Abigail Hunsinger is based in Maryland, though she’d be the first to tell you her real office is wherever her vehicle happens to be that day. She got her start in animal transport in 2018, not with dogs or cats, but with horses.
Local owners who couldn’t afford the steep rates charged by commercial haulers were reaching out, and she stepped in to fill the gap. It was practical, community-driven work, and it gave her a foundation in what it actually means to be responsible for someone else’s animal on the road.
In 2023, she made the shift to household pets: dogs, cats, rabbits, and what she describes with obvious delight as “a few beardies” (bearded dragons, for the uninitiated). Today she’s a USDA-registered transporter offering both ground and flight services across the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii. The scope of what she does now looks very different from those early horse hauls around her Maryland neighborhood, but the underlying motivation is the same.
Finding CitizenShipper was partly a practical decision. She already had her own website generating 10 to 30 leads per day, but sorting through all of them was exhausting. After researching her options, she concluded that the customers who come through CitizenShipper tend to be more serious. “They’re not just tire-kicking,” she said. “They’re ready to find an option to transport their pets.” That distinction matters when you’re running a premium service and every booking takes real time and care to execute well.
The Florida-to-Colorado Trip She Still Talks About
Ask Abigail about her most memorable transport and she doesn’t hesitate. A trip from Florida to Colorado stands out above everything else so far, and it wasn’t because anything went wrong. The dogs were great. The clients were great. And then there was that dog.
The curly-coated breed she encountered is so rare that fewer than 1,000 exist worldwide. Abigail had never met one before. “There are only about 1,000 in the world left and they are known for being very affectionate with their people,” she said. “He had a great personality and I loved the dog kisses throughout the trip.” She came prepared to do a job and ended up spending hours with a dog who seemed genuinely delighted to be along for the ride.
It’s a small thing, maybe, but it illustrates something real about what makes a good transport driver. Abigail wasn’t just logging miles. She was paying attention to the animal in her care, noticing its personality, and letting that connection make the work meaningful.
Want your pet in the hands of someone who pays that kind of attention? Get free quotes from verified pet transporters like Abigail on CitizenShipper, and choose the driver you feel best about before committing to anything.
How She Keeps Pets Safe and Comfortable on Long Drives
Abigail rotates between three vehicles depending on what she’s transporting: a Honda Pilot, a Honda Odyssey, and a Honda CR-V. All three have essentially the same setup inside, which means her standards stay consistent regardless of which one she takes out. Travel crates are standard, but she also brings dog beds along so animals aren’t spending the whole trip lying on hard crate floors. Stops happen regularly, for water and for movement, because she understands that a stressed or uncomfortable animal is a problem for everyone.
She also carries a serious emergency kit: a first aid kit, a blanket, dry food, water, a flashlight, flares, a portable air pump, a battery jump box, wipes, paper towels, and puppy pads. It’s the kind of list that reflects experience, not just intention. When something goes wrong on a long drive, which it eventually does for any transporter, you either have what you need or you don’t.
GPS tracking is part of her setup, and she’s clear about why. “I think it’s more of a peace of mind for my customers to see exactly where their family pets are,” she said. That framing is telling. She doesn’t describe it as a tool for her, she describes it as something she offers for them. The distinction says something about how she thinks about the relationship between driver and pet owner.
When something unexpected does come up, her approach is consistent: reach out to the client immediately, then solve the problem, then update the client again. For traffic, which she identifies as her most common challenge, she keeps people informed and does the best she can. “I immediately reach out to the client,” she said of any unexpected situation. “Reaching out to the customer immediately should always be the first thing.” She also keeps AAA coverage for breakdowns, which is the kind of practical preparation that takes the panic out of roadside situations.
She also has a communication style that goes beyond the basics. During a transport, she checks in at least once an hour. After the transport is done, she sends handwritten thank-you cards to clients. In an industry where people are entrusting strangers with their animals, that kind of follow-through isn’t nothing.
How a Coaching Call Changed Her Approach
Abigail participated in a coaching call with CitizenShipper’s Haick after struggling to get her first bookings on the platform. She’s straightforward about the experience: it helped. Specifically, Haick gave her concrete suggestions for her intro message, which led her to revamp it entirely. “It worked wonders,” she said.
The praise she has for Haick goes beyond the tactical advice. She mentions feeling heard when she brings ideas or concerns to him, and she cites a specific example: she flagged an issue with the “enter” button behavior in the platform’s mobile view, and he responded by almost immediately putting a poll to other drivers on Facebook to gauge their experience. “A lot of companies do not do that,” she said, and she’s right.
She recommends the coaching calls without qualification. “Haick has great recommendations for your profile and what your intro messages should say,” she said. For drivers who are newer to CitizenShipper or struggling to get their first bookings, that’s worth taking seriously from someone who came through that same frustration and figured it out.
Thinking about becoming a pet transporter? See how drivers like Abigail get started on CitizenShipper, including the resources available to help you land your first booking.
What She’d Tell Someone Just Getting Started
Abigail’s advice for new drivers is blunt and practical. First: give it a chance. Getting that first booking takes longer than most people expect, and the gap between signing up and actually making money can feel discouraging. She knows this from her own experience. Second, and maybe more importantly: know your worth.
“There are plenty of customers who want a dirt cheap rate,” she said. “If that’s not your business plan, move on. The premium customers will come.” This is the kind of advice that’s easy to say and hard to actually follow when you’re sitting with zero bookings and an inbox full of people offering half what you need to make the trip worthwhile. But Abigail runs a premium service, she holds her pricing, and she’s built a business that works.
She prices her runs based on miles, current gas prices, travel time, hotel costs when overnight stops are needed, and the time of year. There’s no formula that applies to every trip, which means every quote requires actual thought. That’s part of running this kind of operation with any seriousness.
What Keeps Her Coming Back
Abigail is honest about where CitizenShipper fits in her business. She uses it as an add-on to word-of-mouth work, not a replacement for it. There are no plans to expand into other transport categories right now, though she’s thought about it. A self-described “computer person,” she finds the platform straightforward to use, which she appreciates in the practical sense that it doesn’t create extra work.
What actually keeps her going, though, isn’t the platform features or the review count. It’s simpler than that. “I love animals,” she said. “Just being able to help owners get their pets where they need to be is something that is very rewarding.” After years of hauling horses for neighbors who needed help and now logging miles across all 50 states with dogs curled up in the back, that thread runs through everything she does.
She’s built something real, piece by piece, starting from a gap she noticed in her community and following it further than she probably expected. If you’re a pet owner wondering whether you can trust a stranger to get your animal safely across the country, Abigail Hunsinger is a pretty good answer to that question. You can browse verified drivers on CitizenShipper to find the right fit for your pet’s next trip.
Onboarding and Retention Manager – I lead driver onboarding and success initiatives, ensuring new transporters are seamlessly integrated into the platform and equipped with high-performing profiles and effective customer communication strategies. I provide hands-on guidance to help them position themselves competitively and win more shipments.
Using analytics and performance data, I proactively identify inactive or underperforming transporters and develop targeted strategies to re-engage and support them. My focus is on driving long-term retention, growth, and measurable success across the business.
Content Writer at CitizenShipper. I’ve also been published on The Penny Hoarder, Mommy Poppins and mxdwn.
