The Dog Has Landed
My American dog has arrived in Ireland.
Yesterday, Dog-dog left Kansas City in temperatures colder than it will ever experience in Ireland, and changed flights in Orlando during temperatures warmer than any it will ever experience in Ireland.
This morning, just like any visitor to these shores, Dog-dog started life in Ireland with a cooked breakfast - specifically bacon & eggs, scrambled. With toast. And yogurt.
For those interested in transporting pets into Ireland, particularly from America, I’ll write a comprehensive post on the process when I can find the time. The whole thing is much more complicated than legally immigrating into America.
Admittedly I have problems with customer service in the US, but the experiences on arrival in Dublin definitely irked. Or perhaps I should be talking about state bureaucracy rather than customer service.
Our flight from Florida was due to arrive in Dublin at 7:10am. With the south-westerly prevailing winds early arrivals are always possible. Lissenhall Vetinary Hospital performs the function of the national quarantine centre to clear pets arriving into the country. They are just 2 exits up the M1 from the airport, not but 5 minutes from the baggage hall.
The inspection to clear the dog is to take just 10 minutes. And when? I’m told it will take place at 9:30am meaning that the dog spends 2 hours more than necessary in the crate after landing in Dublin. And why? Because the Irish Customs don’t open until 8am. Presumably drug smugglers don’t get out of bed too early.
Actually that wasn’t the only reason. Lissenhall don’t open their clinic until 9:30am anyway so dogs aren’t accepted by them until after then.
As it all turned out, the plane landed an hour late so the Customs wasn’t an issue. But the courier didn’t bring the dog to Lissenhall until 10am. Because your dog isn’t legally in the country until cleared by the authorities you can’t see the dog at the airport. After 40 minutes in the waiting room I was told my dog was ready and that I could see it just as soon as I handed over the 210 euro.
Was the dog, dehydrated like all dogs on long-haul flights, watered? No idea. If you could just give us the 210 euro you can have your dog.
Had the dog that was in a crate for all but a few minutes of the previous 18 hours been let out to go to the jax? Not a priority to tell me. If you could just give us the 210 euro.
So the vet and the courier with the monopoly on dealing with your pet get 100 euro and 110 euro for not really very much and both manage to do it without giving the impression that the condition of your pet is a priority.
The vet in America which had to deal with more bureacracy than anybody ever should, from both the Irish and American authorities, over an 8 month period was fantastic from start to finish.
Oh, for those concerned, the dog is very fine and enjoying the smells of life in a new country.
More Animal Matters:
• Signs From The Gods #2
• Things I’ll Miss About Kansas City #2
• The Seagull Has Landed
• A Christmas Tree Dog & Bird Story
Eolaí gan Fhéile:
Wonderful news! Keep us posted on Dog Dog & you.
Zeta - Dog-dog is most definitely very fine, happy and unscarred, and I’m sure you’re right however irked I may be. Thanks
Spyder - Something tells me I probably will.
Glad you’ve both recovered from your ordeal lol.
Great little article i found, might have to give it a mention if they allow me on our dog training website, hope you dont mind.
Methinks Dog-dog looks baffled by the sight of a GAA pitch.
Your dog looks like she prefers all the lovely grass to that scrubby stuff back in the U.S.
Now that the dog’s with you, you’re really home.
Dog-dog couldn’t wait to drop a log-log in that green grassy pitch. Glad to see you and Dog-dog made it…
Yea for Dog-dog! She looks in fine fettle and very contemplative in the pic, so perhaps the bureaucracy hurt you more than her (as if that makes it any better). I was afraid to bring my pets when I immigrated, so have to visit them when I go back. Makes us all sad, so thrilled for you both.
So glad everything (eventually) worked out!
Dan - work away. I know there’s a lot of mixed information out there on the Pet Passport scheme.
Primal - Dog-dog has long played Gaelic Football with me in Kansas City. Not much of a point scorer in truth, but very nippy around the small parallelogram - I think the confusion for the dog was in seeing some lads forego the grassy pitch in favour of Gaa on tarmacadam.
Medbh - I think when Parson Jack Russell bred his strain of dog out of Fox Terriers in England, he wasn’t intending they end up in a sun-bleached environment. The grass is feeling good under our feet.
Chris - Ta. You know after going to the jax myself before leaving KC I never went again, not in Atlanta, Orlando, nor American or international airspace, until I reached the green green grass of home. I always feel at home when i go to the jax; I hope the dog feels the same.
Erin - Thanks, and it was fun (though not too much) to see you that time, especially because I had a glass of wine in my hands.
Finally! I haven’t been on in a couple of days so I didn’t see this post. but I was worried about the both of you. glad to hear you both made it okay. keep the pictures and posts coming.
A Happy ending… after ALL THAT.
Thank Goodness!
Congratulations to you and dog-dog, Eolai.
A lot of us who have been following this
have had our fingers crossed for quite
some time now so thanks for the update
( and the wonderful picture! ).
Hope yer keepin’ well yerself, ya gadabout!
Kevin
I bet Dog-dog exudes a certain confidence that the Irish girl dogs will love. I bet they swoon when he woofs, all drawly like.
Kevin - Thank you, and I’m grand myself thanks, if somewhat jet-lagged though it’s hard to tell.
Elizabeth - Oh but you know… I will
Sam - Ah, my fault for going so long with a genderless dog. You’re right of course but it’s the other way around - she does, and the lads will.
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