At Prancing Pony Farm we work hard to produce healthy, sound, well socialized Livestock Guardian puppies. We put a lot of time, money, energy and love into these pups. We spend months communicating back and forth with our customers, answering their questions and educating them about the breed. We happily give them our time in order to prepare them to be the proud and successful owners of a Prancing Pony Farm Maremma Sheepdog puppy. We are committed to our puppies and our customers and expect the same commitment from our customers to us and our puppies. The decision to buy a LGD puppy should not be taken lightly or on a whim. It should be carefully thought out and planned. We have found that most of our customers do put a lot of thought and research into this decision and once they have reserved a puppy they follow through on their commitment. We greatly appreciate these people. But yet we are still plagued by too many people who seem to reserve puppies on an impulse only to back out at the last minute. This is always for "personal reasons", not because of a problem with the puppy or us. We understand that "life happens" but we feel this is unfair to us and our puppies. Therefore as of April 2022, we are enacting new payment policies for puppy reservations, which are outlined below.
At Prancing Pony Farm we work hard to produce healthy, sound, well socialized Livestock Guardian puppies. We put a lot of time, money, energy and love into these pups. We are committed to our puppies and our customers and expect the same commitment from our customers to us and our puppies. The decision to buy a LGD puppy should not be taken lightly or on a whim. It should be carefully thought out and planned. We have found that most of our customers do put a lot of thought and research into this decision and once they have reserved a puppy they follow through on their commitment and we greatly appreciate these people.
And yet every year there are people who reserve a puppy and spend weeks and sometimes months communicating back and forth with us, asking questions and learning about the breed. We happily give them our time in order to prepare them to be the proud owners of a Prancing Pony Farm Maremma Sheepdog puppy. Then, when it's almost time for their puppy to go home they cancel the sale. Some have cancelled a week or two from pick up and some as late as two days before. Some never even replied to our attempt to contact them to pick up their puppy. In many instances we had already held the puppy past the litter's original pick-up date or had let them transfer their reservation from their original intended litter to another because they "weren't ready" for the litter they originally reserved. In some instances the puppies had already been paid for in full and shipping arrangements made when the customer cancelled and we had to refund their payment, minus their reservation fee and other expenses.
None of these cancellations had anything to do with us or the puppy. They were for the customer's personal reasons, usually because of "unexpected expenses" that came up, but often no reason was given at all. And while we can certainly sympathize and understand that "life happens", we do not feel it's fair to our business or our puppies to be penalized because someone reserved a puppy they weren't fully committed to. We would rather have fewer reservations but have those families 100% committed to our puppies than have a long list of customers who will reserve a puppy, have us hold it for months and then back out at the last minute because they spent more on their vacation than they had planned.
A few years ago we raised our Reservation Fee from $200 to $500 in order to get firmer commitments out of people but we still have more last minute cancellations than we feel is reasonable. Therefore as of April 2022, we are enacting new policies for puppy reservations, which are outlined below.
And yet every year there are people who reserve a puppy and spend weeks and sometimes months communicating back and forth with us, asking questions and learning about the breed. We happily give them our time in order to prepare them to be the proud owners of a Prancing Pony Farm Maremma Sheepdog puppy. Then, when it's almost time for their puppy to go home they cancel the sale. Some have cancelled a week or two from pick up and some as late as two days before. Some never even replied to our attempt to contact them to pick up their puppy. In many instances we had already held the puppy past the litter's original pick-up date or had let them transfer their reservation from their original intended litter to another because they "weren't ready" for the litter they originally reserved. In some instances the puppies had already been paid for in full and shipping arrangements made when the customer cancelled and we had to refund their payment, minus their reservation fee and other expenses.
None of these cancellations had anything to do with us or the puppy. They were for the customer's personal reasons, usually because of "unexpected expenses" that came up, but often no reason was given at all. And while we can certainly sympathize and understand that "life happens", we do not feel it's fair to our business or our puppies to be penalized because someone reserved a puppy they weren't fully committed to. We would rather have fewer reservations but have those families 100% committed to our puppies than have a long list of customers who will reserve a puppy, have us hold it for months and then back out at the last minute because they spent more on their vacation than they had planned.
A few years ago we raised our Reservation Fee from $200 to $500 in order to get firmer commitments out of people but we still have more last minute cancellations than we feel is reasonable. Therefore as of April 2022, we are enacting new policies for puppy reservations, which are outlined below.
- All shipping fees. Check with the carriers of your choice for the fees.
- A Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) or health certificate, if the animal is traveling commercially. (Not all transporters require a CVI so check with the shipper you choose.)
- Food for the trip (puppy food). We can provide what the puppy is eating here but the buyer will need to pay for it if it’s an excessive amount for a long trip, or you can order a bag from Amazon and have it sent here. We feed Diamond Naturals All Life Stages.
- Transportation fee - we charge a fee of $50 to cover gas and our time if the shipper requires us to meet them at the I-5/198 interchange instead of coming to our farm to pick up.
- Any other items required by the transporter such as collars, leashes, etc.
Below are the airline approved crates we recommend. We have crates in these sizes on hand so we can try your puppy in them and be sure of which size they will need, but in general the sizes listed below will work. You can order the crates on Amazon and have them shipped directly to us. The crates should include a very small food and water dish but some customers choose to buy a better quality dish that holds more water. We've included a link to one below. Airlines also require "absorbent material" to be put in the crate so a lightweight crate pad should be ordered in the right size for your crate. We've included examples below but any brand should be fine.
Please include a gift tag or other note with your order so we know who the delivery is from! We are often shipping multiple puppies at once and want to be sure we don't inadvertently give someone the wrong crate!
Please include a gift tag or other note with your order so we know who the delivery is from! We are often shipping multiple puppies at once and want to be sure we don't inadvertently give someone the wrong crate!
Crates for Shipping Puppies by Air
Kayla S McCrone
Valley Veterinary Services
PO Box 389
Hanford, CA 93232
(559) 942-1101
ValleyVetServices@gmail.com
Valley Veterinary Services
PO Box 389
Hanford, CA 93232
(559) 942-1101
ValleyVetServices@gmail.com
All dogs traveling by air and some by land will need a CVI. (Certificate of Veterinary Inspection.) Our mobile all species vet will do the CVI exam here at our farm. You will need to contact her office and establish an account as a new patient, and leave a debit or credit card on file for paying your bill. We advise you do this as soon as you’ve decided how you want to ship your puppy as it can sometimes take a few weeks to get an appointment. You’ll be responsible for paying the farm call fee, the exam fee, as well as for any tests, vaccines or anything else required for interstate travel. These extras are not included in the price of the animal and are the buyer’s responsibility. Her office should be able to give you an estimate for the costs. We will provide a Datamars/Petlink microchip for puppies.
Once you have established a new client account the vet will call us to set up your puppy’s appointment. There can be no appointment set until YOU have contacted the vet and given them your payment info, so be sure to do this ASAP. We will also need all of your information as well as the transporter’s information for the health certificate, including name, address, phone number, email address and travel dates.
We will then arrange for the appointment and inform you of the date and confirm when the appointment is over. Once the appointment is over you will need to call the vet’s office to confirm payment. The CVI usually takes a few days to be ready, depending on whether any tests were required, and will be emailed to us, the new owner and the shipper. The CVI is only good for 10 days so you will want to time the exam and shipping of the animal appropriately.
Below is our veterinarian’s contact info:
Once you have established a new client account the vet will call us to set up your puppy’s appointment. There can be no appointment set until YOU have contacted the vet and given them your payment info, so be sure to do this ASAP. We will also need all of your information as well as the transporter’s information for the health certificate, including name, address, phone number, email address and travel dates.
We will then arrange for the appointment and inform you of the date and confirm when the appointment is over. Once the appointment is over you will need to call the vet’s office to confirm payment. The CVI usually takes a few days to be ready, depending on whether any tests were required, and will be emailed to us, the new owner and the shipper. The CVI is only good for 10 days so you will want to time the exam and shipping of the animal appropriately.
Below is our veterinarian’s contact info:
How to Schedule an Exam for the Health Certificate (CVI)
- Fresno Yosemite International Airport
- United Pet Safe
- Delta Pet Shipping Program
- American Airlines Pets and Animals
- Alaska Air Cargo Pets
- Blarney Heights Farm Transportation - Our #1 choice for shipping goats. They also ship LGD's. We have personally used them more than once and were immediately impressed with their first class, custom built trailer as well as their knowledge and professionalism. They are commercially licensed, insured and fully compliant with all DOT rules and regulations. They have regular routes back and forth across the country and their prices are extremely reasonable for the great service and peace of mind they provide.
- Tarr Valley Farm Transportation- We have also used this company to ship goats to the east coast and they did a fantastic job. They ship LGD's, as well. Very nice rig, professional, attentive and knowledgeable. Wouldn’t hesitate to use again.
- Canine Pack Partners - One of our customers found this company and they shipped two of our pups from California to Tennessee in August 2021. They did a very good job and really seem to care about animals. Here is the review that our customer wrote for us about them: “Pack Partners did a very nice job transporting my two Maremmas from Prancing Pony Farm to Tennessee. Delyla was my main point of contact, and she was very easy to work with. In the weeks leading up to the trip, Delyla was very accessible to discuss the details of the trip and answer all of my questions. I really appreciated this quality. She seemed very knowledgeable about livestock guardian dogs, which also made me feel more at ease. During the trip, I was updated frequently with photos and interesting stories about the dogs during their journey. They were very attentive to the needs of the dogs, and I especially liked the fact that they found large isolated areas to take the dogs for exercise and bathroom breaks. The dogs were well taken care of and were dropped off with me in excellent condition. If you have The ability to be flexible with your pick up and drop off dates, I would definitely recommend you utilize Pack Partners. I would certainly use them again should the need arise.” We used them again in 2022 to ship two puppies to Massachusetts and were extremely pleased with their service.
If you are flying in and flying back with your puppy it will still need a CVI and an airline crate so don't forget these steps!
Ground Transportation Options
Ground Transportation can also be a good option for LGD's. Below are the companies we have either personally used or that have come highly recommended by people we trust. Most of these companies have regular routes and their rates are reasonable because they are shipping multiple animals along the route. Some routes are not available certain times of the year from some shippers, like winter months when roads are treacherous. Book early so you don't miss out on a route!
Flying out to Pick up your Puppy in Person
Some people prefer to fly out and pick up their puppy, then either fly back with them or rent a car and drive back. You need to understand that your puppy WILL NOT be able to fly in the cabin with you as it will be too big! (A 12 week old Maremma averages 30-40 lbs.) You may be able to check your puppy as excess baggage for a fee but please check with the airline before booking your trip as some airlines are not shipping pets at this time or are only shipping for active duty military on official orders.
If you plan to fly out to pick up your puppy and fly back home with it you will need to secure a rental car for the trip to and from our farm. We do not provide a pick up and delivery service for customers coming in from out of town. We are 32 miles from the airport, so a 50-60 minute drive, depending on traffic. It’s very easy to get to our farm from there.
You will need to purchase an airline approved pet carrier if you're flying back with your puppy, which can be ordered on Amazon and shipped to us. And you will need to schedule an appointment for a CVI exam. Instructions are below.
Airport rental car info can be found here.
If you plan to fly out to pick up your puppy and fly back home with it you will need to secure a rental car for the trip to and from our farm. We do not provide a pick up and delivery service for customers coming in from out of town. We are 32 miles from the airport, so a 50-60 minute drive, depending on traffic. It’s very easy to get to our farm from there.
You will need to purchase an airline approved pet carrier if you're flying back with your puppy, which can be ordered on Amazon and shipped to us. And you will need to schedule an appointment for a CVI exam. Instructions are below.
Airport rental car info can be found here.
Puppies can be shipped by air cargo most of the year and to almost any destination. Puppies will fly out of Fresno Yosemite International Airport. Every airline has its own policies, procedures and pricing schedules so check with them for details. Do not book a flight until you have checked with us to see if the date, time and airline works for us. You also need to check with our vet about setting top the CVI appointment before finalizing travel plans.
The expenses that will be included in the cost of shipping your puppy by air cargo include:
The expenses that will be included in the cost of shipping your puppy by air cargo include:
Please note that all kids have their scheduled pick-up date below their birthdate. Because we have a very large amount of babies being born all year round we need customers to pick up their kids in a timely manner. When you choose your babies please make a note of the ready date in your calendar. If your kid is ready on a weekday it can usually be picked up a few days early if a weekend pick-up works better for you. Any kids not picked up within 3 days of their ready date will be charged a daily board fee of $10 per day and you may risk forfeiting your deposit if you do not pick up on time.
Exceptions are kids that are waiting to go home with a younger kid. We allow them to stay longer for no charge so the kids can go together so long as they are not more than a week or two apart in age. If there is a larger age gap between kids you’ll either need to make two trips to pick up or pay board on the older kid, or choose kids that are closer together in age.
Exceptions are kids that are waiting to go home with a younger kid. We allow them to stay longer for no charge so the kids can go together so long as they are not more than a week or two apart in age. If there is a larger age gap between kids you’ll either need to make two trips to pick up or pay board on the older kid, or choose kids that are closer together in age.
