Shipping a live animal is the highest-risk transaction in any breeding program. The animal is in someone else's hands for hours, the buyer is anxious, the carrier is unaccountable, and one bad outcome can destroy a relationship and a reputation in a single afternoon. The default carrier guarantees do not cover live animals at all. Without a written agreement that defines what counts as live arrival, what the buyer is responsible for, and what remedies apply, every shipping problem becomes a dispute.

The Live Arrival Guarantee is the document you sign alongside the Animal Sales Contract whenever an animal ships rather than gets picked up in person. It defines what live arrival means, what the buyer must do at delivery, what voids the guarantee, and what remedies are available if the worst happens.

What the document does

It establishes the two-hour open window that defines live arrival, the buyer obligations that must be met to qualify for remedies (presence at delivery, photo and video documentation, 15-minute notification window), the seller obligations on packing and ship-day decisions, what voids the guarantee, and three remedy options to choose from.

What is included

• 10 numbered sections covering animal and shipment details, definition of live arrival, buyer obligations, seller obligations, what voids the guarantee, remedy options, shipping costs, reptile and ectotherm provisions, governing law, and signatures
• Three remedy options that can be selected individually or combined: replacement animal, store credit, partial refund
• A reptile and ectotherm provisions section specifically for breeders shipping cold-blooded species, with temperature thresholds, hub pickup requirements, and post-arrival fasting windows
• Field-note annotations explaining why the two-hour open window is tight intentionally, why photo and video documentation is the entire evidentiary case if a dispute arises, and why reptile temperature thresholds and hub pickup requirements protect the animal from preventable shipping deaths

Format and how it works

Includes both a digital fill-on-screen version and a print fill-by-hand version, each in Word and PDF. Send the digital version to the buyer before booking the shipment so they sign and acknowledge their obligations before the animal ever ships. Most programs include this in the same email as the Animal Sales Contract for shipped placements. Keep the signed copy in the buyer's file alongside the tracking number.

Why this version is different

Generic live arrival language is a single paragraph buried in a template, useless when something actually goes wrong. This one is a standalone agreement built for the realities of shipping live animals: the buyer who claims their animal arrived dead two hours after pickup, the seller who has no documented timeline of buyer obligations, the dam owner sending a deposit on a planned litter that does not produce. The reptile-specific section covers what most generic contracts miss entirely, including the doorstep-in-August scenario that ends a snake before the driver knocks.

Who this is for

For breeders who ship live animals as part of normal program operations, including reptile breeders shipping species year-round, dog breeders shipping puppies long-distance, and any working program where shipping is part of placement. The reptile section is specifically designed for ectotherm programs where temperature regulation is the difference between a healthy arrival and a dead-on-arrival. Pairs with the Animal Sales Contract (the underlying transaction) and the Buyer Application (which screens for buyers ready to receive a shipped animal).

Buy this contract on its own, or pair it with the rest of the Breeder Contract Kit using the bundle discounts.