Got a pet emergency? There’s now a transportation service for that in Northern Delaware.
K911 is a 24-hour transport service for dogs, cats and other domestic animals that may be sick, injured or need therapy.
It’s the brainchild of business partners Ryan Locke and Troy Warner. Warner is a public safety dispatcher for New Castle County and noticed people have called in for pet emergencies, but ambulances aren’t allowed to pick up animals. It fills a need, Locke said.
"We’re basically a pet taxi or a pet ambulance," Locke said. "We are just the transport side of that. We both know CPR but we want to leave all medical decisions up to you and your vet."
They’ve taken dogs, cats and other animals to the vet, groomers, or animal hospitals, Warner said. In one of their recent cases, they picked up a pregnant 280-pound Great Dane. She gave birth to 16 puppies after K911 transported her to West Chester Veterinary Medical Center.
"Before we got this thing started, we kind of thought it was going to be more of a dog-cat Über situation - you know what I mean - we thought it was going to be more of a taxi situation," Warner said. "But the majority of them have been emergency situations because people don’t know they need us until the last minute."
Based in Claymont, they charge a $50 flat fee for rides booked at least 24 hours in advance. Emergency transportation costs $100. There’s also a $2 per mile fee for rides over 20 miles.
They have already transported pets from as far away as Philadelphia and Elkton, Maryland - and hope to add vehicles and employees to expand their reach.
To reach K911, call 302-746-6006 or visit them online at k911online.com.
