I always have a delimma when it comes to dealing with what to do with my dog during the holiday season since I live in NY and travel to Miami during this time. Kennels are too expensive, dog walkers only come twice a day and I always hate to put the burden on my neighbors or friends. The only other option would be to ship him but I knew that would probably be too difficult and time consuming. At first I had reservations with shipping my beloved dog through ground service. I researched airplane fares and found them to be too expensive and insecure as I had to drop him off at the counter with no real person to handle him. I also was not sure if the temperature conditions would be appropriate for an animal since I was shipping in the winter months from NY. I then stumbled upon UShip and decided to post my request since it was also free of charge. I immediately got a response from Mike from Veteran Shippers and he was very accommodating with the price and asked me very good questions in regards to my dog-just so he could be sure to accomodate his personal needs as well. The day came for my dog to be picked up and I was nervous at first, but when I met Mike I felt very comforted with the way he bonded immediately with the rascal. Mike's son was downstairs walking another passenger, a little old beagle, and when I saw this, I knew my dog was in safe hands. During the trip I was able to call Mike and get updates on how he was doing and would leave messages. He would return my calls promptly and at one time said that Popi would sleep on his son's lap just so he could be comforted since he was a little bit of a whiner. Overall, when I saw Popi, he did not look or act stressed and was in great spirits. He had a great time in Miami and had a little vacation from the cold weather too! Out of all my options for what to do with my dog Popi during my holiday vacation to Miami, my first will always be to ship him with Mike from Veteran Shippers for sure.