Can you mail a dog? No, because USPS lists dogs and puppies as nonmailable live animals, along with cats, kittens, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, rabbits, rats and squirrels. The rule covers every ZIP Code, every mail class and every distance.
The ban is not about size or breed. Postal Service rules treat warm blooded animals as nonmailable, with narrow exceptions for certain birds. This guide shows what the rule says, which animals are mailable, and how to move a pet safely.
Can you mail a dog or a puppy through USPS?
Publication 52, section 525.2, says warm blooded animals are not mailable, except adult birds and specified day old birds under set conditions. Its list of nonmailable animals names dogs or puppies, cats or kittens, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, rabbits, rats, and squirrels and flying squirrels.
That means a puppy cannot go in a ventilated box, even with a vet letter, air holes and a short trip. Priority Mail Express does not change the answer either. If you try, the Post Office should refuse the package at the counter.
USPS also says on its shipping restrictions page that pets and warm blooded animals may not go in the mail except in limited circumstances. None of those circumstances covers a dog. You can read the full text in Publication 52, section 525.
What happens if an animal is found in the mail?
Section 525 tells postal employees to report nonmailable animals found in the mailstream to the Postal Service Pricing and Classification Service Center. The mailer and the Post Office of mailing must also be notified. The purpose is to stop future shipments from being accepted by mistake.
So a package labeled as something else is not a workaround. A live animal found in transit is a welfare problem for the animal and a rule violation for the sender.
Which animals can you mail?
USPS allows a short list of live animals under section 526, each with strict packaging and marking. Most of them are birds, bees and small animals that survive transit without food or water.
| Animal | USPS status | Key condition |
|---|---|---|
| Dogs, puppies, cats, kittens | Nonmailable | Warm blooded, listed in 525.2 |
| Guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels | Nonmailable | Warm blooded, listed in 525.2 |
| Snakes and turtles | Nonmailable | Listed in 525.3 and 526.6 |
| Spiders and poisonous insects | Nonmailable | Scorpions are the only exception |
| Day old poultry | Mailable | Hatchery boxes, delivery within 72 hours of hatching |
| Adult birds | Mailable | Priority Mail Express only, over 6 ounces and up to 25 pounds each |
| Honeybees | Mailable | Surface only, marked “Live Bees” |
| Queen honeybees | Mailable | Air or surface, one queen plus up to eight attendants by air |
| Scorpions | Limited | Medical research or antivenin only, surface only |
| Fish, frogs, lizards, newts, snails | Mailable | Must survive transit without food or water, except fish |
The exact lists and exhibits are in Publication 52, section 526. Read them before you pack anything alive.
Why are adult birds and day old chicks allowed?
Day old poultry is the old hatchery trade. Chickens, ducks, emus, geese, guinea birds, partridges, quail and turkeys qualify, and pheasants only from April through August. The chicks must be no more than 24 hours old and delivered within 72 hours of hatching.
They must stay in original, unopened hatchery boxes with ventilation, stacked no more than 10 units high. The address side must show the hatching date and hour. Mail them early enough to avoid Sunday or holiday delivery.
Adult birds are a separate case. Each bird must weigh more than 6 ounces and no more than 25 pounds, and it must travel by Priority Mail Express in an approved container. Federal and state wildlife laws still apply, including the Lacey Act and the Animal Welfare Act.
Compare that service on the Priority Mail Express cost and speed page.
Can you mail small reptiles, fish or insects?
Some cold blooded animals can go. Section 526.6 allows baby alligators, caimans, chameleons, frogs, lizards, newts, salamanders and tadpoles. It also allows toads up to 20 inches, goldfish, tropical fish, worms, leeches, mealworms, snails and nonpoisonous insects.
Snakes, turtles and turtle eggs are not mailable. The animal must also survive normal transit without food or water, except fish, and it cannot create sanitary problems or odors. Fish need a securely sealed primary container with absorbent cushioning, inside waterproof outer packaging.
Can a breeder, shelter or rescue mail a dog?
The rule makes no exception for licensed breeders, rescues or shelters. Can you mail a dog if you have a vet certificate and a perfect crate? Still no, because the ban is on the animal itself.
Rescues and breeders move dogs by ground transport with a driver, by air with an airline, or by a pet transport company. A buyer can also pick the dog up in person. The seller should confirm the destination state rules before the dog leaves.
Worked example: sending a puppy to a buyer in another state
Say a breeder in Ohio sells a puppy to a buyer in Oregon. The breeder cannot use Ground Advantage, Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express, because the puppy is a dog.
The breeder first calls the Oregon State Veterinarian for entry rules. Then the buyer picks one route. Flying the puppy with an airline, hiring a ground transport company, or driving to collect it all work.
Whichever route is chosen, the breeder writes the vaccine dates down and hands over the records with the puppy. The buyer should have a vet visit booked soon after arrival.
What does a professional pet transport company do?
A pet transport company moves live animals for a fee. Some use ground vehicles with a driver, and some arrange airline travel. Rates and rules vary by company, so USPS and this site cannot quote one.
Ask each company how it handles stops, temperature, feeding and emergencies. Ask for the answers in writing. A company that will not explain its process is a poor choice for a living animal.
Do UPS and FedEx ship pets?
No. UPS lists all mammals and all birds among the animals it will not accept, together with any poisonous, venomous or threatening animal and any threatened or endangered species.
What UPS does carry is amphibians, fish, crustaceans, worms, beneficial insects and a short list of reptiles, and only by a service that guarantees next day delivery, never tendered on a Friday or before a holiday. The UPS plants and animals page has the full lists.
FedEx says traditional pets such as dogs, cats, birds or hamsters cannot be shipped with FedEx. It accepts live fish, non venomous reptiles and amphibians, and insects that do not sting or bite, for US domestic shipments only, by FedEx First Overnight, Priority Overnight or Standard Overnight, with packaging approved in advance, a signed waiver of liability and drop off at a FedEx Ship Center rather than a FedEx Office store.
So all three carriers refuse a dog. If any agent tells you otherwise, ask for the written policy and the service name before you pay.
How do you move a dog to another state?
You need a method built for live animals. The usual choices are traveling with the dog yourself, flying the dog with an airline, or hiring a professional pet transport company. Each has different cost, stress and paperwork.
Federal rules do not set interstate pet paperwork. The USDA says APHIS does not endorse health certificates for moving pets across state lines.
Each destination state sets its own rules, including Hawaii and Puerto Rico. USDA pet travel guidance tells owners to contact the State Veterinarian in the destination state.
What to do before a pet move
- Call the destination State Veterinarian. Ask for the dog’s vaccine, health certificate and arrival rules for that state.
- Visit your vet. Confirm vaccines are current and ask whether the dog can handle the trip. Ask how recent a certificate must be, because states set that window.
- Choose the transport method. Driving gives you the most control. An airline or a pet transport company suits a long distance move when you cannot drive.
- Ask for the carrier’s pet policy in writing. Check the airline or transport company terms, including crate size, age minimums and weather limits, before paying.
- Prepare the crate. Let the dog get used to it for days before travel, with bedding that smells like home.
- Carry records and ID. Keep the certificate, vaccine records, a photo of the dog and your phone number on the crate.
Moving a pet is a travel job, not a shipping job. Treat it that way and you avoid the delay of a refused package.
What if you only need to ship the dog’s things?
Dog food, crates, toys, leashes and supplies can go in the mail like other goods. Pick the service by weight, size and speed with the Mail Class Selector.
Then follow the steps in how to ship a package with USPS.
Check the contents too. Dog treats and food count as food, and food has its own mailing rules.
Liquid medications and sprays follow the rules in mailing liquids through USPS.
Bottom line on mailing a pet
Can you mail a dog? Never, and a cat or a hamster is just as unmailable.
Birds, bees and some small cold blooded animals are the only live pets that USPS carries, and only under tight conditions. For a dog, use a vet, a state rules check and a travel method made for animals.
