Copper CrestPembrokesInquireNew York families
Our Pembroke Welsh Corgis are raised in Casa Grande, Arizona, and reach New York City with a flight nanny on a nonstop into JFK or Newark, the way one went home to Brooklyn. Here is how the trip works, and how a Corgi copes with walk-ups, subways and salted sidewalks.
Arizona to New York
By air. Driving would take around thirty-six hours. The nonstop from Phoenix Sky Harbor to JFK takes about four and a half to five hours on American, Delta or JetBlue, and Newark (EWR) is about the same on United or American. LaGuardia is not an option, because its perimeter rule keeps out nonstops from as far away as Phoenix. JFK suits Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island; Newark is often quicker for Staten Island and the west side of Manhattan. Our delivery page explains each way home.
Timing matters as much as the airport. New York is three hours ahead of Arizona from March to early November and two hours ahead in winter, so a flight that leaves Phoenix mid-morning lands straight into the evening rush on the Van Wyck or the Belt Parkway, and we look for a landing that misses it. Upstate, Buffalo gets a seasonal Southwest nonstop, while Albany, Rochester and Syracuse usually mean a connection. Travel is priced on its own, apart from what a puppy costs.
See who is availableThis is how our Brooklyn puppy traveled. A nanny we trust keeps the puppy in a carrier at their feet in the cabin, never in the hold, and hands it to you at the airport. If you are getting home by AirTrain and subway, the puppy stays in its carrier the whole way.
Southwest's Buffalo nonstop does not run all year. When it does, it puts western New York, Rochester included, within about an hour of the handoff.
For the Southern Tier, the North Country and other places hours from a nonstop airport, a USDA certified driver can bring the puppy to your door over two to three days, with photo updates along the way.
Fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor, we bring the puppy to the airport, and you take it home on your own flight.
Available now
See the puppies available now, then ask about the one you like.
Drive times
Rough times with light traffic. In the city, the hour you land matters more than the miles: the same ride into Manhattan can take 45 minutes or two hours.
| If you live in | Airport and drive, roughly |
|---|---|
| Brooklyn | JFK, about 30 to 45 minutes |
| Queens | JFK, about 20 to 30 minutes |
| Midtown Manhattan | JFK or EWR, about 45 to 60 minutes |
| Staten Island | EWR, about 25 minutes |
| Huntington, Long Island | JFK, about 45 minutes |
| White Plains | JFK, about 50 minutes |
| Albany | EWR, about 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Rochester | BUF, about 1 hour 10 minutes |
Corgi life in New York
New York runs from Brooklyn walk-ups to lake-effect snow in Syracuse, and a long, low herding dog can be happy in both with the right habits.
Walk-up stairs are the big one: carry the puppy, and keep stair trips to a minimum while it grows. Many city parks allow dogs off leash in designated areas before 9 a.m. and after 9 p.m., including the Long Meadow in Prospect Park, a fine outlet once your vet says the vaccines are done.
More yards, more beaches, more ticks. Lone star ticks are common on eastern Long Island alongside deer ticks, and the dunes and scrub are prime habitat. Many beaches keep dogs off the sand in summer, so check before you go. A suburban Corgi will patrol a fence line all day, so make sure it is a fence it cannot dig under.
Wooded suburbs and farm country, full of deer. The Hudson Valley has long been one of the state's Lyme disease hot spots, so start tick prevention at the first vet visit and check under the chest after every hike. Old farmhouses here often come with steep stairs, so gate them for a puppy.
Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse get lake-effect snow measured in feet, and Syracuse regularly ranks among the snowiest large cities in the country. Deep powder over a Corgi's head is exhausting for it, so plow a path and a potty patch and keep early walks brief. Long indoor winters call for measured meals.
Worth knowing
MTA rules allow pets only when they are enclosed in a container. A puppy fits a soft carrier easily, but an adult of up to about 30 pounds needs a large dog tote or a car, so plan how you will get to the vet or the park before you need to.
Read the lease and the building's pet policy, and in a co-op, ask the board, before you reserve a puppy. Some buildings cap weight or the number of dogs, and the cap applies to the grown dog. A mature Pembroke weighs about 30 pounds at most, under many limits but not all.
Sidewalks are salted all winter, and the chemical melt some buildings spread is harsher still. Corgi feet and bellies ride close to the slush, so wipe paws and chest after each walk, or coat the pads with paw wax first.
It is tempting to take a new puppy straight to the dog run. Wait until your vet says the puppy vaccine series is complete, because runs see a lot of dogs. Until then, meet a few healthy adult dogs you know, and let the puppy watch the city from your arms.
Living with a Corgi
City Corgis do well because walking is built into the day. Aim for two good walks and some training or play, and use off-leash hours once the dog has a solid recall. Corgis are easily overfed, especially when a long walk turns into a short one on a rainy evening, so measure meals and watch the waistline. Our puppy training guide has indoor games for bad-weather days.
The double coat shrugs off a New York winter but struggles in humid July heat, especially on sidewalks that stay warm into the night. Walk early, carry water, and test the pavement with your hand before a long outing. In an apartment, the twice-yearly shed means drifts of undercoat in every corner; a weekly brush, daily during a shed, keeps it manageable. See our grooming guide for the tools.
A real New York placement
Yes. Sardie, in Brooklyn, welcomed a Copper Crest Pembroke after a flight nanny carried the puppy from Arizona in the cabin. The photo shows the puppy in its travel carrier on the way home. A city family does not need a car or a yard for this to work: the puppy arrives in a carrier, and the carrier goes home with you.
Read every family story
New York questions
For Brooklyn and Queens, JFK is usually closest. For Manhattan, JFK and Newark are close to even, so we choose on landing time and traffic. Staten Island and much of the west side are usually quicker from Newark. LaGuardia has no nonstop from Phoenix, so it is not part of the plan.
Yes. Corgis are compact and adaptable, and they are content with daily walks, training and company rather than a yard. Plan for the stairs in a walk-up, the shedding in a small space and the bark, which is bigger than the dog. An elevator building is easier, but a walk-up works with an owner willing to carry a puppy.
Yes. New York City requires every dog to be licensed, and the license needs proof of rabies vaccination. Using off-leash hours in city parks also depends on a current license and rabies vaccine. Ask your vet about the rabies shot at the first visit so the paperwork follows on without a gap.
Yes, though not with a nonstop to your own airport. The choices are a connecting flight with a nanny, a nonstop into Newark or JFK and a longer drive, Buffalo when its seasonal nonstop is flying, or ground transport to your door over two to three days. We compare them for your town once a puppy is reserved.
Next step
Check the available puppies, then send us your neighborhood or town. We will plan the airport, the landing time and the ride home around it.
Keep reading