When life gives you lemons…
What do you do when your allergies are getting worse, you have a dog, and it is becoming imperative that you travel more than half way across the country to more copacetic location to look around and find out where you’d like to land? Why you get an airplane approved pet carrier, calming meds for the dog, and you plan to take a week of vacation to go out to look around. Of course.
A recent visit to my allergist gave me a lot to ponder as I am having allergic reactions when I physically shouldn’t be able to react. The simple answer, my allergies are far worse that we originally thought, and we need to rethink our options for treatment. And when the allergist asks, “So what happened to you moving to Maine? Why hasn’t that happened yet?” You have to face the reality that life where you are is not your best life. And you need to get your butt in gear to make the move happen.
While we have been diligent in setting us up to be able to move at a moments notice, we hadn’t been out there to look around the areas we’d been pouring over on the internet. Let’s face it, the internet can only do so much to convey exactly what you are getting yourself into.
And more lemons…
Now be prepared when planning to travel with your pet. I called United and asked about pet relief areas in the most popular connection air ports, after an hour on the phone with United asking questions, I then had to call each airport individually to see if they had pet areas. Thankfully we found one that had pet areas within the secured area of the airport at Dulles, and I was able to find flights through Dulles that would allow us time to take Chaz to these areas between flights without giving an excessively long layover.
Most airlines do not offer you a way to book your pet for travel online. I booked our flights, picked out our seats (paying more for an upgrade to economy plus for more carry-on room) and then had to call the airline to add the dog – which canceled our seats, so I had to pay (again) for the seat upgrade, and my first charge for the upgrade will not be refunded until after we’ve returned from the trip. It’s three hours of my life I can never get back. So word to the wise, book the flight, but leave the seats alone just call the airline and get the pet booked, then get your seats. Save yourself this headache.
Make Limoncello…er…lemonade
I will say this about the carrier, there are a lot of them. And I have never been so thankful for a very small dog. Sherpa has a guarantee that their bag will fit on the plane (or they’ll pay for any missed flights). I got the large, even though Chaz is much smaller than the measurements for the carrier. However, it gives Chaz plenty of room to move around if need be, and it offers a small storage area for treats.
We are leaving the carrier out so Chaz can get used to seeing it and smelling it. Then we did a test run with the meds to make sure they worked correctly, and lasted for the correct length of time. So, a drugged dog who is spending quite a bit of time in a travel carrier is what the weekend before the trip looked like. Chaz handled the carrier fine, we even zipped him in. It took a bit but he was able to lay down and sleep. The good new is that the dog did fine on the meds, though he wasn’t a fan of hubby handling him. The meds solidified the fact that Chaz is a Momma’s dog.
I also got some collapsable bowls for Chaz to drink from while we are traveling. And since they depict Chaz correctly, he is after all a Super Dog, I couldn’t resist these.
Now to find meds that will keep hubby calm on the flight. I kid! kind of!
And drink it all up…
While we have often traveled with Chaz in tow, we have never flown with a dog, so this is going to be quite the experience. Add into the situation his issues with food, and it’s going to be a fun time.
Yes, he is still battling his sensitive tummy. We have a plan to test for food allergies when we get back. In the meantime we will be adding fish to his diet to see if that increases his appetite a bit. The good news is that I don’t think his tummy trouble is caused by a sensitive or stressed out nature. The meds did not make him want to eat. Check that possibility off my list.
We connected with a realtor in Maine, and are picking out some properties to look at while we are there. Now I have to get through a week of work and planning for the trip while hubby is out of town for work, then we have one day to pack and get ready for the big trip. Chaz is a little vindictive about being on meds, once they began wearing off he started having deliberate accidents in the house. Right in front of me, he didn’t even try to hide it. This week is sure to be fun.
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