Ground dog day, part 1

You know what they say about the best laid plans

Editor’s note: This post was originally published on the blog on July 27, 2022. It has been imported and updated for clarity.

Spoiler alert: This saga has a happy ending. I am writing this sitting in our apartment in Berlin, both dogs safely snoozing on the floor next to me.  

When we first knew we were moving to Berlin, we prioritized making a transit plan for our two dogs - Abe, a Brittany/Blue Heeler mix and Pinky, part Rat Terrier/part anxiety in motion.

On our only other international move, we flew three cats to Seoul - one in the cabin with us and two in the hold as excess baggage. Our experience then convinced us that this would be way too stressful for the pups.

Many airlines no longer accept animals as baggage on international flights, anyway. So, despite the additional cost, we budgeted to hire an animal transport company to book them on a live animal cargo flight.

Bringing pets from the United States to Germany is not as complicated as it is with many other countries. But you do…