What about the Girls?!?!?!

Anyone who knows us can tell you that we are hopelessly, and almost embarrassingly, attached to our two dogs, Suay and Crash. Once people have recovered from their initial surprise of us leaving, they ask about “the girls”. “What will you do without them?” Who will take care of them?” “They’ll be so sad if you leave them.”  Well, just so everyone can rest at ease, the first thing Mark checked, before even talking to Danielle about the move, was whether or not Suay and Crash will be able to accompany us to Russia.

It turns out; Russia has pretty lenient regulations in terms of importing pets. Russia requires one additional immunization to the locally required ones. They also require particular documentation of all immunizations and health records for the girls. Upon arrival in Moscow, the girls will have to pass through customs which requires very thorough documentation, translation and notarization of all customs documents. This can be particularly difficult with the language barrier. Fortunately, Mark was able to find a married couple in Russia who offer a service that assists expats in getting their pets into the country. The husband is the vet and the wife is the lawyer. Between the two of them, they can cover all of the requirements for getting pets into Russia. The vet does all of the doctor, immunization, health certificate “stuff” and the lawyer assists in processing all of the legal/customs documents. They provide this service for a nominal fee, but we would pay a lot more for the peace of mind it gives us knowing Suay and Crash can go with us and be taken care once we arrive.

At this point, it is still unclear if Suay and Crash will ride in the passenger cabin with us, or if they will be required to ride in the cargo area of the plane. The Russian couple offers tips and advice about this process and we are working closely with Suay and Crash’s vet in Boise to ensure the girls are taken care of. The determining factor will be the actual airline the international flight is booked on. Every airline has different policies and requirements for pets traveling in the cabin. Suay and Crash are small, but they’re not tiny. There are non-stop flights available out of Los Angeles. The non-stop flights are about twelve hours and the goal is to have the girls in the cabin for the flight. However, if the proper pet carrier can not be found that allows the girls enough room to be comfortable and still fit under the seat during the flight, the girls will be in the luggage area during the flight.

There are many out there that suggest the cargo/luggage area is better for dogs, as it allows them the opportunity to relax and sleep once the initial shock of the experience has passed. They argue that the constant activity and stimulation in the cabin may not allow a dog to fully relax. We want the girls to be in the cabin during the flight, mostly because we want to know the girls are safe and taken care of. Not knowing their condition during the flight, if they were in the cargo hold, would make for a long, stressful flight for us. However, we will consult with our vet to find out the best approach for the girls. The one thing that has been determined is that no sedatives will be given to the girls. Too many warnings from vets and too many reports of bad reactions drive this decision. The biggest risk when using a sedative on a dog during air travel is suffocation. This happens when the sedative relaxes the dog, and affects muscle control, to the point of laboring the dogs breathing. If the dog then falls asleep (or experiences any other complication during flight) there is a risk of suffocation. There is still a lot to figure out. However, regardless of the method of travel, the girls will be kept safe and they will not be orphaned or abandoned. :)