The Great Basil the Basset Caper

Thiis is an email I sent to my friend.  The email tells about the horrendous complicated time we had getting my grand children's dog shipped to Peru on the same plane we are on.  I did not even mention the red tape of getting his health certificate the 10 days before we left today.  So this maybe really boring unless you love dogs.

My email to my friend Mary Lee

I m typing this just after takeoff.  I am almost insane. We drove up from Louisville to Chicago yesterday because we could not ship Basil from Louisvillle.   Last night we called United to check about Basil and they said Basil was put on another plane, not ours.  Immediate anxiety!  But after a few minutes she said she had switched it back to our flight.  She told us to be at the airport 3 hours ahead and we did that this morning. Arriving at the airport Mark had to sit in the van with Basil while the Sky Cap took 9 bags out of the van and into the airport.  Then I had to do the computer check in.  It was insane and then I got 6 luggage tags which the Sky Cap put on my bags thank goodness.  I gave him $30. tip and he then went out and got Basil in the crate onto a bag carrier and pushed it, with Betsy and I to the next building while Mark turned in the rental car.  So we get there and the fun begins.  The woman could not look up our reservation so I had to find the email that had the shipping number.  Found it.  From then on it was a mess.  She didn't know how do it ...typing it into the computer....we are now about 2 hours and 15 min from flight time.  She starts to tell me we are too late.  Anxiety!!!!  Then it is ok.  Then she wants the Rabis info.  He had a shot that would expire April 5 2015.  We went ahead and get all of this shots now because the other ones expired Feb 2015.  So I am 27 days away from when we got Basils Rab shot.  The reg says 30 days.  But the other shot hadn't expired.  The woman said he couldn't fly.  ANXIETY PLUS!   I had both papers for the shots signed by vets.  At one point I told Betsy if they said Basil couldn't fly I would haul him into the plane and set him on my lap.  I was so upset.  Then finally Mark showed up.  He called our vet and the vet said that was crazy too.  Finally we were told they would except the shot.  Holy Shit buckets....breakdown coming on.  Finally we got Basil all fixed up in his crate and I had to say goodbye.  He was just sitting inside so cute.  I said a prayer out loud for him to St Francis and his sad look made me cry.   Makes me cry now.  

By then we were closing in on the boarding of the plane for us.  We go through TSA and wouldn't you know my bag raised an alarm.  So we had to wait for them to check my whole bag and I had to be patted down.  By the time we got to the boarding area

they were loading the plane.  We get seated and this special pet van pulled up and we could see Basil's crate inside.  I took a picture of the van and watched until they opened the doors and loaded him into the plane.  Whew!

I settled back into the seat and took a deep breath and Mark told me he had packed his pills in the checked bag and forgot to take his last nights pill and the morning pill.  Now that topped the cake.  I am speechless.  Bring the nets....I am ready!

Sent from my iPad