Friday, June 25, 2010

Headaches of Pet Travel

I will continue on with my story about Search Associates and becoming a international teacher, but first.....pet travel headaches! Now that I've finished my visa (yeah!) I am planning the big move. Realize that Henry comes first. I have no children, so the dog is my child. I purchased a kennel almost too big to get into the house (XL/500 series if you are interested) and began training. But the real headaches come with airlines and now...customs.
Good news is that there is no quarantine in Argentina. Some countries require that you leave your dog in a restricted facility for up to 6 months! Needless to say, Henry would not be going. Getting through customs should not be a problem, except for the fact that "yo no hablo espanol".
First, airlines. I went back and forth with several different airlines until I found that Continental had a pet safe program with no heat restrictions. Many airlines say that if it gets over 85 degrees, the pet doesn't fly. The problem is not the plane which has a/c, but the transportation to the plane from the airport. Continental has vehicles that are prepared for this. But, I searched the world over to figure this out. If only someone had just written a blog about this....
I could pee my pants I'm so nervous about putting Henry through it all. My biggest fear is that he has to be in a kennel for over 10 hours for the longest leg of our trip (Houston to Bs As). I don't want to mess around when we get to Argentina. I want him to get out of that kennel quickly so he can pee, eat, whatever. So customs makes me nervous.
Now, do I hire a pet mover. I had a quote of $6000 to get Henry from NC to Argentina. Not happening! I'm negotiating with a pet mover who is located in Bs As, who I'm hoping can help me through customs for a fee ($350). Now the questions I face are, is it worth it, or am I neurotic and should try and handle this on my own . More later.

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