In my work life, I own and operated Airborne Animals LLC, a pet shipping business, visit Airborne Animals LLC to see what we do.
Basically a pet shipper handles all the arrangements to move pets from Point A to Point B as a cargo shipment (I have nothing to do with pets in cabin or as excess baggage). People move for all kinds of reasons, but most of the pets I move belong to people relocating for work or retirement. Sometimes a pet owner has died and the dog needs to go to a relative. Sometimes people are buying a puppy or kitten from a breeder who does not do their own shipments.
Most of my work has been international moves, both into and out of the USA. This meant I made sure the pets met the requirements of the country they were moving to, and made the airline arrangements with commercial airlines cargo offices. I also coordinated documents with the pet owner and the veterinarian doing the exams and signing paperwork.
I also supplied the shipping kennels if needed. And by the way, there is nothing “airline approved”, a common mistake the cheap kennels put on labels sometimes. Many times I had pets boarded if they owner had to leave first to get a household set up.
Often people would ask, “What do you do that I would be different compared to me doing it?” the answer is: “Nothing different, except that I know all the rules, and I know all the airline people, and I know what documents are needed – and you will have to investigate all that for the first time”.
My favorite says was “I don’t fix my own computer, or service my commercial vehicles – I hire someone who is a professional who knows how to do those things.” And the fact that some airlines just don’t accept bookings from the public, but require the use of a professional who holds an account with them. Incidentally, because of Homeland Security Rules you must use a professional agent outside the USA to ship pets as cargo back into the USA as well.
Every country has very specific rules about how the pet must be prepared for meeting import requirements. It can be only something as simple as a rabies vaccines and a health certificate, or as complicated as 6 months of preparation with a variety of blood tests, parasite treatments, numerous vaccines and USDA requirements. Failing to meet the country requirements could result in quarantine, delayed releases, being returned to the USA, or, in a very few countries, euthanasia.
For the most part I move dogs and cats, but also birds, rabbits, ferrets, and a number of reptiles like turtles, tortoises, even an occasional snake. Birds (other than the budgie/parakeet or cockatiel) are way more complicated, with a myriad of requirements just to get them out of the USA, let alone into another country. And very expensive to move. There is a lot of detail to keep straight, and hours and hours of work.
Like any profession, a lot more goes on in getting the work done than the client ever sees.