Ten steps from draft to confirmed arrival.
Eligibility outcomes
- EligibleCompare services
- Needs reviewOperations review
- UnavailableCan't ship as entered
- Unknown: not eligibleMore details needed
Each step and who does it
- 01
Draft the shipment
ShipperOrigin and destination, species scientific and common names, count, life stage, container needs, declared value, any regulated status, ship date, recipient availability and package.
- Multiple animals or packages only where carrier policy permits
- The applicable species policy version is snapshotted
- 02
Eligibility check
PlatformYour organization's approval, species policy, the carrier's written live-animal approval, lane, service, cutoff, holidays, packaging and weather policy are evaluated before any price.
- Outcomes: Eligible, Needs review, Unavailable, Unknown
- Unknown is never treated as eligible
- Carrier prohibitions can't be overridden in software
- 03
Compare permitted options
ShipperOnly services approved for these animals on this lane and date are shown, each with an estimated arrival date, a full price breakdown and an explicit quote expiry.
- 04
Pack with the checklist
ShipperA packing wizard uses the species, quantity, temperature policy and your box preset to suggest liner, cups or bags, fill and thermal products where suitable. You sign the declaration, then do your Packing Check-In: show how your animal was packed with photos or a short video. The buyer sees it right away and gets an email.
- 05
Pay
ShipperPrice is rechecked immediately before payment. Checkout is idempotent, card details are handled by the payment provider, and payment status is confirmed by signed webhooks, never by a browser redirect.
- 06
Print the label
ShipperLabels are created only when the carrier account is approved for live animals and booking is enabled. Label PDFs and manifests are stored privately.
- 07
Hand off at a confirmed location
ShipperDrop off only at a location marked 'live animals accepted (confirmed)' on the coverage map, before its cutoff. Never assume a carrier retail point accepts live animals.
- 08
Tracking
Carrier & operationsCarrier scans are normalized into a stable vocabulary while the original payloads are kept. Exceptions, missed scans and hold deadlines open a case for operations automatically.
- 09
Recipient confirms arrival
RecipientThe recipient uses a private, expiring link to confirm arrival condition and do their Arrival Check-In, showing how the animal arrived with photos or video. A carrier 'delivered' scan never marks animals healthy automatically.
- 10
Claims, if something goes wrong
OperationsClaims separate label/service refunds, live-arrival protection, package damage and supplies returns. Evidence requirements are rule-based; a person reviews every claim.
Reading a timeline
Every event shows where it came from.
Tracking is a series of carrier scans, not live GPS. Each event carries a source label, and only a carrier scan means the carrier actually handled the package at that moment.
Confirmed scan received from the carrier (not live GPS).
“Arrived at FedEx hub, Mississauga, ON”. The carrier physically scanned the package.
A planned event, not yet confirmed.
“Out for delivery expected tomorrow morning”. A planned step that hasn't been confirmed.
An estimate that may change.
“Estimated delivery by 10:30”. An estimate that can change.
Entered by Monarch Animal Shipping operations staff.
“Carrier case opened; hold at station requested”. Entered by our operations team.
Reported by the shipper, not yet confirmed by the carrier.
“Dropped off at 15:40”. The shipper's report, until the carrier scans it.
Reported by the recipient.
“Arrived; all animals active”. The recipient's arrival report.
“Delivered” is not “arrived well”
A carrier's delivered scan means the box was handed over. The shipment moves to arrival confirmed only when the recipient reports the animals' condition, or to a claim if something is wrong.
Forecasts are planning aids
Weather is checked against each species' safe temperature range, rechecked at checkout, and monitored by operations until the shipment leaves. A forecast never guarantees survival.