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(Update) All is well. Guess who fits in the puppy carry-on? mrs TBogg took Dog In A Bag to the airport and he passed the size test. Also she apologized to the counter people for being frantic, showed them why she was frantic (Him), and they went nuts over him. Best of all, he gets to travel with her so this is the best of all worlds.
Considering these fact, should she send me clear enough pictures, I will post a shot of him tonight. After that football game thing.
Trouble.
While rescheduling with United Airlines to leave of the quaint village of State College tomorrow, mrs TBogg has been assured repeatedly that there would be no problem bringing He of the Mysterious Name along with her. She has stated repeatedly that she would be bringing a puppy in a travel kennel with her and “would there be any problem?”, and the answer was always “Not at all”.
Today after spending several hours with the Puppy at Tait’s she stopped by the airport to confirm her seating arrangements and was told, “No. The puppy can’t fly out” because of the cold. The problem, is that the people from United reservations on the phone are based elsewhere, presumably Dearborn. When she made her original arrangements to fly out she repeatedly explained to the young lady that she was flying to PA. to PICK UP A PUPPY. When she confirmed two days before leaving, they had her taking a puppy with her from San Diego.
Morans.
The latest issue is that the temperature is too low to safely transport him, even in the heated cargo area. We understand and appreciate this. But you have the right hand and the left hand not communicating with each other and, ultimately, us left holding the bag. Add to the fact that the counter people at United Express were, to put it nicely, abrupt and unhelpful even when all she was asking for was suggestions or alternatives, and now mrs TBogg is now a very unhappy and frustrated camper.
So… our next plan of attack is to get a doggy carry-on bag and hope that he fits the parameters for small dog. Plus-side, he weighs less than the maximum. Downside, 17 inches maximum in length which means we might be barking up the wrong breed, to coin a phrase. At this moment, mrs tbogg is getting the bag, then heading to Tait’s to pick up Mr. He Better Be Worth All of This, and then taking him down to the airport to get someone IN WRITING to approve him for in-cabin travel tomorrow. (UPDATE): According to a text I just received, he fits perfectly into the carrier.
Worst case, is we may have to wait to have him shipped out to us in the next week or two.
He has become a very expensive dog. He better poop krugerands or something.
And here’s your puppy picture: Baby Beckham the day we brought him home. He was about eight weeks at the time. The new boy will be about twelve weeks when he gets here…with any luck at all.
I will update as stuff happens. Or doesn’t.
31 Comments
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I used to fly with my small dog in a carrier that i put under the seat. They charged me $75 each way “handling” fee EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN’T HANDLE HIM!! Also, they usually have a limit as to the number of dogs that can be in the passenger cabin on any flight.
If she’s thinking of sedating him she might want to do a dry run on that before actually going to the airport. Some dogs weird out on valium and try to bite. Mine was just fine and I’d sneak him out of the carrier, put him on my lap, then cover him with a blanket that I take on planes.
do not abort your plans. he is the chosen one
Oh, TBogg, too bad you didn’t consult with me prior to this adventure regarding our shipping of FOUR large dogs [plus one cat] to HAWAII from Washington DC on United. What a merry band of pranksters and paperwork lovers!
I strongly suggest the carrier under the seat. That way he will be with Mrs. TBogg. I wouldn’t trust sending him “cargo,” especially not with the high probability of delays caused by this rotten weather.
And do NOT sedate him!!!! It’s bad for adult dogs, and I would assume, doubly bad for puppies. If she has him in the carrier, she can calm him with her presence.
It’s not surprising Mrs. TBogg got the run around since airline customer service *with a smile* only exists in the ads.
Maybe Mrs. TBogg can hire a snow plough, drive to the nearest thawed state, rent a car and take herself and He Who Will Test You on an adventure featuring a new hotel every night.
Yes, it’s quite likely Beckham is chuckling his ass off while Satchmo looks on blankly. A basset’s gotta be earned, motherfrackers.
Baby bassets lying down (plopped) always look perplexed. Like they aren’t quite sure how to get up. Boneless, I think you said.
The “hand carry” is the only way to go to assure the safe handling of precious cargo. Re: sedation, avoid if possible, however, Bach’s Rescue Remedy – available at decent natural food types stores, is a very safe and good alternative. A few drops rubbed into the underside of an ear makes for mellow, with no nasty side effects.
No doubt the angel with dirty feet with charm the most recalcitrant flight staff and her loving bundle will be safely transported to casa TBogg, and snuffing (of newly acquainted bassetts) and laughter, and tears (for Beckham) will abound in casa TBogg, and you’ll do a Very Special Early to Mid-Week Bassett Blogging and we’ll all catch puppy fever and ooh and awwh in reply – thus, keeping this crazy world spinning.
Safe travels Mrs. TBogg.
Thank Chuy! (Is the tail included in the length requirement?)
MauiMom, I may need support, if I ever get the g-d job in Honolulu. I’ve prepped Arthur with all the required blood tests so he doesn’t have to do quarantine, but all the shipmenting….
just make sure she doesn’t feed him any kinda lunch meat or something, animal will puke and she’ll feel real crummy about that. yes I’m talking from experience.
Oh, God, I CAN’T STAND THE SUSPENSE! Even the kittehs are curious about The Unnamed Canine Who Travels in a Bag. (Unnerving image of Palm Beach matrons with purse pooches there… sorry…) I hear there may be some sort of thing on the TV with really good commercials this evening, but I’ll be mashing the F5 button hoping for puppy pix.
Really? Wow. Would this work on cats too? We’ve got one who gets absolutely freaked when he has go get in the carrier to see the vet. He LURVES the vet, it’s the carrier that freaks him out.
Bach’s rescue remedy is used by The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee to treat PTSD. If it works to soothe the world’s largest land mammal, it’s bound to work for cats.
There’s a football game on tonight? Why was I not informed??
It has been a completely exhausting day but the end result is exactly what I wanted. Puppy to be Named Later in the cabin on my lap and all warm and snuggly. Even if we get stuck in the god-forsaken mess that is Dulles, we will be together. And as to sedation, our wonderful Mr. Tait has suggested a sliver of Dramamine as it will calm and eliminate any possible motion sickness in said puppeh. Given that he has been breeding bassets for over 50 years, I’m gonna go with that. That being said, the only time the Puppy in the Pouch made any noise today was when I unzipped to top of the crate. As soon as I closed it again, he curled up, laid down and dosed off. I think he going to be a good traveler. I will be sure to take my Dramamine too…these puddle jumpers are the worst. Home in about 24 hours!!!
Best wishes to Mrs. TBogg and the chosen one, quite the adventure for them.
The joys of winter travel in the northern tier – we also have mucho white in SE PA. Oh, and I’ve also done the roll down the window to let the snow in trick, even better with a sunroof.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
/Arthur J. GWPDA, Appointments Sec’y.
As long as you’ve done the blood testing + mailing to the KS lab more than 4 months in advance of your planned trip, you’re okay. Well, okay except for the mountains of paperwork and tons of fees. But getting the whole operation started on time is the key.
I hope you’re going to Oahu. If it’s Maui, I would strongly say don’t come.
Feel free to e-mail me at AOL if you’ve got additional questions.
Well shoot, if I’d known you were flying into Dulles, I would have come out to greet you — except for the fact that I’m snowed in by 28″ of the white stuff in suburban VA. [House-sitting for a set of rescue dogs.]
I’m going nowhere until the snowplow comes, and they’re saying neighborhoods should not expect relief until Tuesday at the earliest.
If those are the choices, my money’s on “something.” Like, the remains of sofa cushions.
So, if he’s about 12 weeks old he must be one of the little red and white boys from litter 470?
LOL. Of course he will be. Gad. Each new addition has big shoes to fill, but they all come with their own shoes instead. And, their own stories. Poor Mrs. TBogg. I take it she doesn’t fit the description of Snow Bunny. Must be all kinds of trauma. But, if her mission – which she decided to accept – was to get said Mr. He Better Be Worth All of This home safely, I’ve no doubt she will. Either the new puppy or Mrs. TBogg needs the name Intrepid.
Bach’s is great. No, Bach’s is fantastic for stressed dogs/cats/humans. I used to dose all my beasts–and the teen and myself–whenever the m-i-l’s dogfromhell came for a visit. My mom uses it every time she takes her (rescued and re-abandoned x5) dog in the car. Otherwise, she hyperventilates (the dog, I mean). Worth keeping on hand.
My mom used to give our beagles Gravol (same thing as Dramamine) during road trips. Of course, giving it to them required disguising the “sliver” in a huge slab of peanut butter or jam or they wouldn’t take it.
Off topic, but looks like that Tebow commercial got a major rewrite. I guess they had to abort the abortion angle since that was never a legal option for her anyways. What replaced it was a real WTF moment. Way to piss away your money and say nothing, Dobson…
I am assuming Tebow is not in the running for the name of He Who Better Worth All This. May I respectfully suggest TP for Tea Party since Mrs. TBogg got him on the same day as the Tea Party Convention. Also, Earl Grey or Lipton.
I can’t wait. I’m gonna need Bach’s Rescue Remedy for myself at this rat.
er, rate.
Beckham was a beautiful baby.
I wouldn’t get too excited about the Bach’s–it’s “homeopathic,” a.k.a., “water.”
I eagerly await pix of the puppy. Mrs. Tbogg, you deserve a medal! I’m sure St. Satchmo is smiling down on you….
Beautiful puppy pic–well wishes for Mrs. TBogg and the new pup.
That’s usually the case (dogs, too) — the carrier comes with all sorts of smells and memories that are unvariably unpleasant reminders of fun times like having a thermometer stuck up your ass.
Here’s a little trick I’ve benn using for over 20 years now: don’t put the carrier away. Just leave it out somewhere so the kitty can smell it, mark it, etc. — after a while, it will just be another piece of furniture to him. I have one carrier on top of a wardrobe closet and another next to the TV stand, and my cat (multiple carriers is a remnant from the days of multiple cats — time to get a new kitty, though I hope with less trouble than the Boggs are having) loves to get inside them (esp. the one on top of the wardrobe) and go to sleep. In fact, it’s her favorite sleeping place when I’m not in bed.
Like I said, I have been doing this for years and it worked/works like a charm on all the cats I have had (at least 10 since I started doing this). I would even say that roughly 75% of them would voluntarily go into the carrier if I put it on the floor before going to the vet.
Hope it works for you.
And no, we won’t forget this guy.