Questions
Questions and answers
If your question is not here, call us on 479.517.0218 or email [email protected].
About the drivers
Who are they?
People who live on the road. Full time RVers, van lifers, retired couples doing the country in a motorhome. They are making the drive anyway and have room for one more passenger.
Every one of them is a current pet owner. That is not a nice detail, it is a requirement. Somebody who lives with an animal knows when one is unhappy.
How are they vetted?
We review every application by hand. We check their USDA certification, look at photographs of the vehicle your pet would travel in, confirm the cabin is climate controlled, and confirm they own a pet themselves.
Travel trailers are refused outright. Your pet travels in the cabin with a person, never in something towed behind.
What is USDA certification?
Federal registration for anyone transporting animals commercially. It involves an inspection and ongoing standards for how animals are carried.
We require it before a driver can take a single booking. It is the main reason not everybody who applies ends up driving for us.
Can I see the vehicle?
Yes. Click any driver on the map and you will see photographs of the actual rig, along with the crate size, the vehicle, and how long they have owned pets.
About the trip
How long does it take?
Longer than a commercial service. A driver doing this properly stops, sleeps, walks their own dog and yours, and does not drive through the night to hit a deadline.
Roughly a quarter longer than a professional shared ride is a fair expectation. If your schedule cannot absorb that, we are honestly not the right service for you.
Why is the pickup window five days?
Because your driver is fitting you into their life rather than the other way round. Five days is the minimum that makes that possible.
You can offer more, and it helps. A wider window means more drivers can take you and you are matched faster.
Does my pet travel alone?
Your pet is the only client animal in the vehicle. Our drivers carry one at a time, full stop.
They will usually be sharing the space with the driver’s own pet, which most animals find reassuring rather than otherwise.
What if my pet gets anxious?
Tell your driver before the trip. Put it in your request and message them as well.
Send their own bed and a toy that smells of home. If your vet has prescribed something for travel anxiety, send it with clear written instructions.
Are there stops and walks?
Yes. Regular stops for water, toilet breaks and a walk. These are people who stop for their own dog several times a day already.
Can I track the trip?
Not on a live map. You can message your driver from your dashboard and most will happily send a photo or a quick update along the way.
If you want more than that, agree it with your driver before you book.
About my pet
What size pets can travel?
Anything that fits comfortably in a crate up to 48 inches long. Our drivers carry crates between 24 and 48 inches.
A dog longer than 48 inches lying down is beyond what we can carry. Call us and we will tell you honestly rather than take a booking we cannot fulfil.
How do I measure my dog?
While they are laying down, measure them from their butt to the tip of their paws.
We put your dog in the smallest crate they fit, so a 31 inch dog travels in a 32 inch crate or anything bigger. Measure honestly. A dog squeezed into a crate that is too small is a miserable passenger for two thousand miles.
Do you take cats?
Yes. Cats travel well in this format, often better than dogs, because the vehicle is quiet and the crate is somewhere to hide.
Do you take puppies?
Yes, provided they are old enough to be fully vaccinated and your vet is willing to issue a health certificate.
Puppies need more stops and more attention, so there is a small additional cost built into the price you are quoted.
What about medication?
Send it with written instructions, clearly labelled, in enough quantity for the trip plus a few spare days in case of delay.
Tell your driver in a message as well as in writing. Do not rely on a note in a bag.
What should I send along?
Their own food, enough for the whole trip. Changing an animal’s diet mid journey is a bad idea.
Their bed or blanket, one familiar toy, a lead and a collar with a tag.
Leave anything valuable or irreplaceable at home.
About money
How is the price worked out?
Distance, mostly. There is one flat price for anything up to 575 miles, and beyond that the price per mile falls as the trip gets longer.
On top of that, a driver who has to go a long way out of their way to collect you costs more than one passing your door. That is why the map shows a different price for each driver.
When do I pay?
After your driver accepts, and before the trip. In full.
Nothing is charged while you are waiting to hear back, and if no driver accepts you pay nothing.
What if I need to cancel?
You get 80% back. Your dashboard shows you the exact figure before you confirm anything.
The full detail is on our cancellations page.
What payment methods do you take?
Credit and debit cards. We do not take cash, and a driver should never ask you for money directly. If one does, call us on 479.517.0218.
About paperwork
What is a health certificate?
A Certificate of Veterinary Inspection, a CVI. Your vet examines your pet and certifies they are fit to travel and free of anything contagious.
It is required, and your driver has to see it at pickup. It protects every animal in that vehicle, including the driver’s own.
Why does California need a different one?
California requires the certificate to be issued within 10 days of delivery. Everywhere else the window is 30 days.
If you are dropping off in California, book your vet appointment with that in mind. We will remind you, and so will your driver.
What if I am crossing a state line?
A valid CVI covers you for interstate travel. Some states have extra requirements for particular species or particular vaccinations.
Your vet will know. Tell them where the pet is going and they will issue the right paperwork.