Dogs, by air and by road

Dog transport and dog relocation

We move dogs between Toronto and Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Halifax, Regina, Saskatoon, St. John's, Montreal, Ottawa, Kelowna, Victoria, Quebec City, Thunder Bay, Charlottetown, Deer Lake and Fort McMurray by air, door to door, with our own driver at each end. Within a day's drive of Toronto, we move dogs by road.

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A calm dog sitting beside a hard plastic airline crate

How a dog move from Toronto works

For a move across the country, your dog flies as airline cargo. That means an airline approved crate, a booking in your dog's name, and check-in at the airline's cargo office rather than the passenger terminal. You do not need to be on the same flight, or fly at all. We fly with Air Canada Cargo and WestJet Cargo.

Our part is everything around the flight. We suggest the crate size and sell the crate, drive your dog to your own vet for the health certificate when the airline needs one, book the cargo space, collect your dog at home and check them in at Pearson. At the other end, our driver collects your dog at the airline's cargo office and brings them to the new home. You get a message at each step.

1
Pickup at home
Our driver collects your dog at your door, in the crate, timed for the airline's drop-off window about 3 hours before the flight.
2
Check-in at Pearson
We hand over the paperwork at the cargo office, the airline checks and weighs the crate, and we send you the air waybill number.
3
The flight
Your dog travels in the hold on its own air waybill. We follow the flight and tell you when it lands.
4
Delivered home
Our driver collects your dog at the cargo office in the destination city as soon as they are released, and drives them to the new home.

Before the flight

What a dog needs to fly

The crate

In the air, every dog travels in a rigid airline crate: solid roof, metal door, metal nuts and bolts, air holes on all sides, absorbent bedding, and a water dish you can fill from outside. Crate sizes run from Small to Giant: Small, Junior, Medium, Large, Extra Large, Magnum and Giant.

We size the crate from four measurements of your dog standing: A, nose to the base of the tail; B, floor to elbow; C, width across the shoulders; D, floor to the top of the head or ear tips. Your dog must be able to stand without the ears touching the roof, turn around and lie down. Then we check the weight and go up a size if needed. The size is always an estimate until we see your dog: a bigger crate may be needed once they are measured, and the airline makes the final call at check-in. Use the crate size calculator, or see airline pet crates.

The health certificate

On Air Canada Cargo, a health certificate is required for every pet shipped as cargo, from a licensed vet, dated no more than 30 days before travel. On WestJet Cargo, a health certificate is needed only for snub-nosed breeds, pets 8 to 12 weeks old, and pets that are sedated or have had recent surgery. It is valid for 10 days. Any licensed vet can sign it. We tell you which applies when we book, and we can drive your dog to your own vet and back. See vet health certificate for flying.

Age

Dogs must be at least 8 weeks old on WestJet Cargo and 10 weeks old on Air Canada Cargo. On WestJet, puppies 8 to 12 weeks old need a vet health certificate.

Weather and holidays

WestJet does not carry pets as cargo on its 737 and Q400 aircraft from December 18 to January 4. Only 787 flights can carry pets as cargo in that window. Air Canada's cargo page says it does not carry cats or dogs as cargo within Canada from December 15 to January 12. From November 1 to March 31, Air Canada does not carry animals as cargo on some narrow-body aircraft.

Neither airline has a dated summer embargo within Canada. Air Canada rebooks pets when it is 29.5°C or hotter at the origin, the destination or along the way, and WestJet may decline snub-nosed breeds in hot weather. Details in our guide to winter and holiday embargoes.

Food, water and sedation

Ask your vet about food on travel day. A light meal a few hours before the flight is common. Water and food dishes are fixed to the crate door. Do not give a sedative unless your vet says so: on WestJet, a sedated dog needs a vet health certificate, and many vets advise against sedation for flying.

Large breeds

Big dogs and giant crates

Big dogs fly as cargo too. A dog the size of a Labrador is often a Large or Extra Large crate. Great Danes, Newfoundlands and other giant breeds need the Magnum and Giant sizes, and sometimes a crate built to order.

The biggest crates do not fit every aircraft, so for dogs in the Magnum and Giant sizes we check the aircraft on your route and dates before we confirm anything. Dogs that need a Giant crate, or something bigger, get a price from a person rather than on screen. We send it within 24 hours.

Crate size drives the cost of a big dog's flight. Airlines charge by chargeable weight: the greater of the real weight of your dog and crate, and the volume weight worked out from the crate's outside size. A bigger crate takes more space, so it costs more to fly, even for a lean dog. Measuring carefully matters: a crate one size too big costs more for nothing, and a crate too small is refused at check-in.

If your dog is too big for any airline crate, or your vet advises against flying, we tell you early. For cities within a day's drive, a road move is the other option.

Breed rules

Snub-nosed and strong breeds

Snub-nosed breeds

Short-nosed breeds such as Pug, Bulldog, French Bulldog, Boston Terrier, Boxer and Shih Tzu have extra rules, and mixes of these breeds count too. Air Canada Cargo takes them only through an IPATA approved pet shipping company. WestJet Cargo takes them with a vet health certificate, at a higher airline rate, and may decline them in hot weather. IATA asks for a crate about 10% bigger for these breeds.

The full breed lists for each airline are on our guide to snub-nosed breeds and flying.

Strong breeds

Breeds such as Rottweiler, Mastiff, Cane Corso and Dogo Argentino must fly in a reinforced crate built to IATA Container Requirement 82, not a standard plastic crate. On WestJet, dogs of these breeds over 6 months old can only be booked by an IPATA registered agent. Pit bull type dogs (Pit Bull, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier) are restricted in Ontario and cannot travel through Pearson.

We price every snub-nosed and strong breed move by hand and reply within 24 hours, or explain what is possible.

Breeders and new owners

Shipping a puppy from a breeder

Breeders and new owners use us to send a puppy to its new home in another city. The breeder or the buyer can book. The move works like this.

Age. A puppy must be at least 8 to 10 weeks old, depending on the airline: 8 weeks on WestJet Cargo and 10 weeks on Air Canada Cargo. On WestJet, puppies 8 to 12 weeks old need a vet health certificate. Tell us the puppy's date of birth and we plan the date around it.
Forms. The person who books is the shipper on the airline's paperwork and signs the shipper's certificate for live animals. We prepare the forms and labels, and bring them to the cargo office. The breeder provides the vet health certificate when the airline needs one, or we drive the puppy to the vet for it.
Handover at the breeder's. Our driver collects the puppy at the breeder's address in the crate we supply, with the paperwork, and checks it in at Pearson cargo. The breeder gets a message with the air waybill number.
Handover to the new owner. Our driver collects the puppy at the airline's cargo office in the destination city as soon as it is released, and delivers it to the new owner's door. The new owner gets a message when the flight lands and when the puppy is on its way.
Strong breed puppies. On WestJet, puppies of strong breeds under 6 months old need proof of age (over 6 months, only an IPATA registered agent can book them). On Air Canada, puppies 3 to 6 months old do not need the reinforced crate.

Puppies coming to Toronto from a breeder in another city work the same way in reverse: our driver collects the puppy at the breeder's, checks it in at that airport, and in Toronto we collect it at Pearson cargo and bring it home.

Book a puppy move

Choose "My pet flies on its own" in the quote form, enter the puppy's breed, weight and date of birth, and the breeder's address as the pickup. The crate is added to the price if you need one.

Get a price

Into Toronto and by road

Other dog moves we handle

Moving to Toronto with a dog

If you are coming to Toronto from Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Halifax, Regina, Saskatoon, St. John's, Montreal, Ottawa, Kelowna, Victoria, Quebec City, Thunder Bay, Charlottetown, Deer Lake and Fort McMurray, our driver collects your dog at your home in that city and checks them in at the airport's cargo office. In Toronto, we collect your dog at Pearson cargo as soon as they are released and deliver them anywhere in Toronto and the GTA. The crate, the vet visit and the airline booking work the same way as a move out of Toronto.

Routes into Toronto

By road, within a day's drive

Between the Toronto area and Ottawa, Montreal, Kingston, London, Windsor, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, we drive your dog from your old home to your new one, with no other pickups on the way. On the ground your dog rides in a crate, a carrier or loose, whichever suits the dog. Pets only in our vehicles: owners travel separately. We do not drive dogs across the country.

Road routes

Helping your dog travel calmly

Bring the crate home a few weeks early. Leave it open in a room your dog uses, feed meals in it, and build up to short spells with the door closed.
Put a blanket or t-shirt that smells of home in the crate. Do not wash it first.
A good walk before pickup, then a toilet break.
At the new home, offer water first, then a short walk on leash, then a quiet room with the familiar bed and bowls.

More tips: helping your pet settle in and moving pets across Canada.

Last checked against the airlines' own pages on October 1, 2026.

Airlines change their rules. Always check the official page before you book.

Dog transport: questions

How do I ship a dog to another city in Canada?

Your dog flies as airline cargo in an airline approved crate, on its own booking. We collect your dog at home, check them in at the Pearson cargo office, and at the other end our driver collects them at the airline's cargo office and brings them to the new home. Fill in the quote form with your dog's details and the route.

How much does dog transport cost?

It depends on the crate size (which follows your dog's size and weight), the route, the pickup and delivery distance, the breed, the time of year, and extras such as the crate or a vet ride. Airlines charge by chargeable weight: the greater of the real weight of your dog and crate, and the volume weight worked out from the crate's outside size. Our price includes the airline's charges. Fill in the quote form: on most routes you see your price on screen right after you enter your contact details. Big dogs and restricted breeds are priced by hand within 24 hours. See how pricing works.

Does my dog need a health certificate to fly within Canada?

On Air Canada, yes: a health certificate is required for every pet shipped as cargo, from a licensed vet, dated no more than 30 days before travel. On WestJet, a health certificate is needed only for snub-nosed breeds, pets 8 to 12 weeks old, and pets that are sedated or have had recent surgery. It is valid for 10 days. We tell you which applies, and we can drive your dog to your own vet as part of the move. See vet health certificate for flying.

Can a big dog fly as cargo?

Yes, most can. Crates go up to Giant, and we size the crate from your dog's measurements and weight. For the biggest sizes we check the aircraft on the route first, and a dog that needs a Giant crate or bigger is priced by hand. If your dog is too big for any airline crate, we tell you early and look at a road move if the distance allows.

Can you ship a puppy from a breeder?

Yes. Puppies must be at least 8 weeks old on WestJet Cargo and 10 weeks old on Air Canada Cargo, and on WestJet puppies 8 to 12 weeks old need a vet health certificate. Either the breeder or the new owner can book. Our driver collects the puppy at the breeder's and checks it in, and at the other end our driver collects it at the cargo office and delivers it to the new owner's door.

Do dogs ride with other animals in your vehicle?

No. Each ride carries one household's pets only, with no other pickups on the way. Pets only in our vehicles: owners travel separately.

Moving with your dog

Tell us where your dog is going and how big they are. On most routes you see the price right away.