Last weekend I went to the WHA Conference which just happened to be in my home state so I got to visit with family and friends while I was there. It was a lovely visit- but way too short especially considering how long it takes to get there and come back. After much debate and weighting of options I decided to take my dog with me. It was freaking expensive and stressful. Airlines like to gouge pet owners.
Leading up to the trip I tried to prepare Rusty by shoving (I know it's not nice to shove but he gave me little choice) him into his carrier. He hated (hates) his carrier. When we first tried it he completely freaked out and panicked. Over the course of several weeks I finally got him into the carrier (still by force- gentle force) without causing him to panic. He would lay in there quietly, if not happily, and only occasionally tried to escape. (I rewarded him with treats- so it wasn't all bad).
Next we went to the vet to get sedatives for the trip. (Vets also like to gouge pet owners- although less so than airlines and to be fair his new vet is very nice- if expensive). My advisor suggested that I test out the sedatives before the trip because he might have a strange reaction to them. So a week before the trip I gave him a pill- it worked and didn't seem to freak him out.
After all our preparation I wasn't too worried about the trip but my anxiety grew as we drove to the airport. Rusty was used to the carrier but he still hated it and hated it even more when being carried because he gets jostled around. We arrived at the airport 2 hours early and got in the LONG line to the check-in desk. Once in line I began overhearing other people talking about my flight being delayed- by an hour- which meant making my connection would be less likely- but not impossible. By the time I got to the front of the line (an HOUR later) the flight was being delayed by 2 hours- meaning that I would completely miss the connection. Mind you, this whole time Rusty is freaking out in his carrier, he was shaking and jumping around trying to escape. I tried to calm him down and he bit me through the mesh, he had his nails stuck through the sides, and was trying to open the zippers by working his nose into the corners. It was a very stressful hour. We ended up taking a different flight through a different city and got home 4 hours later than planned. Which meant a very late night right before a very early morning- I had to be downtown (about 45 minutes away) at 8 the next morning. Rusty didn't care- he was just happy to be out of his bag. That first hour in line was by far the most stressful (for me at least- Rusty also hated going through security).
The trip back was much better- I think both of us had gotten used to it and I was careful to only move the carrier when necessary so that Rusty didn't get jostled too much and he tried to get comfortable and sleep the whole way which was nice. By the way, the sedatives worked when I tested them out but did not work on the trip- I'm not sure why- maybe it was his stress level.
The two days spent at home were very nice- it was great seeing everyone but I am looking forward to a longer visit. And I've decided to get Rusty a new carrier (since he hates this one so much and has already made a hole in it) so I went online and ordered one with wheels-hopefully he will like that more.
No comments:
Post a Comment