Pet Shipping and Homeland Security

As a professional pet shipping company we are held to laws and security guidelines that must be followed to maintain a known shipper status. Known shipper status means that we are known by the airlines and the government (TSA). This allows us to provide much safer accommodations when moving a pet we do not have to go through crate inspections and risk the chance of losing a pet because it had to be removed from its crate for inspection at the time of departure. There are many other reasons that make using a TSA known shipper a must when choosing a pet relocation company such as the safety of the country, passengers, airlines etc. It seems that a until now companies that are not in major cities have been able to get around some of the guidelines which allow a company to be of known shipper status. A few companies will allow you to purchase the airway bill from them under their known shipping or TSA number (security) and go off and ship your pet on your own. This is illegal it is also very dangerous and it is really a bit of a rip off they are basically charging you to do something on your own and charging you for something you can do on your own directly through the airline with no guidance or services provided by these companies. For a fee they will give you the paperwork and then send you off under their security you still will do all the work and pay for the airfare and shipping crate. You hire a company to help you so that you do not have to deal with all of the ins and outs of handling your pets travel why would you pay someone and then go handle it all on your own? It is a rip off. The TSA has been cracking down on these smaller companies in the last few weeks and will be revoking the known shipper status from them in the upcoming weeks. This kind of practice puts us all at risk! The TSA visits our offices on a monthly basis to make sure we comply with the rules of the TSA and soon any company who wants to call themselves a professional pet shipping company will also be held to these guidelines the small companies that do not will be finding a new line of work. Before 911 companies did not care if they had known shipper status to them it was a complicated hassle to stay in compliance with the TSA now it is a necessity.