We started the paperwork for my pet passport this week with a visit to the vet to drop off the forms, and a good thing too. We learned that the USDA certified vet does not issue the USDA stamp. Although the form needs to be filled out by a certified vet, it has to go to a USDA office for a stamp. Have you ever seen a USDA office? I certainly haven’t. And it’s more than finding one (there is a good website listing them by state), not all of them have this stamp. But I am not complaining because at least the office is open now. At the vet we learned of a dog with plans to go to Africa last month and the government shutdown almost cancelled that. We are lucky that our vet has a terrific person in charge of this who is up on the procedures. I would recommend going to a practice that has experience with this. I ‘ll be back at the vet to pick up the forms within the 10 day window required, and we have an appointment at the USDA office to bring the completed form in to be stamped. (I don’t have to be present for that but B and G will need to bring a record of my most recent rabies vaccination with them.)
At the vet we asked if there should be any concern about the tapeworm treatment that I will have to get the morning of the flight. My doc didn’t think so. (I will get that from another vet who also has to be USDA certified. That part of the form, however, does not require the USDA official stamp.) We also talked about eating and drinking that day and she suggested that, since the flight is at 10PM, I might have my dinner very early at about 3pm. That way, by the time we arrive at the airport, I will be ready for bed. She also thinks I will be fine without water for the flight but said I will probably want a big drink when we land and can leave my bag. Those neat little bowls that fold up are on my shopping list.
We are also working on getting me accustomed to being out and about. We started by a visit to a local wine shop where our friend works. (We thought that appropriate given that Paris is our first stop.) Here I am with her co-worker Waldo who is a really sweet guy.

What with all the airline luggage restrictions, I am under pressure to travel light so we have spent a good amount of time searching for the perfect travel bag for me. After much investigation, my first advice is to avoid the internet for this shopping because pet bags are more like shoes than bags: they really must be tried on. (This tip comes after return charges in an unsuccessful order. G not happy.)
I was gifted the bag in the photo on my left. It is AKC certified for airplane cabins, and it is quite nice for serious travel. It opens at the top and on the sides so I can poke my head out, there is netting all around so I can see out (and be seen) when it is zipped and it is roomy enough to be comfortable for an extended period of time. It is also quite a nice match for my coloring. (A lovely young woman G met in Washington Square Park gave this to me. She bought it for her puppy who was only able to use it once. We met him just a few days after she had carried him home in it and he had already outgrown it. Clearly she didn’t know to check out the size of his paws but, not to worry, they are very happy together and he readily jumps into a tote when they travel on the subway.) This bag is good in the car too, and we will use it when we begin that part of the adventure in Dover, England.
However, that bag is not the best for sightseeing, going to restaurants or, most important, shopping. It is unwieldy for the person carrying me because the soft construction doesn’t work well with a shoulder strap and, while the soft sides are comfy at rest, I shift around when carried.
So we purchased bag number two pictured on my right. (We bought it at a great store called Canine Styles which has several Manhattan locations and also an online store.) It looks much more like a handbag and B is considering using it as that for the airplane part of the trip. It has something of the look of the early Kate Spade bags which is her usual travel purse, and will easily hold her Kindle, knitting and needlepoint in the outside pocket, and make room in her luggage for more easily folded things. When we land she could put me in it. I really like this bag. I am right up next to B or G and prefer the eye level of this to the other one. Moreover, I think it is a more refined way to travel from the airport into Paris.

Here’s Otis, my new friend. He was staying with his family on our road this weekend. Otis is very well travelled, and has been to France several times. He has been stateside for a bit since he has been much consumed overseeing his humans as they take care of the new baby girl, now three months old. She is a beauty and it is a big job for him. I was happy to help out yesterday and stand guard while Mom and Dad had lunch with B and G. (I don’t have a photo of the baby so you will have to take me at my word: gorgeous. And she has terrific squeak toys.)
Otis has a Pet Passport but his travelling has not been without travail. His globe-trotting originated in the heartlands once (Chicago) and there was an issue about changing planes because the airlines say some aircraft cannot accommodate our cases in the cabin. (That’s why Delta would not let me fly from Dublin. They said the aircraft they use on that route has no room for pet cases in the cabin.)
But Otis’s major travel story is about his “swim” in the Seine. They were all walking along the river and, voila, he was in the water. Thankfully, his human did the right thing and jumped in after him. They were out of view in no time but a good citoyen came running up to report that that the chien was safe. When asked about the husband, the man said he had not checked; the French have admirable priorities. All’s well that ends well after baths all around but I will be careful.
We also have the name of Otis’s French vet which is probably a good idea in case we get held up in travel and loose our window for the tapeworm into England. (G and B might want to linger in Paris.) It isn’t hard to get names and numbers of vets online and I would recommend having a few names and all your documentation of vaccines etc. Just in case.