Like many Americans, we treat our pets like extra kids, members of the family. Since they’re not going off to college any time soon, what do we do with them when we move overseas?
We’re the proud parents of three smart and adorable Papillons. For those of you who aren’t up on the more esoteric breeds, the Papillon is a toy bred from the lapdogs favored by Marie Antoinette and her ladies in the French court. The word papillon is French for butterfly, and they got the name because of the distinctive look of the pointy ears with flowing fringe. They also have long, plumy tails and are gaining a reputation as champions of dog agility.
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When you’re deciding to move overseas, you have two choices for taking care of your best friend.
- Take him along
- Don’t take him along
Number 2 is not an option for us. My husband still suffers pangs of guilt over the dog he gave to friends when we moved from the Northeast to Florida. We thought we were making the best choice for her, knowing she would not thrive in the heat. Unfortunately, a few months after we moved she was struck by a car and killed while running loose.
He won’t consider finding other homes for our Papillons, so that means we’ll be taking them along.
I know that we can bring our dogs with us to the three countries at the top of our list. It’ll cost us a bit — $120 to $130 per dog for the paperwork — but as long as they’re healthy and their shots are up to date we should be fine.
What happens, though, if we want to take a few months to explore, for example, driving from the US down through Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama? Would we even be able to bring our pups with us from country to country? So far I haven’t found the answer, but I’m still looking and will keep you posted.
Have you moved with pets to a new country? How did it go? What kind of experience was it? Did you fly or drive? Hire a pet moving company? Click the Comment link below to tell us your pet story.