All you need to know about picking up your Frenchie at the airport (tips from puppy parents)

We earlier wrote an article on how our Frenchies travel to the US. We had an amazing feedback: many of you appreciated the info, and we also got fantastic tips on the details that are very helpful for you if you are becoming a parent. Thanks to everyone who shared their story in the Tom Kings Frenchie Family Facebook group.

Look for the info from the airport

In some of the cases, you get an email or a call from the airline detailing the documents you should obtain, the place where you have to go to clear customs and where you then have to go to pick up your puppy. In other cases, though, you have to call the airline to get this piece of information. At Tom Kings Puppies we always send a detailed email to our clients on what to do.

You can usually check the map of the airport online and be prepared where to go and how much time it takes. Make sure you are looking for Cargo of the airline and not the normal Arrival section at the airport.

You have to take your copy of the pet passport to the customs office where they will stamp it. (The puppy can still be in the transit when you do this.) Then you take the paperwork to the air general and pick up your puppy. (This is a description from Lufthansa but the practice is very similar to other airlines.)

Usually a broker is not needed when you get a pet from overseas. There are couple exceptions. In those cases we or the airline will notify after the booking. In both cases we will help you to arrange the broker for you! We have a broker whose fee is 250 usd. (much reasonable than other brokers’ fee)

Check the Airport experiences from other TomKings Family members

We’ve been collecting the feedbacks about airport experiences from the members of our huge Family. Please check them out. It can be really useful if you’re waiting for a puppy from us!

You can find them here: Airport Experiences

Be sure to have cash with you

Our clients warn new parents to have some cash ($80-$150) for terminal handling fees (in many cases, only cash is accepted.). The sum varies from airport to airport.

What to take with you

A very helpful list from one of our dear clients, Candace:

• All of the paperwork for customs and pick up (An official government ID is required at the time of pick up.
  ID, Driver’s License, or Passport – if you have one, pet passport, invoice, airwaybill number)
• Natural Dry Spray Shampoo Or Vinegar water (They sometimes are a little stinky from the trip)
• A small garbage bag (to dump all the shavings/trash into from the crate)
• Scissors to cut the zip ties off (sometimes waiting the few minutes on the customs person to find some is just too long)
• Bottled water and bowl
• Dog bed (we had a 4-hour trip back home and she slept almost the entire way home)
• Harness & leash (if you need to stop for potty breaks)
• Some extra puppy food
• Wet Wipes

There are some parents who arrange a PetSmart grooming service but many of you said that wipes or dry shampoo are enough.

Meeting your puppy for the first time

Obviously, when the new parents can take their baby in their arms for the first time, they forget everything:) It’s normal for your puppy to be a bit jetlagged and they need some time to fit in the new environment.

Tom Kings Puppies help you

We do our best to arrange everything for you and inform you about all the steps. We send you a couple of emails with all the necessary pieces of info:

1. In the first email we inform you about the arrival time, phone number of the airline, airwaybill number, flight numbers.
2. In the second email, we inform you about the necessary items to take with you (including the documents).
3. Photo of the puppy at the airport. (In some cases number 2 and 3 are included in one single email.)

The day before the journey we email you the photocopy of all the necessary documents you will need at the airport. We cannot send it earlier as there is a last medical checkup after hich we get the last stamp in the passport.

We are always available to answer your questions and at the end we are so grateful for feedbacks like this:

“Geri made everything super easy. Our puppy arrived healthy and happy. The cage for his travel was much larger than anticipated.” – Ella Peruzzi

Here is the link to our previous article on how our puppies travel.

The article was written based on the experience and the services of the Tom Kings Puppies Team. Tom Kings Puppies have been breeding French Bulldogs for 10 years on their farm. All the pictures in the post belong to them and their clients and show a puppy from their breed. Check their available puppies here, or if you have any questions or comments let us know below the article.