Little Watson was included in our (American) Thanksgiving travel itinerary to Ottawa, Canada.
It consisted of a 3 1/2 hour flight, plus a 3 hour layover, plus, another one and a half hour flight. Repeat for the return.
Not wanting to leave anything to chance, packing for Watson was more involved than packing for ourselves.
First and foremost essentials: SEGDI vest, leash, and MOST important, the treat bag!
Then, there was the paperwork: rabies certificate, health certificate, records of all her shots, a letter from SEGD verifying us as Puppy Raisers, Puppy Raiser ID cards, Watson's business card, and Puppy Raiser brochures.
Then: diapers for quick clean-ups, Puppy Pads as back-up for quick clean-ups, handwipes for after quick clean-ups, portable dish, chew toys and stuffed toys - and that was just in the carry-on bag! Just in case!
The suitcase had dishes, food, more training treats, a towel to define "her space" and back-up paperwork.
Watson was oblivious to the planning and preparation.
After all that - Watson traveled like a pro!
She breezed through security screening, walked the airport confidently, waited patiently for our flight and slept on the plane.
Then, we had to transfer flights with our 3 hour wait.
This is when "busy" and "busy busy" tracking is very important!
Newark has a Pet Relief area in the terminal, which was great because we did not want to deal with clearing security again during Thanksgiving weekend.
I don't think Watson was fooled by the plastic grass and fake fire hydrant, but, she did make use of it. YEAH!
Once we got to Ottawa, cleared Customs & Immigration, and set foot on Canadian soil we breathed a sigh of relief.
Watson was surprised to be greeted with remnants of the previous week's snow on the ground!
She LOVED it. And she LOVED the crisp cool air.
I think her 2am and 4am potty breaks were just to enjoy the cool air and make sure the snow was still there. Siiiiiiiiiiiiigh.
By the time we were ready to return home we knew Watson was an International Traveler that could cross the border and fly the friendly skies with confidence.
Many thanks to United Airlines and Air Canada for graciously accommodating us and making the trip an easy journey and special time.
Wow - a Pet Relief area... how cool is that? Quite the job to get her to Ottawa and back, but y'all did a good job!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Preparing was pretty stressful, especially because she’d had a bladder infection a couple of weeks earlier, and, our original flights were later in the day with only a 40 minute layover. Fortunately, she was a champ!
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