Getting back to the original posters question of shipping, I looked at some stats on shipping mishaps/mortalities
Aviation Consumer Protection Division
Just looking at the
last 4 monthsin the US.....
11 deaths have been reported,
6 injuries and
3 losses. In the last 2 months, Delta airlines has had 6 deaths themselves! So, transporting pets as cargo is not without risks! I did not find stats on just how msny pets are being flown each month to try and figure a percentage of problems. But the numbers still looked significant to me.
Some airlines do use the regular cargo bays for pets. Some have separate areas for "live cargo." Some airlines offer 3 modes of pet transportation, in cabin, checked as baggage and checked as cargo. Most are outside during loading and unloading. A yorkie pup is not meant to take any extreme in temps. I just would not consider it at this time of year, especially to CT.
I also read a little about the professional Pet Transportation folks. Maybe this is an option if you cannot fly to meet the little one and bring her/him back with you.