Sep 16, 2009 3:31 pm

skyking wrote:Although I normally would agree with Lynnette and her assessment, it just so happens that I will be flying from South Florida to Tulsa, OK on the 24th of this month and I have plenty of room for this pup. If you can get a pilot or ground transport from Tulsa to Colorado, this move can be completed.

Jeff
305-797-6356
Cirrus SR22-GTS
N630LD
Wonderful, Jeff; that's the kind of news I love to read!

Victoria, thank you for your email this morning. If Jeff's offer works for you, you should also be able to connect with Bully Rescue in Tulsa for leads on overnight or temp fostering. I'll send you some links by email.

Lynnette
Lynnette Bennett
North American Belgian Sheepdog Rescue
[email protected]

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