On this cool quiet Windhoek morning, I paced back and forth, nervous about when the dog would get here. The flight from Frankfurt to Windhoek landed at 5:24am, an hour earlier than scheduled, so I calculated perhaps by 8:00 he'd show up at the door step. Should I take a shower for him? What should I wear? Should I pull out my real camera to capture the moment? God. Seriously. I envisioned his drop off to be like those tear jerker videos of reunited pets and owners, the ones we see on Facebook.
Literally seconds after Mark left work, Jim's transport pulled into the driveway, delivered by two lady knights in shiny armor. They cut off the zip ties and opened the crate door for final liberation. Instead of a tail wag, lick and immediate demands of a good butt scratch, I got a dog who immediately ran to a tree for relief. And to a bush. And to another tree. And into the dirt, desperately trying to, well, poop. He just couldn't knock one out! For the rest of the day, forlorn, my dog kept his space but at the same time wouldn't let me out of his sight. I am certain he will come around, especially with a healthy dose of steamed pumpkin to motivate his system. He might be annoyed by his lengthy travel (Recife -> Sao Paolo -> Frankfurt -> Windhoek) over the past week, but I have confidence he will come around.
I did force him to take a selfie with me to show the people who pooled brains, resources, and time to get him here. Just from my email alone, I collected over 150 emails, corresponding to get him to Windhoek dating back to June 12. I can't imagine the number of other emails extended out of my sight- all for the love of a dog. Even with missed deadlines, incorrect paperwork, and original copies getting sent to the wrong country, I never once worried about Jim's overall well being mostly because Airpets Transcontrol (who are based in Brazil) monitored and corrected these errors for me and at times unbeknownst to me.
Our friends in Recife cared for him like their own, even after doubling the commitment time it took to get him out of the city. The energy spent by the U.S. Embassy staff in Namibia, orchestrating relationships between pet companies and foreign ministries, and the amount of miles accumulated across the city hand carrying documents- blows my mind. And the pet service company that functioned on several time zones, never once gave me reason to doubt their dedication. I am indebted to their attention to details, to pick up what others neglected to do.
Indeed the process was pricy, a little painful and at times frustrating, but he's home at last. After making several laps around the property and coating himself in thick layers of dirt, Jim has settled himself reasonably well. The Schlink family is finally at 100 percent!
Brazil: Airpets Transcontrol, http://airpetstranscontrol.com.br/?lang=en
Germany: G.K. Airfreight Service, http://www.petshipping.com/en
Namibia: Pet Travel Namibia, http://pettravelnamibia.com/
Literally seconds after Mark left work, Jim's transport pulled into the driveway, delivered by two lady knights in shiny armor. They cut off the zip ties and opened the crate door for final liberation. Instead of a tail wag, lick and immediate demands of a good butt scratch, I got a dog who immediately ran to a tree for relief. And to a bush. And to another tree. And into the dirt, desperately trying to, well, poop. He just couldn't knock one out! For the rest of the day, forlorn, my dog kept his space but at the same time wouldn't let me out of his sight. I am certain he will come around, especially with a healthy dose of steamed pumpkin to motivate his system. He might be annoyed by his lengthy travel (Recife -> Sao Paolo -> Frankfurt -> Windhoek) over the past week, but I have confidence he will come around.
I did force him to take a selfie with me to show the people who pooled brains, resources, and time to get him here. Just from my email alone, I collected over 150 emails, corresponding to get him to Windhoek dating back to June 12. I can't imagine the number of other emails extended out of my sight- all for the love of a dog. Even with missed deadlines, incorrect paperwork, and original copies getting sent to the wrong country, I never once worried about Jim's overall well being mostly because Airpets Transcontrol (who are based in Brazil) monitored and corrected these errors for me and at times unbeknownst to me.
Our friends in Recife cared for him like their own, even after doubling the commitment time it took to get him out of the city. The energy spent by the U.S. Embassy staff in Namibia, orchestrating relationships between pet companies and foreign ministries, and the amount of miles accumulated across the city hand carrying documents- blows my mind. And the pet service company that functioned on several time zones, never once gave me reason to doubt their dedication. I am indebted to their attention to details, to pick up what others neglected to do.
Indeed the process was pricy, a little painful and at times frustrating, but he's home at last. After making several laps around the property and coating himself in thick layers of dirt, Jim has settled himself reasonably well. The Schlink family is finally at 100 percent!
Recommended Pet Travel:
Brazil: Airpets Transcontrol, http://airpetstranscontrol.com.br/?lang=en
Germany: G.K. Airfreight Service, http://www.petshipping.com/en
Namibia: Pet Travel Namibia, http://pettravelnamibia.com/
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| Cold shoulder selfie. |
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| Going through his paperwork, some which mistakingly showed up to Windhoek. |
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| Happy campers. |
That last photo is the best!!
ReplyDeleteAw Jim.
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