Every family asks some version of the same three questions once a deposit is down: where do I actually go, how long is the drive, and what do I need to bring. Here's all of it in one place.

Two locations, and which one applies to you

Our whelper is based in Roanoke, Alabama, just off Highway 431 near the Georgia line. That's where litters are born, spend their first weeks, and where most pickups happen — for both Alabama and Georgia families.

If you're in Georgia, pickup near Athens can sometimes be arranged instead. Either way, we settle the details with you well before going-home day.

Drive times to the Athens, Georgia area

Athens — about 25 minutes
Gainesville — about 45 minutes
Atlanta — about 1 hour via I-85
Augusta — about 2 hours
Macon — about 2 hours
Columbus — about 2 hours 45 minutes
Chattanooga, TN — about 2 hours 30 minutes
Greenville, SC — about 2 hours
Savannah — about 3 hours 30 minutes

Drive times to Roanoke, Alabama

Anniston & Oxford — about 45 minutes
Auburn & Opelika — about 1 hour
Alexander City — about 1 hour
Birmingham — about 1 hour 45 minutes
Montgomery — about 1 hour 45 minutes
Tuscaloosa — about 2 hours 30 minutes
Huntsville — about 2 hours 45 minutes
Dothan — about 3 hours
Mobile — about 4 hours 30 minutes

If you're further away

We're glad to work with families outside driving range. Delivery or flight-nanny transport can be arranged at the buyer's expense — tell us where you are and we'll price it honestly before you commit to anything.

What we don't do is put puppies on planes as unaccompanied cargo. It's stressful for an eight-week-old dog, and it removes the part of this that matters most: you meeting us and seeing the dogs before committing to fourteen years with one of them.

What to bring

A second person, if you can. Someone needs to sit with the puppy. Driving alone with a loose eight-week-old is genuinely difficult.
A crate or carrier. Safest for the drive, and it starts crate association on day one — the crate we use and recommend.
A towel and paper towels. Puppies and car rides are an unpredictable combination. Bring more than you think.
Water and a small bowl. Offer at every stop — our pick for the ride.
A collar and a six-foot leash. For the stops — the leash we hand every family.
Poop bags. Obvious until you're standing at a rest area without them.

A few of the links above are Amazon Associate links — full list on our Puppy Essentials page.

Don't feed a large meal right before setting off. A light meal a couple of hours ahead is fine; a full bowl in the car park is asking for trouble.

How the day runs

Plan on an hour or two, not fifteen minutes. We'll go through the paperwork — AKC registration, health records, the health guarantee — and hand over the starter kit with food, a blanket that smells like the litter, and a toy.

Then we talk. What they've been eating and when, where they are with potty training, what to expect the first few nights. Bring questions. This is the easiest time you'll ever have asking them.

The drive home

Stop roughly every two hours. Offer water, put them on grass, let them stretch. Keep it calm — some puppies sleep the whole way, some cry for the first thirty minutes and then settle. Both are normal.

When you get home, keep the first evening small and boring. One room, the crate, a consistent potty spot outside. Puppies given the run of a whole house on day one are usually the ones still struggling with house-training three weeks later.

Our puppy essentials checklist covers what to have waiting before you leave, and the FAQ answers most of what comes up in week one. And email us. That's what lifetime breeder support means — not a line on a website.

Puppy Pickup Day: What to Expect in Georgia and Alabama