Guide
Pet transport companies, pet relocation services and pet shipping services all promise to get your pet to its new home. The way to tell them apart is to ask the same questions of each one and compare the answers. Here are the questions, what to check, and what a written quote should list.
Clear answers to plain questions, in writing. A pet move has a fixed set of parts: a plan for road or air, the papers, a crate if the pet flies, the bookings, someone at your door, someone at the airport or on the road, and someone at the new door. A good company can tell you who does each part, what it costs and what happens when a part falls through.
Short, specific answers are a good sign. Long answers that never get to the point are not.
Ask every company
Many pet transport companies arrange the move and hand parts of it to others: local drivers, a partner in the other city, and the airline for the flight. That is normal. What matters is that the company can tell you who does each part, that those people answer to it under a contract, and who you call if something goes wrong.
Two quotes for the same move can cover very different things. One may include home pickup, the crate, the airline charges and delivery at the other end; another may cover the flight only, with the rest added later.
The vet exam and the health certificate are done by a vet, and you usually pay the vet directly. A good company tells you which papers your pet needs for the route, by when, and checks them before travel day. For a move abroad, ask who arranges customs clearance.
Some pets should not fly in the hold, such as short-nosed breeds on Alaska and Delta, whose pet pages we read on October 14, 2026, and some trips are short enough to drive. A company that only flies, or only drives, will fit every pet into that one way.
Airlines refuse pets for a crate that is too small, hot or cold weather, missing papers or breed rules. Ask what the company does next, how fast you hear about it, and what it costs you.
Airline pet rules and state entry rules change. A company should be able to point to the official page it used and say when it last checked it.
You should not have to chase anyone to learn where your pet is. Ask what messages you get, at which steps, and how.
A road run can carry several pets. That can be fine, but you should know, and the company should ask about anything that matters, such as how your pet does around other animals.
Moving dates slip. Read the terms before you book: what you lose if you cancel, what a date change costs, and what happens to airline charges already paid.
Everything you are paying for, line by line, so you can compare like with like:
Send each one the same details: both addresses, your dates, each pet's breed, age and weight, and anything special, such as medication or a pet that does not travel well. Then put the written quotes side by side against the list above. The best fit is the one that answers every question plainly and covers the whole move, not always the lowest number.
If you would like one of those quotes from us, the quote form asks for exactly these details. Some routes show a price on screen; for the rest we prepare your quote and email it to you.
We arrange door to door moves by road and by air, across the US, to and from Canada, and abroad on a custom quote.
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