Pet Transport in Reno, Nevada
We provide international pet transport to and from Reno, planned around the weather, the season and your destination’s entry rules. A move to or from another state goes by road with a partner driver or on a domestic flight.
Book the whole move, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- Export and import paperwork
- Check-in at RNO
- Door-to-door relocation
- Meeting your pet at the arrival airport
A dog over four months old living in the congested areas of Washoe County has to be licensed, and going without can mean a $100 to $400 fine.
Prefer to talk it through? Call 1-877-540-0555
Reno at a glance
How a move from Reno works- Flights from
- Reno-Tahoe (RNO)
- Door-to-door pickup
- Roughly one to two hours’ drive of Reno
- Airline guides
- Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta and United Airlines
- Export paperwork
- USDA endorsement through VEHCS
- Service area
- Southwest
Pet Relocation from Reno
Reno sits in the high desert near Lake Tahoe, and its big temperature swings shape a pet’s travel window: cold winters and hot, dry summers. From Reno-Tahoe International (RNO), the route is chosen for each move on the weather, the season and airline availability.
How a Move from Reno Works
Reno and Tahoe owners can reserve the RNO flight on its own or have the plan cover each step.
Flights and check-in
We book your pet’s flights from Reno-Tahoe (RNO), set the dates around the weather, the season and each airline’s rules for pets, and handle the check-in with the airline on travel day.
Door to door, when you book it
Door-to-door pet transport adds the road legs. A partner driver collects your pet from home, anywhere within roughly one to two hours’ drive of Reno, and handles the check-in personally, and we meet your pet at the arrival airport. We do not run local rides to the vet, groomer or daycare.
Paperwork for a move abroad
For a move abroad, the paperwork starts with the destination. APHIS’s export page, read September 16, 2026, says to verify your destination country’s entry requirements every time you plan to travel, and that a USDA-accredited veterinarian submits the health certificate for USDA endorsement on your behalf. APHIS calls VEHCS the fastest route to endorsement, says processing there is staffed Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time outside federal holidays, and says there is no in-person or drop-off service. We prepare the file with you, including an import permit where the destination country asks for one, and check each document against its rules before your pet flies. Our destination guides cover the rules country by country.
Arriving
Moving a Pet to Reno
Coming from another state? The Nevada Department of Agriculture’s import page, read September 23, 2026, asks for a health certificate and a current rabies vaccination with a dog, cat or ferret, and says no permit is required. Washoe County Regional Animal Services’ licensing page, read the same day, asks for a current rabies certificate before it issues a license. A dog coming from another country also has to meet CDC’s entry rules, which our guide to the CDC dog import form sets out.
How the service works from start to finish is on our pet transport services page.
Flying a Pet Out of Reno
Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO)
Location: About 3 miles southeast of downtown Reno, Nevada.
For more complex international relocations or destinations requiring extensive layovers, travelers may need to connect through larger hubs like San Francisco International Airport (SFO) or Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Airlines that fly pets from Reno
Each airline named on this page publishes its own rules for animals. Our guides set out what each one says:
Alaska Airlines: cabin fees, carrier rules and its seasonal embargoes.
American Airlines: cabin, cargo and PetEmbark.
Delta: cabin rules, fees and who it ships pets for.
United Airlines: what it publishes for dogs and cats.
How Our Pet Transport Process Works
Consultation
We review your pet’s details, destination requirements, and preferred timeline during the consultation.
Travel Plan and Timeline
We build a travel plan that aligns airline rules, routing, and seasonal conditions.
Pre-Travel Preparation
We guide you through crate selection, documentation, and pre-travel readiness steps.
Transportation Coordination
We coordinate airline booking, airport pet check-in when required, and ground transportation logistics.
Arrival Support
We provide guidance for arrival procedures, customs clearance if applicable, and post-travel considerations.
Custom Pet Transport Services for Reno
Air Pet Shipping
We guide pet owners in choosing the best air routes, manage timing, and coordinate airport pet check-in when required, including airline ticket booking.
Ground Pet Transport
Ground transport supports regional moves across Nevada and connects to airports when flying is not suitable, with routes planned for distance and weather.
International Pet Transport
We coordinate documentation, airline approvals, and destination import rules while planning compliant international routes.
Door to Door Relocation
Door-to-door relocation combines air and ground services into one coordinated plan, managing timing, documentation, and handoffs.
Types of Pets We Transport
Dog Transportation
Dogs are the moves we plan most often. We match the crate to your dog’s size, book around airline rules and seasonal limits, and plan the routing through Reno (RNO) so nothing turns into a last-minute scramble on travel day.
Cat Transportation
Cats travel best when the day stays calm and the waiting is short. We choose airline-approved carriers, sort out the cabin-or-cargo question early, and plan the schedule so your cat spends as little time at the airport as possible.
Bird Transportation
Birds need a little more care: species-specific paperwork, airline approval, and travel that holds a steady temperature. We walk you through the health certificates and routing so nothing slips through the cracks.
Small Mammals Transportation
Rabbits, guinea pigs, and other small pets travel in approved carriers on carefully timed routes. We confirm that the airline will accept your pet well before the date, so there are no surprises.
Reptile and Exotic Pet Transport
Reptiles and exotic pets each come with their own rules. We review the airline policies and temperature requirements one by one and build a route that genuinely suits your animal, not a one-size-fits-all plan.
Our Service Areas Near Reno
We provide pet transportation services throughout Sparks, Carson City, Incline Village, Truckee, and Lake Tahoe, and we also coordinate pet relocations nationwide and internationally.
Northern Nevada is part of our Southwest service area, along with Las Vegas and Phoenix.
Ready to start?
Book the whole move, or only the parts you need.
What to Expect When Shipping a Pet Through Reno-Tahoe Airport (RNO)
Who actually handles your pet at RNO
Alaska Air Cargo runs the cargo warehouse at 1335 Air Cargo Way, Suite D, and that is where a pet booked on Alaska Air Cargo Pet Connect is dropped off and collected. Drop-off and collection run Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 3:30pm, and the counter is closed at weekends. With an early afternoon cut-off, a Reno pet move needs a morning drop-off.
American Airlines Cargo is the other option here, through its PetEmbark service. Delta ships pets only for active US military and State Department Foreign Service personnel with permanent change of station orders. United publishes its own policy on its pets page.
Customs and Animal Reception
As a key international airport, RNO offers comprehensive customs services for pets arriving from abroad. Customs officials and USDA staff facilitate health inspections and ensure compliance with documentation requirements for pet travel.
Temperature limits and ground handling
Airlines decide whether a pet flies, not the airport. American transports warm-blooded animals when ground temperatures are between 45F and 85F. Below that it requires a letter of acclimation signed and dated by a licensed veterinarian, which covers 20F to 44F, and it will not carry an animal at all below 20F. Alaska Air Cargo says many of its stations have seasonal temperature embargoes for animal shipments over a summer season that generally runs from May 1 to October 16. Between drop-off and loading your pet waits in the cargo handler building rather than a dedicated animal terminal, so the acceptance window and the handler opening hours are what a travel date has to be built around.
Questions about moving a pet to or from Reno
Request a QuoteFrequently Asked Questions
How does Reno’s weather shape the travel timeline?
Reno sees both cold winters and warm summers, so timing matters at both ends of the year. Airlines set temperature limits for animals in cargo in extreme heat and extreme cold, and we plan your Reno move around the forecast, picking the safest departure window from Reno-Tahoe and adjusting routing when the weather does not cooperate.
What paperwork does a pet need to fly from Reno?
Pet travel runs on health paperwork, and the timing is strict; a health certificate from a USDA-accredited vet is usually valid only for a short window before travel, and many destinations add their own steps. We map the vet visits and paperwork for your Reno move so nothing expires at the wrong moment.
What kinds of pets do you relocate from Reno?
We coordinate travel for dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, and select reptiles or exotics from Reno, whenever airline and destination rules allow. Each species has its own requirements, and snub-nosed breeds and older pets get extra planning around routing and the weather.
What does pet transportation from Reno cost?
Every Reno move is priced on its own, because the route, airline fees, your pet’s size and crate, the season, and the destination’s rules all change the total. Tell us where and when, and we’ll put together an estimate: request a quote. For a closer look at what drives the price, see our guide to pet shipping costs.