There was no question that we would bring Tucker to Switzerland. He's a big part of our lives and I couldn't leave him. I assumed taking a dog overseas wouldn't be too hard, I watch House Hunters International and people do it all the time. We looked into a pet transportation service and the costs range from $1,500 to $3,000! That's insane, so we decided to figure it out ourselves.The first part of getting him ready to go was easy. If you go to the USDA's website and select which country you are moving to it tells you all the paperwork and shots the dog needs. I also talked to my vet at Love Pet Hospital. I didn't even ask them to help me, but they went ahead and called the USDA and got all the correct forms and all the details for me. Tucker needed a new European Microchip and another rabies shot. And this had to be done at least 21 days before Tucker left the country. Easy.
The next part was a little tricky. I had to get a health certificate from my vet. Once I got that certificate, I had 10 days to get Tucker to Switzerland. The problem with this is we didn't know when we were leaving for Switzerland. We couldn't leave till Mike got his Visa, and we had no idea when that would be. Let me also say we had already sold our house and was living in a hotel. By the end of our time there Mike still went to work, but I sold my car and had finished with my job, so I was stuck in the hotel room with Tucker 24/7. Super fun. Once Mike got the news his Visa was ready, he flew to Atlanta to pick it up. We were ready to go!
After we got Tucker's health certificate, the next step is to go to your state's USDA and get it endorsed. The website says it could take 2 days, and when your on a 10 day time frame that gets tricky. Lucky for us, the USDA in Texas is in Austin so we went in person and got the certificate endorsed that day! Done, Tucker is ready to fly.
Our plan was for Mike to head on to Switzerland from Austin, while Tucker and I would drive to Alabama so I could see my family. My parents would then drive me to Atlanta so Tucker and I could get a direct flight through Delta to Zurich. Tucker is too big to fly in the cabin, so his options were to fly as a checked bag or as cargo. I wanted him to fly cargo, so I could drop him off at cargo and then go to the airport. I had 4 suitcases, I didn't want to deal with 4 suitcases, a crate and Tucker. And when we got to Zurich, Mike would pick me up. We'd load up my suitcases and then drive over to cargo to get Tucker.
That plan was ruined when we realized that Delta did not allow any dogs to ride under the plane on 767s. And every single direct flight to Zurich from Atlanta was a 767. Apparently, they removed the kennel areas and put in beds for the flight crew. Also, dogs can not fly under the plane on any small regional planes (this is true for all airlines). That ruled out most flight options. We called American and United, and there was nothing reasonable he could fly on. Their options included 3 layovers and an overnight in a pet hotel (totaling up to a 35+ hour travel experience). So we settled on a Delta flight out of Atlanta that had a 7 hour layover in Amsterdam, and then took a KLM flight to Zurich. I really didn't want Tucker to have to deal with a layover, I wanted him to have as short of a trip as possible. But we didn't have a choice.
All of this flight ordeal happened after we got his health certificate. So with Tucker needing to be in Switzerland in t-minus 7 days we still hadn't booked his or mine's flight. We were a little concerned with (1) it being an issue that Tucker would be changing to a KLM flight and (2) is it an issue that he would have a layover in another country. Did he need paperwork for a layover in Amsterdam? After many, many calls and transfers we were told that it should be fine and we could book. But when I called Delta Cargo to make him a reservation, they told me no. Dogs can't fly cargo if they change to a partner airline. I explained that we were told we could, but she just said no. No help, no try this number, no pity, no customer service. Surely you've dealt with people trying to ship a dog overseas, how do they do it? I really shouldn't be surprised, Delta Cargo has always proven to be a disappointment. Every time we used them at my job to ship pharmaceuticals they always dropped the ball. Sorry, rant over.
So, many more phone calls later we figured out he needed to go as checked baggage. And I needed to book my flight first. We booked my flight and then I called KLM and talked to a wonderful person who got Tucker a reservation. I made his reservation by calling KLM reservations instead of Delta. I'm not 100% if it matters if you book through the departing airline or the final airline but it worked with us going through KLM. Making Tucker's reservation was almost too easy though. No confirmation number, no email. I was worried so we called a couple more times just to confirm that Tucker was booked on both flights. Didn't want him to get left in Amsterdam. (Sorry KLM for doubting you). Finally, with 5 days to go he was booked!
A couple days later my parents drove me and Tucker to Atlanta (5 hours). We had a 5:45pm departure. We bought Tucker his crate a couple months before the move. He liked laying in it but we only closed the doors a couple of times. He rode to Atlanta in his crate with me beside him. He didn't cry. So I was a little hopeful that he would be ok in his crate. Tucker has separation anxiety. Mike and I both work and leave him at home and he's fine. But if he can see me and can't get to me, he freaks out. It's not a bark, but an ear piercing cry/scream/yodel type of sound. We picked up some anxiety spray and collar from his vet. It's supposed to contain a pheromone similar to his lactating mother that soothes the puppies. Tucker had been spoiled by being around me for 3 solid weeks....I was doubtful a lactating dog would calm him down. But I put his collar on and sprayed his kennel. And left a shirt with my smell in his crate.
Once we got to the airport and loaded up two carts with stuff we headed in. Tucker immediately started crying. I left him in his crate. I didn't want to take him out because he would be a nightmare to put him back in. (He can throw his body, squirm and fight going into something like a two year old.) I had trouble finding the Delta check in, and Tucker screaming was not helping. Finally found it and 20 minutes later we were checked in. Tucker crying the whole time. We took him over to oversized baggage and he was gone. Whew....silence.
The 9 hour flight to Amsterdam was good. I secretly worried I would be able to hear Tucker crying but never did. I asked the flight attendant to confirm that Tucker made it on the flight, but he never came back to let me know. I couldn't sleep on the plane, without knowing if he made it. I asked another flight attendant and she said he was on the plane. But she didn't ask mine or my dog's name, his breed or color. So how did she know that was my dog? Oh well, nothing I can do about it now. In Amsterdam, I had a 7 hour layover. I wondered if they would feed Tucker like I asked or walk him. The flight to Zurich was a short hour and a half. I saw two of my bags being loaded but never Tucker. The flight attendants were so busy I didn't ask if Tucker made it. Once your on the plane you can't really do anything if he didn't make it.
We landed in Zurich at 8am and Mike was waiting on us. Mike had hoped he could meet me at baggage to help me with the suitcases and Tucker, but if you did not fly you are not allowed in the baggage area. The suitcases came out really fast and my bags were first. I loaded them on the cart and stood their awkwardly wondering where to get Tucker. All of a sudden a side door opened and Tucker's crate was pushed out. They turned him around and he was alive. A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. But then Tucker produced the loudest scream known to man.
After they walked Tucker in Amsterdam they zip tied his crate closed, so I couldn't let him out. Tucker was freaking out! I had two carts full, and I couldn't push them both. A lady came over and told me he had to go to customs and they would cut off the zip ties. But she couldn't help me push him over, because she was busy. So I stood there. I couldn't give Mike my bags and go back for Tucker. Once you exit you can't get back in. Mike waited on the other side of the wall, clearly hearing Tucker cry and knowing I was stressed out. He watched as all the other passengers exited while looking back in disgust. Finally a very nice older lady came to my rescue! She didn't speak any English, but after a few minutes of pointing she helped me push Tucker to customs. There they scanned for his microchip, looked at his health certificate and let him out of his crate. I think they hurried me though the process because they didn't want to listen to him cry. Once out of his crate he immediately stopped crying and settled down. And we were done! The whole ordeal probably took 15-20 minutes, but it felt like an hour. A two hour drive to Bern and we were home!!
Tucker is adjusting slowly. He knows which house is his, and that we live upstairs. But his separation anxiety is at an all time worse. I don't have a job, so during the day when Mike is at work I would like to explore, run errands and go for a run. However, our landlord lives right below us and I can't leave if Tucker is going to cry the whole time. I can't really figure out our landlord's schedule. Sometimes he takes the tram to work and sometimes his car, so I never really know if he's home. So the last couple of days when I'm pretty sure the landlord is gone I put Tucker in his room and pretend like I'm leaving. We follow the same routine as we did in our old house, and I don't make a big fuss of leaving him. I go out the front door of the house and then sneak back in and see how long until he stops. Tucker cries for over an hour without stopping. We are hoping when our furniture gets here, he'll feel more at home.
But to make his separation anixety worse we have to board Tucker for a week in two weeks. Tucker will really hate us. There's not too many kennels around here to choose from. And people are not supervising the dogs while they play. Tucker likes people way more then other dogs. When he stayed at Petsmart he usually just hung out with the human supervisor and ignored or fought with the other dogs. I don't trust Tucker to be left alone with other dogs, so it's going to have to be just him in a kennel all by himself. I feel bad for the owners of the kennel, they will have to listen to him cry for a week. Swiss dogs are so well behaved. They don't bark, and most walk without a lease. Maybe they will rub off on him. Oh well....he's here and I wouldn't have it any other way.
