11/02/2025
Copied. Wise words from a transporter of 20 years. Play Stay or Away, LLC falls under the Pet Shipper category.
“…please understand that not all pet shippers are the same. 
Ground pet transportation can be broken down into three base of categories.
1. Pet Shippers
2. Rescue Animal Shippers
3. Hound Hauling
PET SHIPPERS: generally ship house pets, or animals that are going to be considered pets in the future from breeders, etc. They specialize in shipping pets from families, relocating or being sold to a new home or being rehomed. These types of transporters generally do not ship a lot of pets at one time and are considered a premier service. Their prices are generally higher because they perform a door to door premier service, GPS tracking, daily video updates, premium insurance, scheduled deliveries and the pets generally show up in excellent condition. they usually provide insurance and a crate as part of their pricing structure.
RESCUE ANIMAL SHIPPERS:  are generally working with rescue organizations and 501(c) nonprofits. They normally charge a very low rate because they’re either receiving grant money from a fund or they’re self funded through their own wealth. Rescue shippers work off of volume to make money. They may charge $150 per Animal and meet you off the interstate or in a group of people expecting deliveries. Rescue pet shippers use 18 wheelers, box trucks, retired shuttle busses and cargo vans. The animals are placed in wire cages or plastic crates and generally stacked to the ceiling of the truck. These animals are generally left in the cages throughout the whole transport process without much care or attention due to the low cost. 
HOUND HAULING: this is a popular form of dog transportation, generally in the middle part of the country, including the East Coast. Generally a hound hauler is a person that hauls hounds or hunting dogs. The difference is hound haulers use pick up trucks with dog boxes or they pull a dog trailer. They may use a van and a pull a trailer. Some just use a van. This service is generally cheap due to the large quantities of hound haulers available. Price wars are common within the hound hauling community. Shipping delays are also common.
Please ask questions and choose wisely when researching and picking your transporter.”
Credit to Dave Rosenthal 
