When we tell someone we transport pets, or we're pet transporters we get one of two reactions. The first is is "WOW, what a great job". Then they go on to tell us that they have never heard of such an a thing, In the grand scheme of occupations, this is relatively new field.
Because of that we've had the privilege and sometimes nightmare of setting the standard on how we want our business to operate. As with any business there is a perceived notion of what our business entails.
For most when we tell them what we do they instantly think, AAH! cute puppies, and driving around the country seeing the great sights.
What we're really doing is cleaning up after puppies, listening to cats meow at 2 am, dealing with stressed, gassy dogs, tight deadlines, traffic, LOTS OF TRAFFIC, ignorant drivers, stressed clients. That is just to name a few issues. Once a driver leaves their residence they are committed for two weeks of service, minimum. That is two weeks of being away from family, friends, and off time. Once the first pet gets on the vehicle that driver is on "Duty" until the last pet gets off. Image yourself having to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for two weeks. Yea, that's it. Most people have a cramp thinking about it.
A person really has to love the pets, and understand we are working with a living, breathing being. We also have to realize that the pets we are transporting start out scared and confused. Well some do, others think its vacation time.
Then we have the second type of people's reaction when we tell them we're "pet transporters". "OH!, you transport for rescues." We explain no we don't transport for rescues. Then we get that disapproving look, and some are even brazen enough to tell us how wrong we are to charge for such a thing. We don't have a right to get paid for doing what we love to do.
Well it's time now we need to address this. 99.9% of the people that call us with regards to rescues have other jobs. They work 9-5, 7-11 or whatever their shift is. At the end of the pay cycle they get a check, big or small, it is still a check to pay their rent, mortgage, car payments, feed their children. You get what I mean.
We are expected to drive this country, in all weather conditions, listen to people cussing us out because we're "NOT GOING FAST ENOUGH" on the interstate, provide our own personal vehicle, pay all the fuel, food, motel, personal care. Then not get paid to do it. Because they do "rescues on the weekend, and they don't understand why its SO EXPENSIVE to move a pet.
Well, lets start with the insurance, all 4 policies we have to carry. Then there is the license we have to maintain, vehicles that have to be serviced every two weeks. Driving, 3000 miles a week puts a real strain on the vehicles. So at the minimum, its an oil change and some of these vehicles a simple oil change is over $100. That doesn't speak to replacing larger, more expensive parts. Think of it this way, if you walk out to your car and it doesn't start or you drop a transmission, the mechanic hands you a bill for $1500-$3000. Where does that money come from. Because of the miles traveled in a week the odds of us having an major component break is a lot greater. Don't forget, vehicles don't run forever. At some point these vehicles have to be replaced. Everyone wants their pet traveling in a beautiful vehicle, starting price for one of those beautiful vehicles is $20,000. That is a stripped out version. Some of these custom vehicles run in upward of $80,000. Sorry, they still can only travel the same amount of miles as any other vehicle.
That just covers some of the business end expenses, doesn't cover the office expenses. Nor does it begin to cover wages. Lets face it if we're driving 12 hours a day, for 14 days, when do we have time to do another job to cover our home expenses. We don't live in our vehicles during our down time.
We all have families, and lives outside of transporting pets. Don't get me wrong, we love what we do, We've made a conscious decision to make the sacrifices we do. This is an attempt to explain, why the quote you get is so expensive or why we cannot do free rescues all the time.
We have made an effort to work withe very situation what is presented to us. So we set a structure for Rescues vs, Adoptions.
A true rescue is a pet coming directly off the street or out of a no kill shelter. Because the chance of disease and/or injury, we have to go into these with no other pets on the vehicle. The vehicle must then be sent directly home for cleaning and sterilizing. We try to do a few of these a year, but we cannot help everyone that ask.
Adoption is a new pet parent, adopting the pet from a shelter or foster home, going to a forever home. Asking a driver to transport the pet for free or next to nothing is asking that driver to give up their paycheck that puts on the table, pay their rent, etc.
We try to do what we can throughout the year. But we cannot help everyone or we would have to stop transporting. Just don't have that money tree in the back yard. Its this a rant, possibility, but we want you to understand that the perception of transporting pets is a whole lot different then the reality.
Where Traveling is "All About Your Pets".
Showing posts with label Dog Transport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dog Transport. Show all posts
Friday, August 22, 2014
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
New Family Members!!
That magical time of year is quickly approaching. Winter wonderland, Christmas lights, family and that one present that makes children squeal, a puppy.
Many people are in search of the "Perfect Puppy". That is awesome for the people that take the time to do the research for the puppy that best fits the family.
Don't get me wrong there are times when a pet adopts the family. I have two of them sitting here. Not sure we actually ever went "shopping" for a pet.
If your perusing the web for a new pet keep a few things in mind while looking.
1. Keep in mind your not just looking for the perfect pet for the family. The family needs to be perfect for the pet. What does that mean? Looking at a puppy that is cute and adorable one can lose track that in 6 month its going to look and act a whole lot different. Some puppies work great in an apt but once they start that growth spurt that cute puppy many not fit so well in that same apt.
I have a boxer/pit mix. OMG! is she a handful. I adopted her over a year ago when the family that got her as a puppy realized she was a full grown,and an uncontrollable bull in a china shop. As a puppy she would have been gorgeous. Puppies do GROW UP. Kiki is the type of dog that requires major attention. Without it she is destructive. She is also the type of dog that most people look at and shy away from.. This family realizing she was out of control decided to get rid of her.
I realized she was still young enough to train and decided to take on the challenge. Slap me now. LOL!! Its been almost a year, we are finally getting to the point where we don't have to stand over her behavior. But that has taken time, lots of time.
What you need to look at is the type of breed your looking at.
1/ Adult size vs your living location. Do you have to walk your dog. I have a 2 acre yard for my dog to run and poop. I don't need to scoop the poop. Remember walking a toy dog is a whole lot less time than walking a jumbo dog, poops a lot less to. So if you have to scoop the poop where you live and you don't like to pooper scoop, getting a great dane is probably no a good choice.
2. Do you have a busy schedule: Again another big choice, there are high maintenance breeds that require attention from you. Some cases a lot of attention. Its like having a kid in the house. Feeding, walking and taking them to the vet is just not enough. They needs exercised, trained, and played with.
I had to take Kiki's play time and combine it with her training. She was SOOO out of control when we first brought her home. I wanted to pull my hair out. She is a breed of dog that has to be played with, trained and supervised. She has play time where we train and throw the ball or Frisbee. She also has free expression playtime, (supervised). She has as much as three hours a day of one on one time. Helping to get and keep her balanced.
3. Money: Pets are expensive. Shots, food and the basic care. Jumbo breed dogs eat a lot. If funds are tight but you want a cuddly companion, go for a toy dog, small breed dog, or a cat. You will want to research the breed you are choosing. Some breeds have inherited illnesses and physical conditions. Examples are large breed dogs can have hip issues, bulldogs have breathing problems. Be sure your pocketbook can handle the vet bills. Nothing more heartbreaking than getting a dog and realizing you can't give it the proper care.
4. Children, if you have children in your family be sure to get a pet that is suitable for children.
Just a few things to think about if your planning to get a cute cuddly present.
https://www.preciouspetstransport.com
Many people are in search of the "Perfect Puppy". That is awesome for the people that take the time to do the research for the puppy that best fits the family.
Don't get me wrong there are times when a pet adopts the family. I have two of them sitting here. Not sure we actually ever went "shopping" for a pet.
If your perusing the web for a new pet keep a few things in mind while looking.
1. Keep in mind your not just looking for the perfect pet for the family. The family needs to be perfect for the pet. What does that mean? Looking at a puppy that is cute and adorable one can lose track that in 6 month its going to look and act a whole lot different. Some puppies work great in an apt but once they start that growth spurt that cute puppy many not fit so well in that same apt.
I have a boxer/pit mix. OMG! is she a handful. I adopted her over a year ago when the family that got her as a puppy realized she was a full grown,and an uncontrollable bull in a china shop. As a puppy she would have been gorgeous. Puppies do GROW UP. Kiki is the type of dog that requires major attention. Without it she is destructive. She is also the type of dog that most people look at and shy away from.. This family realizing she was out of control decided to get rid of her.
I realized she was still young enough to train and decided to take on the challenge. Slap me now. LOL!! Its been almost a year, we are finally getting to the point where we don't have to stand over her behavior. But that has taken time, lots of time.
What you need to look at is the type of breed your looking at.
1/ Adult size vs your living location. Do you have to walk your dog. I have a 2 acre yard for my dog to run and poop. I don't need to scoop the poop. Remember walking a toy dog is a whole lot less time than walking a jumbo dog, poops a lot less to. So if you have to scoop the poop where you live and you don't like to pooper scoop, getting a great dane is probably no a good choice.
2. Do you have a busy schedule: Again another big choice, there are high maintenance breeds that require attention from you. Some cases a lot of attention. Its like having a kid in the house. Feeding, walking and taking them to the vet is just not enough. They needs exercised, trained, and played with.
I had to take Kiki's play time and combine it with her training. She was SOOO out of control when we first brought her home. I wanted to pull my hair out. She is a breed of dog that has to be played with, trained and supervised. She has play time where we train and throw the ball or Frisbee. She also has free expression playtime, (supervised). She has as much as three hours a day of one on one time. Helping to get and keep her balanced.
3. Money: Pets are expensive. Shots, food and the basic care. Jumbo breed dogs eat a lot. If funds are tight but you want a cuddly companion, go for a toy dog, small breed dog, or a cat. You will want to research the breed you are choosing. Some breeds have inherited illnesses and physical conditions. Examples are large breed dogs can have hip issues, bulldogs have breathing problems. Be sure your pocketbook can handle the vet bills. Nothing more heartbreaking than getting a dog and realizing you can't give it the proper care.
4. Children, if you have children in your family be sure to get a pet that is suitable for children.
Just a few things to think about if your planning to get a cute cuddly present.
https://www.preciouspetstransport.com
Friday, July 20, 2012
When its time to say "Goodbye"
Wednesday night I spent a great deal of the night sitting quietly with tiggy. Both knowing the end was fast approaching. She was in a great deal of pain. I needed to make the ultimate decision. By Thursday morning it was clear the time had come. I gathered Tiggy up and we made the trip to the vet. When the vet asked me why we were there, it was clear without me saying a word.
Thirteen years ago an employee walked into my office, asked me to look at her car, something was wrong with it. As we approach, she walks over and pulls a box out. Inside are six furry kittens. "Pick one boss, you need something to care for." I reached in under all the kittens and picked the only one that was a tabby, the rest were calico's. She was the runt of the litter. Three weeks old and full of wonder. Took me two weeks to get her named. I called her "Angel", only to realize she was NO Angel. LOL!! She was a holy terror around my office. But everyone loved her, customers included.
Tiggy and I went everywhere together. In the morning she would get in the truck to head to the office and back home in the evening. She road to my parents in PA. When it was time to head home all I had to do was holler her name and she came running.
When my roommate in MD moved out we moved into the master bedroom. As you walked into the outer area there were full size mirrors. I howled with laughter as the first night tiggy spent the night beating the cat up in the mirror. I think it took her a week to be able to walk past the mirror and not smack the mirror.
One of tiggy's best friends in the office was a dog named "Winter". Everyday tiggy went to work with me and Winter came to work with her human. The two of them would romp and roll around the warehouse and back field. You could look out the back door to see Winter strolling through the field and the tip of a tail from "Tiggy as they explored their domain.
Since she couldn't drag Samson around anymore she took to dragging stuffed animals around. I was home one day sick. Tiggys didn't know I was home, I hear this singsong, I"m thinking what the hay is that. As I walk out of the bedroom there is Tiggy dragging this bear down the hallway singing to it. Well as soon as she spots me she drops it. For the next twelve years we would find this bear all over the house, on the steps, bed, in the kitchen. That is until she found her mouse. It was easier for her to carry and sing to at the same time. Always the same song. Often wondered what she was singing to her baby.
For thirteen years I would turn around and see her following me, whether I was in the yard working, or bouncing around the house. She was my 1.5 foot shadow.
https://www.preciouspetstransport.com
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
When its time for your pets to travel!
I'm going to keep this blog short and sweet. It's moving day and the movers have arrived for your furniture. The first thing to do is secure your pets.
Before opening the doors to allow the movers load the furniture, you will want to secure all dogs and cats. Remember your pets have no idea what is happening. To them its mass confusion. Every year we get a call where a cat has escaped and the family is set to fly out the next day.
The best way to secure cats is to put a litter box in a bathroom that is OFF LIMITS to the movers. Put your cats in that bathroom. Moving companies will open the doors while moving boxes and funiture out. With all the noise and movement happening its common for a cat to get nervous and shoot out the door.
Most cats will edventually come "home", to where they were fed. But in the meantime its heartbreaking knowing your leaving and your cat is left behind to sort itself out. If you do lose a cat in the mix of your move, make your neighbors aware there is a cat out and about. Give a discription of size, color, and personality. This may help in the rescue of your cat. Make the local rescues and humane society aware your cat is lost, again give a description so if one comes in they have a record of it. Keep calling to check in.
For dogs you will want to secure them either in an off limits room or in the back yard. While you may love your dog not all movers love pets. If your dog senses a mover is not a pet lover it may create a tense moment before your move gets underway. Out of courtsey for your dog and the movers secure your dog ahead of time.
Before the move begins secure a tag to your dog(s) collar, with name and phone number. Should your dog get nervous and bolt at any point throught the move it will give someone finding your dog the ability to contact you directly. If possible micro chip your dog.
We just got a call from someone whose dog was stolen years ago during their move. It was recently taken to a vet, they scanned the micro chip only to find the dog was stolen. Then owners were contacted and told their dog was found, years later. That will be a VERY HAPPY reunion.
Whether your moving with your pets or your hiring a "Professional" to transport your pets follow these tips and this may help keep your little love ones safe.
www.preciouspetstransportservices.com
Before opening the doors to allow the movers load the furniture, you will want to secure all dogs and cats. Remember your pets have no idea what is happening. To them its mass confusion. Every year we get a call where a cat has escaped and the family is set to fly out the next day.
The best way to secure cats is to put a litter box in a bathroom that is OFF LIMITS to the movers. Put your cats in that bathroom. Moving companies will open the doors while moving boxes and funiture out. With all the noise and movement happening its common for a cat to get nervous and shoot out the door.
Most cats will edventually come "home", to where they were fed. But in the meantime its heartbreaking knowing your leaving and your cat is left behind to sort itself out. If you do lose a cat in the mix of your move, make your neighbors aware there is a cat out and about. Give a discription of size, color, and personality. This may help in the rescue of your cat. Make the local rescues and humane society aware your cat is lost, again give a description so if one comes in they have a record of it. Keep calling to check in.
For dogs you will want to secure them either in an off limits room or in the back yard. While you may love your dog not all movers love pets. If your dog senses a mover is not a pet lover it may create a tense moment before your move gets underway. Out of courtsey for your dog and the movers secure your dog ahead of time.
Before the move begins secure a tag to your dog(s) collar, with name and phone number. Should your dog get nervous and bolt at any point throught the move it will give someone finding your dog the ability to contact you directly. If possible micro chip your dog.
We just got a call from someone whose dog was stolen years ago during their move. It was recently taken to a vet, they scanned the micro chip only to find the dog was stolen. Then owners were contacted and told their dog was found, years later. That will be a VERY HAPPY reunion.
Whether your moving with your pets or your hiring a "Professional" to transport your pets follow these tips and this may help keep your little love ones safe.
www.preciouspetstransportservices.com
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Bee Knees
The onset of the great recession sent an urgency of doing something different than packing and moving people. We had a contract with a major moving company in the Washington DC, Northern Va region. For most of the summer we choked on work. It was great if you didn't mind getting up at 4 am every morning, sitting in 2 hours of traffic, packing homes, (in many cases we were used as maids instead of professional packers), and then the two hour trip home. Just to get up and do it all over again. Lots of long hours but the pay was really good. So hard work never killed anyone.
Then the war started. We spent many months packing peoples homes, finding out they were being sent over seas, their household goods going into storage. For a short time we were so busy we couldn't stand it. But there was soon to be a downside to what we were doing. As the war in Iraq really started picking up speed, the economy in the US started taking a major downturn. The housing market crashed, compounding an already shaky economy.
One woman stated she didn't understand how all this could effect our business. Military packs were about 60% of our business, the rest made up of people moving to their own new homes. Well with most of the military in another country, and those in this country basically barred from new homes, our source of income didn't just dry up, work became like the great dust bowl.
When one is faced with a major change in life, you can choose to sit and cry, or you can dig deep inside and see what your made of. Me, I've never had the option to sit and cry about life. Most of my life required me to suck it up and get on with it. Taking stock in our options, Jill and I realized we had two major asset, a cargo van and a computer. Absolutely no money.
Driven by panic and pride the quest was on to find a new way to make a living. Between the two of us we spent days pecking around online trying to find a way to put our meager assets to work. Then we found it. All over this bid board. Very few seemed to be this area. Pets, hardly anyone was bidding on the pets. What an opportunity? How hard can it be to move pets? Now in hindsight man we're were so naive.
So we pushed ahead, we bid on a few pets to go to Florida and back up the coast. I think we took one down and brought back three little pets, two small dogs and a cat. We were driving this huge extended cargo van with three little crates in the back. OMG! did we think we were the bees knees.
That feeling was short lived. We were driving into the cities and spending three hours finding the house. GPS at that time was expensive and NOT something we owned. Fuel was screaming to new highs. The first cat we picked up, Jill came out of the house dripping in blood. But she had the crate, cat in it. I didn't know whether to be horrified or laugh as she described the scene of capturing and crating the cat.
There we were pretending to be professional, it was obvious we so were not. We did all four jobs for almost no money. I think we actually lost money our first two trips out. Two things soon became apparent we loved it, but it was going to stretch our emotions to the very limits. Awsome visions of walking cute little dogs, playing with kitty cats, and seeing the country while doing such a cool job would soon be blown right out of the water.
http://www.preciouspetstransport.com
Then the war started. We spent many months packing peoples homes, finding out they were being sent over seas, their household goods going into storage. For a short time we were so busy we couldn't stand it. But there was soon to be a downside to what we were doing. As the war in Iraq really started picking up speed, the economy in the US started taking a major downturn. The housing market crashed, compounding an already shaky economy.
One woman stated she didn't understand how all this could effect our business. Military packs were about 60% of our business, the rest made up of people moving to their own new homes. Well with most of the military in another country, and those in this country basically barred from new homes, our source of income didn't just dry up, work became like the great dust bowl.
When one is faced with a major change in life, you can choose to sit and cry, or you can dig deep inside and see what your made of. Me, I've never had the option to sit and cry about life. Most of my life required me to suck it up and get on with it. Taking stock in our options, Jill and I realized we had two major asset, a cargo van and a computer. Absolutely no money.
Driven by panic and pride the quest was on to find a new way to make a living. Between the two of us we spent days pecking around online trying to find a way to put our meager assets to work. Then we found it. All over this bid board. Very few seemed to be this area. Pets, hardly anyone was bidding on the pets. What an opportunity? How hard can it be to move pets? Now in hindsight man we're were so naive.
So we pushed ahead, we bid on a few pets to go to Florida and back up the coast. I think we took one down and brought back three little pets, two small dogs and a cat. We were driving this huge extended cargo van with three little crates in the back. OMG! did we think we were the bees knees.
That feeling was short lived. We were driving into the cities and spending three hours finding the house. GPS at that time was expensive and NOT something we owned. Fuel was screaming to new highs. The first cat we picked up, Jill came out of the house dripping in blood. But she had the crate, cat in it. I didn't know whether to be horrified or laugh as she described the scene of capturing and crating the cat.
There we were pretending to be professional, it was obvious we so were not. We did all four jobs for almost no money. I think we actually lost money our first two trips out. Two things soon became apparent we loved it, but it was going to stretch our emotions to the very limits. Awsome visions of walking cute little dogs, playing with kitty cats, and seeing the country while doing such a cool job would soon be blown right out of the water.
http://www.preciouspetstransport.com
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