Sky’s The Limit For Dogs
“On a recent trip to Columbia, I traveled light with 2 bags, a banana, & no live animals. On the return, I subtracted the fruit & added a third carrier- & a wiggly dog named Max.
...I was a flight volunteer for Cartagena Paws, an animal-rescue centre that, among myriad services, places Colombian street dogs with adoptive families in North America. My ultimate responsibility was to escort the 8-month-oldpuppy with the overactive tail to the District of Columbia...
‘Without flight volunteers, many animals will be stuck here & unable to get to their forever homes in the United States & Canada,’ said Maureen Cattieu...who founded the centre in 2014...
Around the world, animal- welfare groups are rescuing dogs from dire situations...
...the organizations are exporting rescue dogs to North America. The groups have no shortage of animals to send or humans on the receiving end, but they need independent travelers to connect the 2 halves.
Depending on the airline & the departure city, the groups have 3 ways to transport dogs internationally. Cargo is the most expensive route...They can also travel as checked baggage...or as a carry-on...In both scenarios, a chaperon is required. To save money on the companion’s fare, the rescue centres solicit help from vacationers already holding a plane ticket home.
...Many groups will book the reservation for the 4-legged passenger as extra baggage or an in-cabin pet...They will deliver the animal to the airport in a crate or soft-sided carrier & help with check-in.They will provide a care package containing food, water,medications, leash, collar, & other necessities...After the aircraft lands, the families or rescue centres will scoop up the dogs & cart them off to their next...destination...
Maureen soon found Max a home in Texas & arranged a car ride from the District to San Antonio...The morning before my flight home, I took a short cab ride to the vet & picked up a very excited Max. We walked-in zig-zaggy formation- to the airport, where I submitted his documents to the government’s agricultural department.
While the officer typed in our information, Max rolled around on the office furniture. He handed me the documents & inspected the pup, smiling at his windshield- wiper tail...
Max received a jubilant sendoff at the airport, complete with bon voyage poster & kisses from Maureen.
At security, I carried him through the X-ray machine & tucked him into his carrier while we waited to board. Before takeoff, he poked his head out of the open top like a periscope, surveying the alien landscape of a Boeing 737.
At Reagan Airport, we waited outside for the next member of Max’s village to arrive. A little after midnight, Kim Rodeffer drove up. We photographed him with a sign that read, 'Max is in Washington D.C.’ A week later, I watched an online video of Max racing around the backyard of his new home. His Colombian tail was wagging wildly against the Texas sky.”
Andrea Sachs
The Washington Post
in The Montreal Gazette
Dec. 24/2016
Cute Critter Pic
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