12/10/2024
THE STORY:
Okay, so here it is. The reason our trip got canceled in such a dramatic way.
When Izzy and I first got to Spain, the first thing we did was meet with a vet to get her passport. The passport was done, and we went on our merry way.
Fast forward to this weekend. We get to the airport, and the lady checking us in made a brief comment about the notation of her rabies shot, but then let us through saying it was fine.
Out of concern, I messaged my vet as the three of us proceeded to get on the plane and fly to Italy.
I didn't hear back from her until later that night. She told me that I should have went to the vet here in Spain for a stamp in her passport. I didn't know that was needed.
So we sat in our hotel room in Italy scared to death about how we were going to handle this, and knowing full well that we couldn't continue to more countries in this situation.
We came up with some elaborate plans. Even ones that included me leaving my son and Izzy in a hotel room while I flew back to Spain for some extra paperwork. But leaving my dog an my minor child (I know he's 17, but he's still a minor) in one country while I flew to another country, no matter how brief, didn't sit well with me.
There were a few other stressful things that happened at this point that I can't go into. But suffice it to say that we ended up having to risk coming back without her stamp.
Now, I have to mention that her shots are fully up to date. Nothing was missing, and everything was written in her passport, which is why they let us fly. Technically, we were okay. But without that stamp, if somebody had had a bad morning and decided to get picky, she could have ended up in quarantine with me not able to leave Italy.
Halfway through that disaster, I got a message that my son's grandmother is declining and won't make it much longer. I didn't want us to get stuck in Italy with no way back for any length of time. So I had to schedule us on separate flights and send him home to California while I flew back to Spain.
Thankfully, the lady that checked us in saw the same thing on Izzy's passport, and still let us fly. Like I said, technically, everything is there. So there wasn't really a reason to keep us outside of that official stamp not being there.
So I lost one hotel stay, but manage to get a refund on the second one. I also lost a ton on flights we never took. You know how airlines are. Once they get your money, that's it!
So now I'm home, and my son is flying for 19 hours to get back to California to be with his grandmother.
I'm sitting in the recliner in my living room trying to decompress. But this is his first flight where he has to change planes by himself. And while I known there are plenty of employees in the airport that can help him, the thought of my kid alone at a major airport making his first plane change has me on edge. I'm sure he'll be fine, and he's going to call me me when he gets off the plan so I can be on the phone with him while he finds his gate. But the idea of my kid alone in a big city scares me. I know it's the airport, but still. My mama senses are on high alert.
So yeah. My blood pressure has been sky high for three days. and I just had my first shower in the same amount of time. Izzy ate double her usual amount of food and is now passed out in her blanket. I won't hear another peep from her all night.
So I guess the moral of the story is, always call the vet before you travel with a pet.
Hard, stressful, and very expensive lesson learned!
On the plus side, I was determined for my son to have some fun in Italy, so we did the three major tourist things. The fountain, the Spanish steps, and the coleseum. I'll have photos up some time tomorrow. I have to say, it was beautiful.
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