Most of you have heard/read about Thaba's trip to Mongolia, where he broke out of his cage and had to be captured by the animal people in Frankfurt. How we had to buy a new kennel and then drive to Munich to reach Ulaanbaatar. Some of you have heard/read about our memorable trip from Zambia through Botswana to South Africa. On that trip Sedi flew out of the pickup truck when the cap on the back came off and then we had to smuggle Izzie and Sedi into South Africa by having Botswanan dog papers made that allowed them to enter South Africa “legally.” (The forged paper work had been arranged by our vet in Zambia). Some might remember the fairly uneventful return of Thaba to Zambia via London and others might recall the fairly simple trip to the US for both Izzie and Sedi although there was a flight cancellation for the dogs' plane and I had to leave the country the day before they did. In the end, you never know what is in store for you when you send some large dogs to a foreign land.
By now I feel that I am well qualified as an international dog shipper. I know where to look and who and what to ask. So I was confident that I would be able to easily ship the dogs to Guatemala. It seemed that all that was required was a health certificate that was certified by both the US Government and the Consulate of Guatemala, albeit with the correct shots. Rabies had to be done over 30 days from shipping and even though the dogs had a two year rabies shot, discretion was the better part of valor and we decided to get the dogs shot up again. Of course the consulate required a health certificate within 30 days and the airline required one with ten. So we had to get an over 30 day rabies shot, and under 30 days health certificate and one within 10 days for the airline. We had decided to fly Continental because of their pet-safe program This allows you to ship regardless of weather. The other airlines, such as American, would not ship if the temperature at any airport was above 85 degrees. Since those flights are all routed through either Miami or Houston, it made sense to fly Continental. Lo and behold, Continental also has one direct flight to Guatemala City on Saturday. So I booked the dogs and ourselves on the same Saturday flight.
Our vet seemed cooperative and 32 days prior to the flight I showed up with two dogs ready for their shots and their certificates. They got their shots, but the vet wouldn't postdate the health certificate, so I had to return a few days later. The vet also told me to return with the dogs for the ten day letter required by the airlines. Of course the health certificate has to be certified by the USDA vet in Montpelier. Unfortunately there has not been a USDA vet in Montpelier in about 6 months. With a bit of research I found that there is a USDA vet at the border about 45 minutes away. I called him up and he told me that the vet in Montpelier does not like him to do this, but since there wasn't one it would be alright.
In the Miata on a nice day, I drive up to the border to get the papers processed. Now we have had the government process papers on two different continents in 4 different countries and it is fairly routine. Stamp it and out the door. The vet turned out to be a fellow motorcyclist who has dealt with Bud Provin and Dougie Mo. It also turned out that it cost 36 dollars to have the papers stamped. Apparently President Reagan in his failed attempts to lower taxes managed to find new ways to collect money. Check or charge please, no cash. Two steps down a couple more to go. At least I did not have to drive to Boston to have it done, as suggested by the USDA.
A ten dollar money order and off the papers go to the Consulate in Rhode Island. Why is there a Guatemalan consulate in Rhode Island? Who knows. Both the consulate and embassy in DC were forthright and easy to deal with, so our hopes for Guatemala grew. About 5 days later the papers came back with an “approval” letter attached to each of the 5 copies of the document. Things were going smoothly.
I returned to the vet to have him see that the dogs had not deteriorated in the two and a half weeks since I had been there. After waiting 20 minutes, he spent maybe 10 minutes taking their temperature and listening to their hearts. No surprise, the dogs were healthy. I told him I would return the next day to pick up the letter that says the dogs could fly. I return the next day and the letter is there, but there a “small” outstanding bill. I am a bit flabbergasted as I had paid 200 dollars for the shots and original health certificate. The receptionist tells me it is “only” eighty six dollars. Those of you that know me well, know that I am not a happy camper when I feel like I am being ripped off. I explained that that was out of line. So they send the office manager out to see me. She explains that they have to charge for the vets time and time it took to fill out the form. I explained that I did not need a form, I needed a one sentence letter that said the dogs could fly. I also asked if I get to bill them for the 20 minutes I spent waiting for my ten minute appointment. We go back and forth for a while and I told her I did not think there should be a charge, I already had spent 200 dollars, I would settle for 25 dollars. She capitulated.
How do you get two large dogs, two giant kennels and a whole pile of luggage down to Newark? After all we couldn't fly out of Burlington as the planes are all too small. Why you rent a U-Haul trailer and have Tristan come up. In this way he could take the car back to DC and use it while we are gone. This would also give Tristan a chance to learn how to shut down the house.
We were going to drive down to Newark on Friday for our Saturday flight, so I made reservations at the dog friendly Sheraton at the airport. Thursday arrives and I have time to race one last time on Victory. Diane was going to say good bye to her Uncle and Aunt and meet me at the after-race barbeque. We have an excellent race in good wind, including an exciting boat on boat finish. We get on the launch and go to the clubhouse where Diane was waiting. She informs me that Tristan would not be coming as he missed his flight due to some train miscue. I am not a happy camper, but I am assured by Tristan that he will meet us in Newark. If you see him, be sure to ask him how he missed his flight.
Friday arrives and we close down the house. Drain the pipes, adjust the heat, etc. There is plenty of room in the small trailer for everything and without Tristan, the dogs can spread out in the back of the Subaru. We stop at Uncle Bob's to settle up on a tractor I bought because my friend Dick said he would be willing to occasionally mow my lawn if there was a riding mower (Thanks Dick). Forty five minutes later we still have not gotten a final price on the mower, I leave Bob with a check and tell him to let me know what it cost. I am still waiting to find out, so if any of you talk with Uncle Bob, perhaps you can ask him. At 11 AM we depart and arrive in Newark at 5. Tristan is waiting for us in the room and all we need is a smooth departure on Saturday. We manage to find pizza and beer for dinner and we turn in early.
Early the next morning we are off to Continental's pet-safe office at the terminal. It was truly a pleasure dealing with people that were efficient and knowledgeable. The dogs are loaded up and we get our luggage and say our goodbyes to Tristan, who has to return the U-haul someplace in Newark. We left him with a GPS, so it could not have been that bad. After boarding, we check with the flight attendant and she tells us the dogs have been successfully loaded. Off we go. Arrival in Guatemala goes without incident, all of our luggage is there, but where do we pick up the dogs. Turns out we pick up the dogs right next to the baggage carousel. I pay the 30 dollar import fee, (no receipt was available, no surprise) and they load up the dogs on a large trolley. Somehow we manage to get everything through Customs without a hitch, though they x-ray each and every piece of luggage. Our biggest fear was that there would not be anyone to meet us, but as promised Eddie and Paola are there. We had told them to bring a large vehicle or two, but they had no clue what they were in for. They had come in a tiny Hyundai Getz and large SUV. Somehow after breaking down the kennels and loading all of the luggage there was enough room for all of us. We safely arrive at our new home.
So for those of you waiting to hear another horror story of dog shipping, you have been sorely disappointed. It all went well and we are all doing fine.
