Maggie knows something is happening...she always gets antsy when she sees the luggage come out and camps by the front door...much like the gate guard at an Air Force base during an exercise. Somethings happening...I know it. You wont catch me sleeping...if that door opens, I*m going...leash or not. Last night, she didn’t eat...and Maggie NEVER skips meals...her food was still sitting in its bowl when I got home from the dress rehearsal for Annapolis Chorale’s first concert tonight.
Its been an interesting week. Those who know me well know that I am organized...sometimes TOO organized...so my to-dos for the trip are written down, edited (and edited again) and scheduled. The tightest timeline was for Maggie’s EU Pet Passport. For those thinking of traveling overseas...here is what we learned. Actually its easy...but you must be on top of things and have a great Vet with international qualifications. Fortunately we had Dr Longo from Bay Ridge Animal Hospital. She (and Dr Wozniak) are fabulous and have cared for my animals for many years.
I remember, from my Air Force Days, what a nightmare it was to take pets overseas. Melody (my ex-wife) and I had two Shit-tsu’s and I could fill an entire book on my issues with those little critters...much as I loved them. Mostly bladder issues. No need to use a fire hydrant or a tree when we have Dad’s Oriental Carpet to piss on. You could keep them outside for hours...I mean hours...and they would still piss and “poop” on my carpet...along with many other favorite spots in the house. But I digress.
When we took Patrick and Brandie to Guam for my assignment wth the 43d Bomb Wing, our pups had to stay in an outdoor quarantine facility for 3 months...as I recall Hawaii was 6. Expensive and these were little munchkins...not REALLY dogs. Miserable. Their only reprieve was when the island went on Typhoon alert...and the kids went home with us until the threat passed. Not much rigor if you ask me. I would have never even considered taking Maggie to Europe if things weren’t different now. The entire EU got together...along with several non-EU countries...and redefined Pet Travel in Europe. Rather jailing Maggie behind a fence fro 3 months to make sure she was free of rabies...or any other God Awful disease, they now actually trust Internationally Certified Vets to make sure that Rabies Inoculation records are current and the animal has a registered international (15 digit) chip implanted. And the vaccine and chip MUST be certified by the US Department of Agriculture...at the Import/Export office.
OK...here is the hitch. Everything MUST be done within 10 days of travel. If you are outside the 10 day window, the paperwork is not valid. Fortunately, I studied the process extensively and verified my understanding with Dr Longo about a month ago. Maggie had her Vet appointments on Friday and Monday. Dr Longo had the paperwork ready to go, did a brief examination of Maggie, and signed the documents required for the Passport. She worked with me to determine what I needed to keep for travel and what I needed to FedEx to the Dept of Agriculture in Albany NY. I had the outgoing envelope ready and, in addition to the paperwork requiring certification, i also included a prepaid return FedEx envelope. Off it went...and back it came on Wednesday. I worry when things like that are out of my control...but everything worked exactly as advertised and Maggie is certified to travel.
I found the PetTravel Website very helpful...i bit the bullet and ordered packages for Maggie’s travel to Amsterdam AND her return to the States. Since our return is outside the 30 day window, Maggie will need to see a Vet in Amsterdam before her return.
Pet Travel Store: https://www.pettravelstore.com/
So, Mags and I are now in the final throws of packing...and, as you can imagine, she is a big help. She has food for 9 days...Maggie is on a raw diet so I bought 9 days worth of Steve’s Freeze Dried Food from the Pet Barn in Annapolis...Love them!!! She has treats, a travel sleeping mat, harness, meds (Heartworm and F&T), her collar...and those all important little green bags which, I HOPE we don’t need on the plane.
So,we are getting closer to departure and hopefully this gets more interesting. I just wanted to share some of the procedural things I learned about Pet Travel. Bottom line: Find a Great International Vet.
Enjoy the rest of your Saturday and, if you are in Annapolis, come to the Annapolis Chorale’s Fall Concert, tonight at 8 at Maryland Hall...plenty of seats available.
Thanks all for your patience.
Doug (and Maggie)
Safe travels! Send pics!♥️♥️♥️♥️