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Should a traveling family own pets? Hmmm . . .
“I promise I’ll find someone to take care of her when we go to the U.S.” I told my husband as our 8-year-old son, Pierre, and I begged for a new pet rabbit.
Another family was moving, and they were looking for a good home for their beloved Angora rabbit. When we met “Sugar,” there was no turning back.
With much wrestling and negotiation, Vincent reluctantly agreed to the rabbit . . . under one condition. I was responsible for finding care for her during our upcoming trip to the U.S. for a few months. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I was hopeful.
It wasn’t easy, and I quickly lost hope. I sent emails and texts to everyone I could think of who might be staying in Spain for the summer and not traveling the big, wide world.
“No, sorry.” “We can’t.” “Our family is traveling.” “My kids are allergic.”
The list went on and on. Pierre and I were getting desperate, but we continued to pray for someone to surface. We even sent SOS messages in the school’s weekly parent e-newsletter . . . to no avail.
A few weeks ago, a friend texted me. She had been spreading the word about our pet need, and she thought she had found someone who could perhaps help. A young 10-year-old boy named Leo from their church wanted a pet bunny. His parents thought this could be a good trial run to see if he was responsible and could care well for a pet. If he passed the test, he would get his own bunny. Pierre was nervous about Sugar being the “guinea pig” of this little boy’s responsibility test.
“I need to interview him and make sure he’s capable of taking care of Sugar. And, I have to be guaranteed that he’ll give her back to me when I return in 2 1/2 months.”
Complicated
Relieved and grateful, last weekend, we traipsed into the center of the city to take Sugar to the little boy. There was no parking, so Vincent dropped Pierre and I on the side of the road with the rabbit in her cage, 2 feeding bowls, 2 giant bales of hay, 2 bags of bedding pellets, and 2 bags of rabbit food. Oh, did I mention that we also carried two large boards that we use to make a safe barrier for Sugar in Pierre’s room? Thought they might need them. Taking Sugar to someone’s home to be cared for during our travels was not easy.
Yep, travel and pets . . . a nightmare!
Today, we take the tropical fish aquarium to another friend’s home. It’s too heavy to carry, so we have to remove 3/4 of the water in order to transport it. Not easy. Hopefully, the two tiger fish and five rainbow fish won’t die in the process.
Yep, travel and pets . . . a nightmare!
We also have our 15-year-old dog, Samy. It was nearly impossible to find someone willing to stay in our home to look after him. Also, none of us really wanted to leave him—even for ten weeks. He is like our fifth child, and if anything happened to him while we were away . . . well . . . HARD.
So, tomorrow, Samy will be loaded up on my shoulders in a doggy backpack. Hopefully the carrier will pass inspection at the airline check-in counter (size, weight, etc.) Hopefully the carrier will fit easily “under the seat in front of me.” Hopefully Samy won’t have a panic attack. Hopefully Samy won’t poop again in the airport during our layover. Hopefully all his travel paperwork is in order. Hopefully . . .
Yep, travel and pets . . . a nightmare!
You can read my stories about the challenges and hard lessons learned about traveling with a dog.
International Pet Travel—What You Need to Know (Part 1)
International Pet Travel—What You Need to Know (Part 2)
‘No, Mommy, No!’
The pet saga was not over. We have more . . . Spanish geckos! Pierre is a master lizard hunter, and he has had his geckos for over one year.
“Maybe it’s time to release them back into the wild,” I suggested.
“No!”
After asking everyone I knew in Spain if they wanted to have a terrarium full of lizards (not sure how many are in there, maybe five?) in their home, go from time to time to the pet store to buy live crickets, throw in bugs, and mist them every day . . . we had no takers. Why not? I couldn’t imagine who wouldn’t want that responsibility.
Our flight leaves at 8:30 tomorrow morning. (After our cancelled flights, the travel agent was finally able to rebook to us! Woohoo!)
“Honey, I haven’t found anyone to watch your geckos. We’re going to have to let them go,” I explained to Pierre this morning.
“No, Mommy! No!”
I was worried. After being in captivity for over a year, his geckos might not make it back in the wild. I didn’t want to tell Pierre that.
My heart sank. Our transient lifestyle was really hard on our kids . . . in so many ways. So much change, so much loss, so many goodbyes . . . people, places, things, pets . . .
In my prayer journal this morning, I wrote, “In faith, I’m thanking you, God, for someone to take care of Pierre’s geckos.”
A few hours later, I received a text. It was my “last resort,” one of my son’s friends.
“I’d be more than happy to watch your geckos while you travel!”
Oh, thank you, God! Yes, He even cares for our animals! All pets are now accounted for.
Reconsider?
For Pierre’s birthday in December, his wish list includes a bearded dragon, a leopard gecko, another Angora bunny to keep Sugar company, a hamster, a cockatiel, and a labrador puppy. I may have forgotten the other requests.
Although I can’t imagine depriving my boys of the experience of owning, loving, and caring for animals, maybe we should consider saying, “NO!”
Hmmm . . . my original question was . . . “Should a traveling family like us own pets?” The answer should we weighed carefully, but I can’t imagine life without our “Family Funny Farm”!
Let’s Weave Cultures!
Do you own pets and travel? How do you manage? Is it worth it? Should a traveling family own pets?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures!” Write about them in the comment box below.
