This driver believes he has a doggone good job

Neosho, Mo., resident and professional puppy transporter Aaron Burns poses for a photograph at a Central Arkansas truck stop. He may look a little sleepy, but the sun was in his eyes. He said he was en route back home at the time and looking forward to seeing his wife and child.

By JERRY BREEDEN
The Trucker Staff

9/19/2007

NEOSHO, Mo. — Aaron Burns’ job as a driver has gone to the dogs, literally.

For the past four months, the Neosho, Mo., resident has been transporting “designer puppies” to buyers in New York and Florida at prices approaching $1,100 per puppy. He said the dogs are all “special breeds” and that they travel in the comfort of a fully enclosed, climate-controlled van.

“As a driver, I’m responsible for feeding and watering the puppies and making sure they don’t get sick while en route to their new homes,” said Burns.

He said he has hauled as many as 100 puppies at a time and without having lost a single one to sickness or injury. The van was empty of cargo at the time The Trucker talked with Burns.

Should one of his four-legged charges become ill on the road, “we have a veterinarian technician on staff,” Burns explained. “We call him and he tells us what to do. It’s all very professional.”

Burns said he’s usually on the road for three days at a time. Team drivers, he said, often record some 3,000 miles in that period of time. He’s off for four days running, which, he said, “suits me just fine.”

When he’s at home, he spends time with his wife, Ashley, and their son, 4-year-old Taylor. “I also manage to get some extra sleep and I like to fish and eat,” Burns said, smiling. “It’s a pretty good gig.”

He said the puppies he transports are seldom a bother. “Sometimes, though, early in the morning it seems like they’ll all wake up at the same time and start yipping and going crazy for about an hour, but it’s no big deal.

“You have to be a dog lover,” he said. “There’s no doubt about that.”

Burns said hauling the puppies is the only commercial driving job he’s had and that he’s only been at it for the past five months. Prior to that, he worked in a fertilizer plant in the Neosho area.

“There’s definitely more money in trucking,” he said.