Copper CrestPembrokesInquireFlorida families
We raise Pembroke Welsh Corgis in our family home in Casa Grande, Arizona, and families in Fort Lauderdale and Orlando already have one of ours. Here is how the trip works and what Florida asks of a double-coated dog.
The trip
Florida is a flight. The drive to Orlando is more than 2,000 miles and over thirty hours, while a nonstop from Phoenix Sky Harbor, about an hour from us, takes around four hours. Orlando (MCO), Tampa (TPA), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Miami (MIA) and Jacksonville (JAX) all have nonstops from Phoenix, so most families can meet the flight within an hour or two of home.
Most of Florida runs three hours ahead of Arizona from March to early November and two hours in winter. The Panhandle west of the Apalachicola River, including Pensacola and Panama City, keeps Central time, an hour behind the rest of the state. Flights from Phoenix to the Panhandle usually connect, so there we weigh a connection against ground transport.
Summer afternoons bring thunderstorms that delay flights all over Florida, so we take the earliest departures, and hurricane season runs from June through November. If a storm threatens either end, delivery is paused or rescheduled and the puppy waits with us. Travel is quoted on its own once a puppy is reserved; the delivery page sets out the options.
See who is availableA trusted nanny carries your puppy in the cabin, never the cargo hold, and hands it to you at the airport. Hot-weather pet embargoes apply to the hold, not the cabin, but keep the car running and cool at the curb.
You fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor and we bring the puppy to meet you at the airport, then you fly home with it under the seat in front of you.
A USDA certified provider brings the puppy by road over two to three days, with photo updates along the way. For Pensacola, Panama City or Tallahassee it can be simpler than a connecting flight.
If you are visiting Arizona, you can pick up from our home, see where your puppy was raised, and fly back to Florida with it in the cabin.
Available now
See the puppies available now, then ask about the one you like.
Drive times
Rough times without heavy traffic. I-4 through Orlando and I-95 through Broward and Palm Beach counties can double these at rush hour.
| If you live in | Airport and rough drive |
|---|---|
| Kissimmee and the theme park area | MCO, about 25 minutes |
| Daytona Beach | MCO, about 1 hour |
| St. Petersburg and Clearwater | TPA, about 25 to 30 minutes |
| Sarasota | TPA, about 1 hour |
| Miami | MIA, about 15 minutes, or FLL, about 40 minutes |
| West Palm Beach | FLL, about 50 minutes |
| Naples | FLL, about 2 hours across Alligator Alley |
| Tallahassee | JAX, about 2 hours 30 minutes |
Region by region
Florida is warm almost everywhere, but a Corgi in a Miami condo lives differently from one on a Panhandle acre.
Condo and HOA living is the norm, and many buildings set weight limits for dogs. Elevators spare a long back from stairs. Summer here is hot, wet and long, so a Corgi lives on early walks and air conditioning, and with canals and lakes everywhere, alligators are never far away.
Retention ponds sit in the middle of most new subdivisions, and alligators can turn up in almost any fresh water. Central Florida also sees more lightning than nearly anywhere in the country, so summer afternoon walks often end in a dash for the door. Sandspurs in lawns and parks lodge in the fur between a Corgi's toes.
This is the best part of the state for a dog beach. Fort De Soto Park and Honeymoon Island both set aside beaches for dogs, while many Gulf beaches keep them off the sand. In red tide years, keep a Corgi out of the water and away from washed-up fish.
Jacksonville, Gainesville and Tallahassee get real winters by Florida standards, with frosty mornings a double coat enjoys. Summers are just as humid as the rest of the state, and the pine woods are tick country.
Worth knowing
Cane toads, also called bufo toads, are established across South and Central Florida, and their skin secretes a toxin that can kill a dog quickly. They come out after dark and after rain, often near porch lights and pet bowls. Go out with your puppy at night, and if it mouths a toad, wipe its gums with a wet cloth and get to a vet at once.
Screened pools are everywhere in Florida, and a Corgi puppy that falls in can struggle to find the steps and climb out. Keep the pool door shut, show an older puppy where the steps are, and consider a dog life jacket. Never leave a young puppy alone on the lanai.
Florida's wildlife agency warns that pets often resemble an alligator's natural prey. Keep a Corgi on a short leash near any lake, canal, retention pond or golf course water, stay well back from the bank, especially at dawn and dusk, and never let it swim in fresh water.
Many Florida counties run pet-friendly shelters, and some ask you to register ahead. Before June, find out what yours requires, and keep vaccine records, a crate and a week of food ready. Ours leave us crate trained, which makes an evacuation much easier on everyone.
Everyday life
For a puppy from Arizona, Florida's humidity is a bigger change than its heat. A double coat sheds heat poorly in damp air, so from May to October walk before the sun is high and after it sets, keep midday to a quick trip outside, and check the pavement with the back of your hand. Do not shave the coat; it protects the skin from sun.
With fewer cool months to burn off energy, weight creeps up on Florida Corgis, and extra pounds strain a long back. Measure meals and keep up indoor games and training on hot days. Mosquitoes are active all year, so heartworm prevention is year round. The coat sheds steadily rather than in two neat seasons, and a weekly brush to the skin keeps it from holding moisture. Our grooming guide shows how.
Florida families
Yes. The Davis family in Fort Lauderdale met their puppy at the airport after a flight nanny carried him from Phoenix in the cabin. They told us: “We are so happy with our little guy. He is curious, playful, and has such a wonderful temperament. The kids are still contemplating what to name him.”
Susan M. of Orlando chose Arizona airport pickup: she flew to Phoenix Sky Harbor and we brought Willow to meet her there. She wrote: “Willow is everything we hoped for and more. We really made a great decision going home with her. We cannot wait to make long-lasting memories together.”
Read every family storyFlorida questions
The one closest to home with a nonstop from Phoenix: Orlando or Tampa for Central Florida and the Gulf Coast, Fort Lauderdale or Miami for the southeast, Jacksonville for the northeast. Southwest Florida International in Fort Myers has had nonstops too, some only in season. Give us your town and we will work out which landing leaves the shortest drive.
We postpone. The puppy stays with us on its usual routine until the storm has passed, the airports are running normally and the roads near you are clear. With the season running from June through November, keep a few days of flexibility around any delivery date in late summer and early fall.
Often, but check the number. The breed standard for the Pembroke Welsh Corgi calls for males up to 30 pounds and females up to 28, and plenty of pet Corgis end up heavier if they are overfed. Ask how your association measures, and whether it goes by expected adult weight, before you reserve.
No, but a Florida Corgi lives by the clock: early and late walks from spring through fall, air conditioning, and shade and water outdoors. Heavy panting, a wide tongue or lagging behind on a walk are signs to stop and cool down. In winter, Florida is close to ideal for the breed.
Next step
There is no waitlist; puppies go to the first family ready to reserve. See who is available now, tell us your town, and we will suggest the airport and timing that suit the puppy best.
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