Flying / Moving Pets to Hawaii!

Life is good in Hawaii for the Dogs

2011-11-12T12:07:00.000-08:00

This morning we walked to the beach with the dogs. Here's a picture of Lanikai Point. The tree stumps are a reminder of how much the wider the beach used to be. Due to erosion many ironwood trees been removed.

Doggie update: At the age of 15+ years each and over three years since flying to Hawaii, Tasha and Danzig are both still doing well! I'll repeat that retiring to a comfortable climate such as Hawaii seems to have prolonged their lifespan. A few weeks ago we had an episode where I feared it was time to say goodbye to Tasha. I was carefully monitoring her quality of life to make sure she was having more good days than bad and she was seeming more sad than happy. She was unable to walk at times and had a hard time getting up. I spent an entire day giving her love and affection. Love has amazing power, the extra attention really perked her up. I purchased a "bottoms up" leash for her, which is styled like my rock climbing harness to support her hips. After one walk using the leash it seemed as if she decided to walk on her own, maybe she was embarrassed by it! It is as if she resolved to start "training" to walk better. She started breaking out of her pen and performing feats of strength such as knocking over my beach cruiser to get out. Maybe she overheard me talking to the vet about our options, including putting her to sleep! I was so sad and torn about making sure she is living with dignity and comfort. We thought she'd never make it to the beach again, but now she is walking there regularly. Here are some photos taken this morning.

As for Danzig, he continues to teach life lessons every day. He is so happy all the time, his tail wags him. I can tell he his having some difficulty breathing because his malignant tumors are growing. However every audible breath is part of his excited happiness to be alive. Everything to him is awesome. Even when he was in the animal shelter the day we adopted him he stood out as the positive thinker. Every other dog was barking and unhappy about being caged. Danzig quietly sat there wagging his tail, as if he was thinking, cool, I'm no longer a stray on the highway, there's a roof over my head and regular meals! When we fixed his broken tooth, he was even happier with "Oh yeah! I'm no longer in excruciating pain!" We attract what we think about, and thinking positively brings more positive energy to your life. Aloha from Paradise!

Fall 2011 Doggie Update

2011-09-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

Aloha everyone! I'd like to share a recent photo of Tasha and Danzig taken this month. We can't believe Tasha celebrated her 15th birthday on July 6, 2011. What is that in dog years? 105?

In my last post I shared that Tasha and Danzig are showing signs of their age, and that Danzig has cancer. Even without a terminal illness, Tasha is the serious one. She worries about everything. When she's been bad she'll stress out about it like crazy, and when she hasn't, she worries and has a guilty conscience over the last time she did something, even if it's ancient history. Her mission in life is to please everyone around her. She is incredibly sweet and we love her so much. Unfortunately we can tell she is aging faster than Danzig. Even though she doesn't have cancer, she may not outlast him. With her advanced age, she's had some problems controlling her bladder and the poor thing thinks it's her fault and worries about making a mess, so she prefers to stay outside.
At the same time, Danzig has demonstrated that attitude is everything. On January 5, 2011 the vet's biopsy predicted he had 2 months to live, 6 at the most. However, since he doesn't know his condition, and therefore doesn't dwell on it, he has the most inspiring attitude towards life. Because he couldn't eat dry food following his throat surgery and tumor removal, we switched him to canned. He thought he won the doggie lottery! Basically everything makes him happy. Everything rules in Danzig's world. I took a quick video of him at feeding time to show how excited he is for his food. I apologize for the dark lighting, it was very, very early in the morning. Up for anything, all of the time! We can all learn a lesson from Danzig and his outlook on life.

Maybe it's better for our health and sanity to not worry so much about pleasing others and squeeze every bit of joy out of life that we can.

We continue to monitor their quality of life and are doing everything possible to make them comfortable. Ever since we met them at the animal shelter over a decade ago, they have been grateful, loving and loyal family members. Providing them with retirement in Hawaii has been the least we could do.

Spring 2011 Doggie Update

2011-05-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

Aloha!

I wanted to post a quick update to let you know I'm still here to answer your questions and offer advice. A reader asked for my email, it is vickiyurealtor@gmail.com.

Our dogs are still loving life in Hawaii. The photo above was taken last week (May 2011). Tasha will be 15 years old in July, and Danzig is probably around the same age, since we have had him for over 13 years and when we adopted him as a stray he was estimated at about 2 years old. When we moved from snow country, Danzig was suffering from arthritis. The climate here seems to have helped prolong their lives. Just like for humans, swings in temperature can be hard on the body, so retirement in a warm climate is ideal.

Fifteen years old is quite advanced for large breed dogs living anywhere, so they are showing some signs of age. Tasha still insists on prancing when she walks. She looks like a wind-up toy with her feet lifting high off the ground in slow motion. The last time she was climbing a sand dune she fell over backwards and tumbled into the sand. It surprised her since she has always been such an agile athlete. She lives on love, and whenever someone comes up to her and pets her it makes her day. Danzig was diagnosed with cancer in January and had a tumor removed from his throat. The doctor gave him a few months to live, and we are focusing on giving him the best life possible. He seems really happy and wags his tail all the time and is not showing signs of distress.

I don't want to make too long of a post here, so the most useful information about flying with pets to Hawaii still appears on this page. There is another point I needed to add. If you are moving here without a place to move into, it could be very difficult to find a (nice) rental that allows pets. Please keep that in mind, since I have heard of people giving their pets away after going through all the trouble to get them here because they couldn't find a place that would allow them. If you are fortunate enough to be able to buy your own house or condo, then this is not an issue. Of course you need to check the pet policy of any building you buy into. I will check this for you if you send me the building name or address. I am very familiar with the housing market all over Oahu. I have found homes for people who had no idea where they wanted to live at first (my parents and myself included) and did extensive research to fit neighborhoods to lifestyle, wants and needs. I haven't mentioned that I am a realtor before, since this blog is dedicated to our dogs. I have over 13 years professional experience as an attorney and with real estate matters, and this background has proved invaluable to my clients. If I can be of any assistance in helping you to find a new home for you and your pets, please feel free to contact me!

Rainbow photographed from the Pali Highway, Kailua bound.

The Big Day (AKA the day you fly with your pets to Hawaii)

2009-10-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

Aloha. I'm power blogging today so that I can get this information out there for those of you moving your pets here. This is the perfect time of year to fly over because it's not too hot anymore for the airlines to restrict boarding and not yet too cold.

To repeat, if you're new to this blog, the entire process of preparing and moving our pets is described in detail starting from the first post. For best understanding go back to the beginning and read forward.

Here is some very important information regarding additional final preparations for the big day. If you don't have someone to take you to the airport and you have big dog(s), pre-arrange your SPECIAL transportation! We needed to call for a taxi that would fit us, the dog crates and our luggage. I must have called 2 or 3 times to repeat how important it was for us to get a van with space for passengers, luggage and dogs. That a row of seats should be REMOVED to make room. As it turned out, they sent a mini-van without the seats removed. The driver had no idea how to remove them. I had to climb in the van and figure it out and remove the seats for him, and was only able to do so in a rush of adrenaline like when a mother has a car on top of her child or something. If we missed the flight after all the preparations, it would have been, well, I can't think of a polite word. I made the cab driver leave the van seats in our driveway and come back for them later.

For the other end, make sure you have transporation arranged from the airport in Hawaii. This went smoothly because Jay from Aloha Airport Shuttle RULES! Book him in advance by calling (808)538-3355. He removed his back van seats before coming to the airport. He was waiting for us when we arrived, picked us up at baggage claim, and took us to the Animal Quarantine Station. He waited for us to pick up the dogs, then drove us to the nearest park outside the airport so the dogs could pee. Dogs/animals can't be let out of their crates outside the Quarantine Station or anywhere on airport grounds so this is important. He then put up with the smell of Tasha's "accident" all the way to the Windward side of Oahu. Thank you Jay, soooooo much!

Another final preparation was a trip to the groomer to get all the excess hair off the dogs to make them as comfortable as possible for the introduction to Hawaii's warmer climate. Our groomer is booked far in advance so I had to plan ahead. I scheduled it BEFORE the vet health certification day, so that the bath wouldn't interfere with the application of the Fipronil at the vet.

Okay, so the Big Day had finally arrived. Time to move our dogs to Hawaii! As I posted previously, you must make sure your flight arrives in Honolulu (if that's where you are going)while the quarantine station is open. For that to happen, we had to leave very early in the morning. We got up very early to walk the dogs so they could take care of their business and we dosed them with the calming remedies I mentioned earlier. At the airport, we got a giant baggage cart. We let the dogs out of the crates and put them on leash. I honestly am not sure if this is allowed, but I watched a show on Travel Channel about traveling with dogs (I cannot remember the name, sorry) and the host walked his dog into the airport on a leash in one hand while carrying the crate in the other. Here's photographic evidence that we did it without getting arrested.

At the ticket counter, the airline employees stuck "this side up" and "live animal" stickers all over the crates (as if mine weren't enough already!) and placed baggage tags on them.

For the Northwest Airlines Priority Pet program, a tag is placed on each crate with tickets that are to be torn off by the baggage handler and delivered to the flight attendant. The flight attendant then deliveres it to the pet owners in their assigned seats to show that the pets were boarded.

After checking in for our flight, we took the dogs out for one last walk, then went to the special large baggage drop off point. We had to seal the dogs into the crate with zip ties and bid Aloha to them.

We waited around in the boarding area and watched them load the dogs through the window before we got on. The gate attendants received a transfer ticket from the baggage handler showing that the dogs had been boarded. So it appears that the baggage handler tears the ticket off and delivers it to the gate. If we're waiting to board, they call our names and give us the ticket so we know the crate has been loaded onto the airplane. Alternatively, the ticket could have been delivered to our seats after boarding. We flew the first leg on Alaska. Here's the pics I took when we landed in Portland. I posted a few more of these in my earlier posts.

As I mentioned previously in the post "booking your flights" we were very fortunate to be able to claim our dogs at the layover and walk them. In Portland, we went to baggage claim and grabbed a luggage dolly. Here's the dogs straight off the plane.

Before we chose Portland as the layover airport, I researched and found out that Portland has a pet relief area. I mapped out the airport in advance, so we knew where to go. The pet relief area is adjacent to baggage claim. We wheeled them out to the pictured area below, with the doggy sign. We watered and walked them. They each lapped up a packet of waterbites gel as well.

There was some time before we had to check them in for the next flight, so we hung out with them until the last possible minute. Here are some pictures of the dogs hanging out during the layover in their crates, in the baggage claim area of PDX.

We gave the dogs a treat to chew during the layover. This turned out to be a big mistake! Tasha got airsick and made a mess in her crate on the way to Honolulu. After checking the dogs back in, we had lunch and waited for our flight to HNL. The Northwest agents at the gate let us know the dogs had been boarded.

The flight went smoothly, with no delays, which was a huge relief. This is another reason why I chose PDX. On at least two previous trips to Hawaii, SFO was often fogged in or the runways were over capacity, so our flight was prevented from landing, and as a result we missed our connecting flight. For this trip, I purposely chose a LONG layover.

When we landed in HNL, it was about 3pm. I was beyond excited to see the dogs. Jay from Aloha Airport Shuttle called my cell as soon as we were on the ground to let me know he was right outside baggage claim. We grabbed our bags as quickly as possible and he zipped us to the Animal Quarantine Holding Facility. Here's a pic of Jay, our hero, and the outside of the Airport Animal Quarantine Station.

Inside the facility, there is a window where we presented our paperwork. All we needed at this point was the health certificate. They had our file ready, showing that we had already paid all fees and presented us with an airport release card to fill out. I've kept the airport release cards because I recall seeing them as a requirement for future trips in and out of Hawaii.

Finally. . . the moment of reunion! The door opened and they wheeled the dogs out to us. They were quickly released into our custody, no muss, no fuss, no quarantine.

Here's Jay loading the dogs into his van, which he thoughtfully prepared by removing the back seats. He also brought us bottled water.

Again, you are not allowed to remove your pets from their crates at all while on airport property. After six hours, they probably had to pee pretty badly so Jay promptly drove us to the nearest park, which is off Sand Island Access Road. On the way there we noticed the unfortunate smell coming from Tasha's crate. She tossed her cookies during the flight from Portland to Honolulu. Think about what to feed your pet before the flight if at all. Here are pictures of their first pee on Hawaiian soil. . .

By the way, peeing is called going shishi in Hawaii. After the pit stop, we drove over the Koolau mountain range to our new home on the Windward side. Danzig set to work marking every coconut palm in sight. We went to the beach immediately, to introduce them to the ocean. The dogs grew up drinking from the rivers of snow runoff on their walks.
They'd never been to the beach before, and didn't know the ocean would be salty! Here's a clip from their first beach walk, and Danzig trying to drink the seawater!
They learned pretty quickly that the ocean is not for drinking.

Almost a year after our move, the dogs still love the beach and get as excited to see the ocean as the first time they every stuck their toes in the sand. Reviewing my previous posts, I realize life has been good since we got here. The nice man we met and photographed on the beach last year, who I referred to as "Mr. Obama" in my early blog post became President of the USA. We've become a happy part of this small beachside community and run into someone or some dog that we know almost everywhere we go. Every day I appreciate my life and feel so lucky to live in Hawaii.

Mahalo for reading along and sharing in our adventure. Aloha!

Aloha! LOST filming site spotted!

2009-10-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

Over this weekend I realized that we've been here almost a year. With the summer weather we have been stand up paddling and hiking a lot. Last weekend we walked into another LOST shooting set. See the rear view in the pic? I think it might be some kind of temple where they'll add the top part of it using the computer effects. [UPDATE: after seeing the episode, it was Jacob's Lighthouse!] Last weekend Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof hosted a panel at the Hawaii International Film Festival to discuss ABC's TV show LOST, and Yunjin Kim (Sun), Jorge Garcia (Hurley), Terry O'Quinn (Locke) and Michael Emerson (Ben) were there. Yeah, so even though I don't have TV, we watch all the DVD's on the PS3. Gotta love LOST If you live in Hawaii. I may have mentioned this before but several of the actors live in this small town. I've run into Ian Cusack (Desmond) a few times but he told me he won't come to my yoga class because he doesn't like Bikram, the man not the yoga. Oh well.
Over the past several months we had a parade of visitors. That kept us busy as we didn't take any time off work while entertaining the visitors. A couple of avid LOST fans visited, and we took the filming sites tour at Kualoa Ranch. These pics are of Hurley's golf course site, and then a screenshot from the show.

This is the "Tempest" Dharma station from the tour, and how it appeared on the show.

Our nephew visited alone, he's 9 and flew all by himself from California. Among the fun things we did, he burned out the PS3 by overheating it and wanted to skateboard a lot. Here's a pic I took at Aala Skatepark in Honolulu, and a pic from inside the Atlantis Submarine ride, of a giant sea turtle.

Another set of visitors came in and we went to the Big Island for a mini vacation. We stayed at the Fairmont Orchid. Beautiful.
OK, back to what his blog is about, the doggies. Tasha and Danzig survived the summer heat without air conditioning. However, I wouldn't recommend trying it with arctic breeds. There were a few days where they didn't even want to eat because they were too hot. We will probably install air conditioning before next summer. I am going to post this now and then go back to my last draft about dog travel preparations and the flight itself and finish that up for you. Mahalo for reading!

Final Preparations

2009-08-24T16:40:00.000-07:00

When you have all the necessary documents required by the 5-Day or Less Program checklist, get ready to send them to the Animal Quarantine Branch. You can't send them too early, and if you wait until the last minute there will be some scrambling because of everything else associated with travel (such as your own personal things other than the pets). Allow time for getting a money order, going to a notary, and the vet. It's a good idea to call the Hawaii Dept. of Agriculture in advance of travel to make sure they received everything.
The links to the checklist, Dog and Cat Import form, and vet instructions for the health certificate can be found at http://move2hawaii.blogspot.com/2008/11/step-1-at-vet.html
I had the Dog and Cat Import Form notarized before sending, as the signature line requires the signature of a notary public or DOA employee. You may want to go to your bank to get a Cashier's Check for the fees because personal checks are not accepted. You can wait to pay at the airport (where credit cards would be accepted), but the forms say that processing will be delayed. I had the Pet names and microchip numbers included on the cashier's checks. We used FedEx to send everything in. The checklist says to make sure they are received more than 10 days before the pet's scheduled arrival.
You are also required to provide a health certificate done within 14 days of arrival in Hawaii. The checklist says "If I did not send an original health certificate . . . when I submitted my other documents, I will provide the health certificate upon arrival. . ." I think it's cutting it close to have the certificate done and then send all the documents in together, so I chose to send all the documents except for the health certificate first. This way I could call ahead to make sure they were received and have enough time to send them again if something happened to them. Make copies of everything before you send it!
Make an appointment with your vet within 14 days of your flight. At this appointment, obtain the health certificate and have your pet treated for ticks (with Frontline or something containing Fipronil). There is a checklist to take to the vet with you available on the Hawaii Dept. of Agriculture Website, which I linked to in an earlier post. Carry the original health certificate with you at all times when you travel to Hawaii with your pets and protect it like your passport!
As an additional precaution, we had the vet write a letter regarding the weather restrictions. This was in response to an item on Northwest Airline's checklist to provide certification that the animal could handle cold weather. "To Whom it May Concern, I am writing this letter in reference to (dog description, name). (Dog's Name) has been examined and determined fit for travel. (Dog's Name) is acclimated to weather above 85 degrees and below 45 degrees for short periods of time. If we can be of any further assistance please contact our office at (phone number)."

So if you've completed the checklist, bought the plane tickets, crate trained your pets, tested travel products, all described in detail in my previous posts, time to pack and get ready for the big day!

Dogs can't wipe their feet

2009-07-24T18:58:00.000-07:00

Or, at least mine can't. As a result I fight a neverending battle against sandy floors. The dogs had a grooming appointment today. I seized the opportunity by taking them to the beach beforehand, knowing for once I wouldn't have to clean them in the beach shower (I did so anyway, to avoid getting my car all sandy, but not as thoroughly). I also tried to get them to swim in the ocean instead of just walking along the shorebreak. I got in the water myself to swim, Danzig followed me, but when his feet started floating he didn't like it and went back to shore. Tasha got wet, then went back and stood there barking at me. Then they both kept trying to come in but every time a wave came they backed up. Maybe it's that Arctic breeds don't like swimming. Oh well. At least I didn't have to clean up the salty sandy mess they became. While they were being groomed I cleaned and vacuumed. So the clean floors will last a few hours anyway. That's another thing to get used to living in Hawaii, especially if you go to the beach a lot. Dogs can't wipe their feet and will inevitably track sand into the house.

Full Moon Luau, Doggie Acupuncture

2009-06-19T17:26:00.001-07:00

Too tired to type today. . .so here are some pictures from last weekend, or maybe the weekend before, it's all a blur :-) Is it summer yet? Seems like it's been here for months. . . Also, went to a chinese doctor for the dogs. They both had acupuncture, so they could romp on the beach with more mobility. Above is a pic of all the needles in Danzig's hips, and the little electrostimulator machine, attached to the needles. I'll post another moving to Hawaii post soon, after I get some sleep. . .

Mahalo!

2009-05-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to hear from readers, and especially glad to know that I can provide information to help you bring your pets here happily and safely! You've motivated me to stay home and write a post instead of going to the beach
:-) Doggie health update - no more fleas. hooray. Weather is hot, Tasha got a haircut. Here's a pic of her with a lot less hair, she seems comfy.

Now I'd like to answer some questions here so all readers can benefit from the answers. One friendly reader wanted to know what I taped and attached to the kennel. You might laugh when you see it, but here it is:

Looking inside, you will see that it's carpeted. The light blue around the edges is a puppy training pad. on top is half of an area/bath rug from Costco. The other half is in the other crate. Then I slept in a T shirt for a week without washing it, so it smelled like mommy, and we put it in the crate for something familiar and comforting. And the rope bone is her favorite toy. For the outside:

I bought zip ties and fastened them through all the holes to make sure the crate would not come apart. The last thing you want is an escaped dog running around an airport runway. Some (maybe all) airlines require you to zip tie the door shut at check-in. That scared me - I would want airline personnel to let them out in case of emergency - so I included scissors in the envelope taped to the back. And extra zip ties, so we could get in and out of the crate during the layover.

I bought yellow duct tape so I could write information on it. I used a sharpie permanent marker to write the dog's name over the door, our cell phone numbers, our addresses, microchip numbers, flight numbers and airlines and flight times, etc.

I taped a photo of the dog on top of the crate, with a sign, "Hi, my name is Tasha, I am very sweet and friendly I should be on flight (#) on (date) at (time), being transferred to flight (#) on (airline) at (time). I don't recall exactly, but I think I detailed that she needed to be taken to baggage claim after the first flight and highlighted it.

Because Danzig has severe separation anxiety, I also taped a photo of both dogs on top of the crate and wrote a sign asking them to "Please keep us together so we can see each other." Those requests are highlighted. I taped all the signs down with clear packing tape. On Danzig's crate I included a note that he is very shy and might growl but not to be afraid of him, he's just scared.

I used those clear FedEx shipping label holders to include copies of their documents (vet health certificate, quarantine paperwork). I also put the dogs' photographs and signs inside these plastic holders before taping them down in case I needed to edit them before the trip. Everything taped down with clear packing tape. The way baggage is handled, you want everything taped down solid.

I taped a USPS Priority Mail envelope (made of Tyvek - tough stuff) to the back of the crate. Inside the envelope - waterbites gel (because you can't put gel in your carryon), extra food, extra zipties, scissors, extra duct tape, and those rope leashes you get at the vet for free, just in case. I used a bungee cord to help keep the envelope shut as well as duct tape.

I placed "LIVE ANIMAL" labels all around the sides with "UP" arrows. The airline travel kit by Petmate comes with some of these labels and the water/food dishes that attach to the door. The labels also have a place for writing feeding/water instructions, which will be specific to your dog or cat. Northwest also provides such a label that you can print from their website.

I used bike water bottles to hold extra water, after making sure whoever (airline employee) could easily remove the bottle and fit the nozzle through the door/cage holes and squeeze the bottle to dispense water into the dish (in case of a delay). Initially, I bought water dispensers for guinea pigs to attach to the inside of the door, but I couldn't get the dogs to drink and they were leaking so those went back to the store. I bungeed the water bottles to the crate. I also put a strip of duct tape over the bottles on the day of travel to secure them, and we were easily able to take them on and off during the layover to use them. If you don't have bike bottles, Arrowhead and Smartwater make bottled water with squeezy top dispensers.

We had a special carryon bag just for the dogs. This contained their quarantine paperwork, leashes, treats, medications (TravelEase/ Happy Traveler) and cleaning supplies/poop bags. You don't want them having an accident in an airport without some way to clean it up immediately.

I got those circular white metal rimmed paper tags - you see them most often used on keychains for identification - and made temporary tags with flight information to put on their collars. I read another suggestion to make collars out of white underwear elastic and write the flight info directly on the elastic to make sure there's no way it will get lost.

I happened to have extra bungee cords so I used them to fasten the doors shut so they wouldn't swing open during the non-zip tied portions of the journey (overkill and probably not necessary).

Note: Check the airline's weight limits for your dog combined with the crate before adding too much flair!

I know, I went a little crazy on this project. I've seen other dogs traveling with absolutely nothing on their crate but the baggage tag. By the time they're checked in there will be so much more "flair" on the crate because the airline adds their own RED "UP" arrows and other various tags and labels and baggage stickers. So you may want to keep it simple to avoid too much information.
All the embellishments survived the flights. I already posted these pics before, but here they are again, showing the crates coming off the first airplane. Later I'll post pics of the layover, the pet relief area, the quarantine station, the moment we were reunited in HNL, etc.

Note the small cargo door size - a reason to check to see if your crate will fit.

Another question relates to how I "bribed" airline personnel. Well, I didn't really bribe them, and it probably wasn't necessary, but I wanted the pilots to know they were on board and to pay attention to the ventilation systems in cargo. They control the climate and air down there. I also wanted to make sure the flight attendants knew where we were sitting so they could give us the status updates (that the dogs have been boarded) so I wouldn't run screaming from the plane if there was a chance they were lost luggage. I prepared goodie bags with a really cute photo of the dogs. I included a note with the goodie bags (in this case, chocolates) that said the pictured dogs are flying with us today on (detailed flight information) and that we were sitting in (assigned seats) and to please make sure the appropriate ventilation systems/temperature controls were working properly and to let us know any information as it became available. I gave the treats to the pilots/flight attendants as we boarded each flight.

For the question about crate size - I also had the same idea that I wanted my dogs to be as comfortable as possible and be able to stretch out, so I wanted two 500 (extra large) crates for them. See my earlier post http://move2hawaii.blogspot.com/2008/11/some-things-you-might-want-to-start.html
With the airline restrictions, we had to get 400 size, and it turns out that was better. Your pet will want to feel secure and cozy. In the case of turbulence they won't be bounced around as much (remember no seatbelts for dogs). Tasha is the taller dog, and her ears touched the roof while standing, but we had no choice and it worked out being fine. Besides, these crates are a complete bear to lug around, especially two.
I think I already mentioned this, but if your pet hasn't been in a crate before, get one now and start getting them used to it. We even tried to associate them with happy times by loading them in the crates to go on adventurous hikes. We also held "treat time" inside the crates. This way, when it's time to fly, they will hopefully want to go in the crate.

For the question regarding the health certificate, there is an instruction sheet you can take to your vet to have the health certificate prepared. It is located at
http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/AQS-39.pdf
I will go over more details in my future post about final preparations. If you go to http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/aqs-checklist-5.pdf - under step 5, "Documents," it is the third check box requirement.
Whew, pau for today. Mahalo again for your questions and reading along.

Booking your flight(s)

2009-05-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

If you've microchipped your pet and had the blood tested and are at the 120 day waiting period stage, it's time to look at flights. One of our anxieties was the long journey because we were not coming from a major hub airport. There was going to be a stopover no matter what. With the layover, your pet could be confined to their crate for 10 hours or more, and airline personnel aren't allowed to open their crates or walk them. You are allowed to write feeding/watering instructions on the crate, but we weren't comfortable with the idea of having them drink water during the trip but not be allowed out to go to the bathroom. A possible alternative is to drive with your pet(s) to an airport with nonstop flights to Hawaii. For example, drive to San Francisco or LAX so they can fly nonstop to Hawaii in only 5-6 hours. Another option is to separate the trip into two parts, stay overnight in the hub city so you can claim your pet from baggage claim, spend time comforting them and assuring them that you will be at the other end of the next plane ride, and ensure an early nonstop flight the next day that arrives relatively early.

Side Note: Make sure you book your flight so it arrives in Hawaii while the quarantine office is open! Otherwise your pet will have to stay overnight at the airport quarantine station.

We decided we wanted to do the whole trip in one day. In my research, every airline told me we would not be able to see our pets during the layover. I believed that only way we could see them was if we booked separate flights on separate airlines, claimed them at baggage claim, then rechecked our bags and dogs for the next flight. This is the way we were going to go. So then I went about researching which airport would be the best place to have a layover with dogs. I checked the temperatures of each airport, because during certain months of the year the airlines have temperature restrictions.

Side Note: Check the average temperatures for the airports around the date you will be traveling at the times you will be there. Check the airline's restrictions for pet travel. With some airlines, if it is too warm or too cold (either at the departure airport or where you will be arriving) they will not allow your pet to be checked in or to board. The crates might spend a long time sitting on the tarmac on a baggage cart outside, especially if there is any kind of delay.

I found that Portland International has a "pet relief area" near baggage claim. We'd never flown through Portland before, but it seemed to have the best chances for acceptable travel temperature (could be too cold in Denver, too hot at LAX) so we went with Portland. I will post some pictures from the layover in Portland.

I should mention the "secret loophole" that I discovered at the end of the flight booking process that saved us a lot of money and enabled us to spend the layover walking our dogs. In my various interrogations of airline personnel during the flight booking process, they were always adamant that we could not see our pets before they were transferred from one plane to the other, no matter how long the layover might be. I researched the different airlines and their track record with transporting pets. They have reports available for fatality rates and incident reports (I know, I went a little overboard). We also had some drinks with a Northwest pilot on our previous trip here at Kaneohe Yacht Club and he explained their entire pet program. They have climate controlled areas for pets and a special "Priority Pet" program. The flights on Northwest would be expensive, over $1000 each, and we couldn't see the dogs between flights. But after we zeroed in on Portland as the layover city, I looked into Alaska Airlines as the first leg of the flight. It turned out that Alaska was just starting to fly to Hawaii. Alaska flies into Portland on their own plane, then continues to Honolulu on an Alaska flight "operated by Northwest." By booking through Alaska, we got the exact same flight from PDX-HNL (which is the most important flight) for over $800 less.

The best part, was when the reservation agent said, "I'm sorry, but you'll have to claim your pets at baggage claim during the layover and re-check them with Northwest." WOO HOO!!!! This is because they are two separate airlines and they didn't want to transfer the dogs directly between planes. So we were going to get the benefits of the Northwest Priority Pet Program while paying for Alaska Airlines discounted airfare, plus we could spend the layover with the dogs. The downside was we had to pay airline pet travel fees to the separate airlines, so their tickets cost more than ours, but not by much.

Side Note: Check the size of the plane you are taking into the hub airport (i.e., not the one that flies over the ocean to Hawaii, but the potentially smaller other plane). Many of the planes flying into Portland have a cargo door too narrow to fit a large crate or only enough cargo space for one or two crates. For example, the plane we took only had room for one extra large crate or two large crates. Make sure you call and reserve the space for your crates when you book the flight!

We had our tickets purchased, and space for the pets reserved on the flights. Time to prepare for the trip!

Step 2 - Microchip and Step 3 OIE-FAVN Rabies Blood Test and Step 4 Waiting. . . .

2009-04-20T22:43:00.000-07:00

Aloha, time for some more assistance and advice to anyone trying to move their pets here! Let's continue...

STEP 2 - MICROCHIP

Step 2 is quite simple. Have a microchip implanted in your pet, write down the number, put it in your wallet, in your cell phone, on the crate, scan and rescan it to make sure it works, and have the number handy for your travels and for the paperwork.

STEP 3 - RABIES BLOOD TEST

Don't wait to have this done. This is where things can get complicated if things aren't totally smooth. One of my dogs failed the test and it was a hassle to have him re-vaccinated. We had to make sure the second vaccination was over 90 days from the first one. Luckily he hadn't just been vaccinated at the time of the blood test, but if you are vaccinating for purposes of the test make sure you start early just in case you have to wait another 90 days.

Make sure you look over the vet's shoulder to check all their work. When they send the test to Kansas State (0r DOD), make sure they write "Hawaii" as the destination. This way a copy gets sent to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and your pet's microchip number gets into the system, and you can check their waiting status online.

STEP 4 WAITING PERIOD

The day after the testing laboratory receives the sample is the day the waiting period starts. Your pet can't arrive earlier than 120 days from this date. Also make sure you don't wait more than three years from this date to bring your pet over or you will have to do the test over.

Get a copy of the test and keep it with you. Make sure the microchip number is included and correct. Hawaii should already have a copy by the time you get here, but keep one with you just in case.

You can count the days and figure out the date yourself, but the best source is the Hawaii Dept. of Agriculture website. My vet had the wrong date, I had a different (later) date, go figure. So I used the DOA's date and scheduled the flight a few days later just to be safe. For instructions on how to search for your pet's microchip and eligibility date, see http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/microchip

Aloha for now!

Makapuu Trail and Honolulu Symphony Ball

2009-03-22T16:44:00.001-07:00

It's been really windy lately, but we hiked Makapuu anyway since it's whale season. They closed the trail to dogs for a short while, then after much protest from all the dog lovers of Oahu, they reopened it for dogs, as long as we use leashes and pick up (we always do anyway). Here's some pics.

Last night was the Honolulu Symphony Ball. The theme was Ports of Call, and dress was either black tie or ethnic formal costumes. There was a silent and live auction. The man in the striped tux is Jimmy Borges, an extremely talented singer whose work includes tributes to Frank Sinatra (he's the only one ever granted full access to Sinatra's collection), and Tony Bennett once said Jimmy is one of the best singers he's ever heard. He is a legendary jazz artist and his early film career included regular appearances on Hawaii Five-O and Magnum PI. He got up and sang a song for us at the ball. Fun was had by all.

Weekend on Maui

2009-03-06T16:30:00.000-08:00

Needed a getaway, so went to Maui for a weekend of snorkeling, whale watching, relaxing. Stayed at the Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea. This photo is the view from the lanai - Ocean Front suite, just about front and center of the hotel, woo hoo! Service is impeccable at the Fairmont Kea Lani, the suites are huge, the beach out front has incredible snorkeling, the swim up bar is a delight, and the whales were going off! Enjoy the photos, I hardly took any because I was underwater most of the time :)

Huge bathroom! This is only half of it, the other half included a giant shower, so big it didn't need a door or curtain.

The adults only pool, peace, quiet, and cabana boys walking around handing out pineapple spears :)

Sunset view from Grand Wailea.

Life gets in the way!

2009-02-05T18:36:00.000-08:00

I really have been meaning to post forever and ever and ever. Life really seems busier in Hawaii sometimes than on the mainland. Perhaps it's because everything takes longer to do. In a good way. It's taken me a while to get into the rhythm of the islands, so that I'm OK with how long everything takes, but then look what happens, I don't post in my blog. I've been content without TV or computer for days at a time, there's so much to do outside, but I get behind on emails, etc. I couldn't even remember my password to log in today. Thank you all for checking back and sorry for the absence.

For some balance, I'll have to warn you all about some things that aren't so great about moving your pets to Hawaii. For one thing, the increased humidity means my dogs are smellier. Everything smells more here, so if you have a wet dog, you can realy smell them. Also, the constant warmth and moisture is a breeding ground for bacteria. Tasha had a bladder infection and had to take antibiotics. She's all better now, but it was really an ordeal. Also it was smelly!

Then, the latest Hawaii-related issue. Danzig has been scratching a ton, and I thought it was from the sand and salt of the ocean water. So we stopped walking them on the beach so often. Hawaii's pet importation requirements are very strict about making sure your dogs are treated with a flea/tick product like Frontline within a few days of arriving here. So I've had them on Frontline, and figured since that's what they require, it should be all good right? WRONG! Despite religious application of Frontline, my dogs got fleas!!! I actually took them to the vet, only to be told they have fleas. Argh. They explained that Frontline doesn't work very well here. Hawaii is such a hugely hospitable environment for fleas that it's not strong enough in many cases, even though it is super expensive and prescription strength. So we had to put them on Sentinel (even more expensive) and switch to Advantix and also add in Capstar. The problem still isn't gone, it's been a constant battle. And don't even get me started on the mosquitoes. Well, OK, here I go anyway. We've had a bunch of rain, so there have been a lot of mosquitoes here and I am covered in bites. I might be a little cranky from lack of sleep, work has been really busy and I have been going nonstop since 2009 began. For a little perspective, I will get on my beach cruiser in a few minutes and pedal to the beach and look at the ocean, and remember and appreciate that I live in Hawaii. I'll also pick up where I left off with regards to moving pets here . . .

Tourism is down, the economy is freaking everyone out, even in paradise, but since it's bad everywhere, I'd rather hunker down and cut back on expenses here in the warm weather. . .

Aloha and Mahalo for reading!

Famous Amos

2008-12-10T21:48:00.000-08:00

Sorry, it's been a while since I've posted, we caught this severe tropical cold that's been going around and I was down for over a week. I finally just started feeling better today.

When we were walking the dogs to pick up some dinner the other night, we saw Wally Amos, founder of Famous Amos Cookies walking towards us. He was even wearing his watermelon hat. I wanted to say something to him, but he ended up talking first, looking at us and exclaiming, "Oh, what beautiful dogs!" It was cool. He is an active member of the community, he reads to kids at his cookie shop on Saturdays and just opened another location in Waikiki.

We are still loving it here. The dogs have some regular buddies, like Fabrice the poodle and Otis the French bulldog. Even while sick I felt comfort in taking the dogs out and feeling the warm air.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T21:56:00.001-08:00

Turkey day was spent in shorts and slippers with good friends. It was a nice change from our traditional snowboarding Thanksgivings and all the ones spent in Tahoe growing up, though all those snowy times bring fond memories too. We had turkey from the grill and lots of desserts. The dogs behaved. Overall, a great day. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

DogTravel Company begins Charters to Honolulu

2008-11-26T13:16:00.000-08:00

In today's news:

Dog Travel company finally got it together and is going to start flights to Hawaii where your dog can ride in the cabin with you. When we first considered bringing our dogs with us to Hawaii, we felt that it was totally unacceptable to fly them underneath with the baggage. I looked into every possible alternative, including cruise ships and DogTravel company. At that time, 1-2 years ago, I posted in their forums and tried to get on an organized charter, and also kept asking for someone to share their experience flying with them, but never got much response. Therefore we elected to pursue the "normal" route.

I'm glad we moved our dogs before I saw this, or we would have felt like we HAD to book on a DogTravel charter, or else feel guilty for being bad dog parents and be worried to death over the dangers of flying them in baggage. Due to the high cost, we might not be here now because we would have decided it was cost prohibitive to move them. Only because of the complete lack of any alternatives at the time, we finally flew the dogs in baggage. Everything went fine and we are glad we did it, and it looks like we saved around $30,000. That's a lot of poke! I only wish we had come sooner. Life is short and no one should endure any more cold winters if they don't want to or have to. Life is even shorter for dogs, and our arthritic boy hasn't been stiff at all since moving. They are so happy to be here! One of them just rolled over on their back, feeling totally safe, comfortable and content by the open lanai door.

PHOTO: From DogTravel Company, copied from the StarBulletin story, which can be found at http://www.starbulletin.com/news/hawaiinews/20081125_Dogs_travel_in_style_in_flights_to_isles.html

Avoiding Quarantine Checklist Step 1

2008-11-18T10:49:00.000-08:00

As much as I'd like to go on and on about the food, the weather, the daily tidbits regarding life in Hawaii so far, I think I should get to some of the serious business of the pet importation requirements. After all, that is the purpose of this blog. If you are moving your pets here, you may have already printed out the list of requirements at http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/aqs-checklist-5.pdf . I noticed that there is the same checklist within the "HAWAII RABIES QUARANTINE Information Brochure" but the rev. date is 2 years older, 1/06 vs. 2/08. I didn't see any significant differences that would mess you up. The link I provided is the latest version.

Doggie weather report: it's a bit cool and windy, which is helping me to stay inside and write a blog entry. A couple of people I met on our walk this morning said, ooooh, this is just her kind of weather! Referring to my Samoyed, Tasha, who easily tolerates 20 degrees F snowy weather. She seems to prefer the weather here, partly since it means I don't mind stepping into my slippers (called flip flops on the mainland) and taking her out several times per day without having to bundle up. The dogs like having the windows open 24/7 so they can smell flowers and BBQ, hear the birds singing, mango trees and palms rustling, and other sounds of nature. Back on the mainland we called it "door TV" in the summer, Tasha would stay by the open door behind the screen and watch squirrels. It's nice that the dogs don't start panting in the wee hours of the morning anymore when the heat used to switch on to heat the house, now the temperature is fairly constant all the time. Danzig, our other dog seems much fitter. He was getting arthritis from the cold weather on the mainland, but he hasn't been stiff at all since he's been here. And he figured out not to drink seawater by the second walk. It's been "fall" here. Coconut palm fronds are falling off the trees.

Step 1 Rabies Vaccinations (refer to Dept. of Agriculture checklist)

Your pet must have been vaccinated at least twice for rabies in its lifetime, and the two most recent vaccinations must have been given more than 90 days apart. Remember when I said to go look in your records for original signed rabies certificates? If you didn't find any, go get your pet vaccinated right now. And SAVE the original signed certificate. Make sure the certificate is an "original signature or carbon copy" (PHOTOCOPIES NOT ACCEPTED!) and includes the vaccination date, type of vaccine, lot or serial number, booster interval, and expiration date. If you don't have any records, you will need to get the first vaccination now, then wait 90 days and get the second one. You can do the blood test, if you haven't done it already, I wouldn't wait more than 30 days from the second/most recent vaccination so the 90 and 120 day periods can end around the same time.

If you found one rabies vaccination certificate, check on the date of expiration and make sure the vaccine hasn't expired. Make sure you have the second vaccination done before the expiration date (and at least 90 days from the first one).

If you found two rabies vaccination certificates, how old is the most recent one? Having had two vaccinations alone isn't going to qualify unless the second, most recent one is still within the expiration date on the planned date of arrival in Hawaii. This means, the most recent vaccination must have been done not more than 12 months prior to the date of arrival in Hawaii for a one-year vaccine, and not more than 36 months for a three year vaccine. If it's going to expire before you fly, better get it done early to satisfy the 90 days (see 4 below in red).

If you need to vaccinate again, it needs to be done at least 90 days before you plan to move them to Hawaii. The exact language is "The most recent rabies vaccination was also done not less than 90 days before my pet's date of arrival in Hawaii." If you fly your pet here before 90 days has passed since the most recent vaccine, your pet will be quarantined until the 90 days is completed!

To summarize step 1 of the checklist, your pet needs two rabies vaccinations total, done over 90 days apart. The most recent one must have been done over 90 days before date of arrival in Hawaii. When your pet arrives in Hawaii the vaccine must not have expired (one-year or three-year vaccine expirations). I know, pretty simple, the checklist is quite straightforward, I thought I would explain it at length just as an extra double check for you.

Looking ahead to step 5 of the checklist, be aware that you will need to provide "original signature or carbon copy of rabies vaccination certificates for the two most recent rabies vaccinations my pet received (PHOTOCOPIES ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE)." Certificates must have vaccine name (e.g. PFIZER), lot or serial number (e.g. S606672c), booster interval (1 or 3 year), vaccination date and expiration date.

I need to comment about some of the food prices I posted earlier. I overpaid compared to the market in Chinatown, which I hit on Saturday. I found papayas for 59 cents a pound (even less for overripe ones, good for smoothies) oranges for 40 cents a pound, dollar bags of veggies just like at the farmer's market by city hall in San Francisco. There were exotic fruits such as rambutan, dragonfruit, dragon eyes, canistels, cherimoya, durian, star fruit, and mangosteen. With cash, they don't charge sales tax. I also go to the local farmer's markets around here which are comparable to the weekly specials, but Chinatown is the least expensive place for produce (and fish and meats, but I didn't have time to check those out this time).

Rainbow picture: taken from Alan Wong's restaurant in Honolulu.

Veteran's Day

2008-11-11T22:12:00.001-08:00

Veteran's Day was widely observed today, everyone seemed to have the day off.

We started with a sunrise beach walk, had some papayas and spam and egg musubi, did some yoga, and rode our bikes wherever we needed to go. Lunch, Ahi shoyu poke and edamame poke on special $3.99 per lb. at Times. Papaya salad, spring rolls, and lemongrass chicken bun for dinner. Playstation 3, a good book, talk story, catch up with emails. We still don't have cable TV, but don't miss it. Maybe we won't have TV at all.

These pictures are from the morning walk, we are recognizing many of the same people each day, and our dogs are also greeting some of the same canine friends. Tasha is quite a social butterfly, everyone wants to pet her. She gets so excited to be at the beach that she runs and talks, woooo woooo woooo as we start out. Danzig is coming out of his shell, he approaches other dogs with his tail wagging and even starts to play. Aloha!

Lazy Sunday

2008-11-09T15:28:00.000-08:00

Just a quick Aloha and some pics. The excitement of the move has caught up with us and we're spending a lazy Sunday lounging around with the tradewinds gently blowing through the lanai doors. Local pineapple, papaya and apple bananas for breakfast, Times fried rice with Spam and eggs, papaya salad with tofu for lunch grindz. I'm teaching a yoga class this afternoon and looking forward to it.

So far, it seems that our expenses are less than they were on the mainland. We've only used 1/4 tank of gas since we've been here, since it's easy to bike or walk everywhere. I used to commute about 6 miles each way to work and now I ride my beach cruiser. Since we prefer poke and Asian foods they are cheaper here than on the mainland as well. We don't have any heating or cooling bills. So far so good. Above, a picture I took while snorkeling.

Today's Honolulu Advertiser has a feature on places where President-elect Barack Obama used to live. I thought I'd share the pictures we took when we ran into him on the beach when he was visiting in August. He only had 3 or 4 secret service guys with him that morning, so we were able to talk to him and he was quite friendly. The first picture was when we had passed him already and it took me a while for the shock to wear off and have the sense to pull out my camera. He's in the middle in the white T shirt and shorts with his friend Marty on the left in a dark T shirt. He's flanked by the guys in slacks and dress shirts and wingtips, they sure looked strange on the beach dressed like that. Then on the way back, we saw him again, that is the second picture. Mr. Obama joked about whether I was following him. The third photo is the one that ran in the paper the next day taken by a paparazzi with a better camera than mine. I doubt we'll be able to run into him in the same way again, he'll probably need more security from now on.

The picture below is of Tasha feeling at home in her crate. Since they are adjusting to a new place, it seems that the dogs like to go inside their crates to feel like there is a familar place for them to be. They get so tired from running on the beach, it is so exciting for them, and they come home and happily sleep the rest of the day.

I have another suggestion for something you might want to get before coming here. We have been rinsing the dogs at the beach shower after our walks, and it can be quite a pain. I found a hose attachment on Craigslist that makes it much easier. I don't think they are available here, so if you can find one bring it with you. Any short garden hose and sprayer that attaches to a garden hose faucet will work. It's nice to get the sand and salt water off the dogs before coming in the house.

I'm struggling a bit with the formatting here with pictures and text, sorry for the weird layout. I haven't received any comments or suggestions or followers so if this blog is useful or not please let me know. My upcoming posts will cover some more of the Hawaii Dept. of Agriculture pet importation requirements in greater detail. Have a great rest of the weekend!

Some things you might want to start testing on your pets - and crate training

2008-11-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

Aloha!

I reviewed my post about the procedures checklist (dry and complicated) and will go through each step in detail, but thought I'd first write about something less mind-bending today - shopping and playing with products. There are a few things you might want to order online and try on your pets in advance. I ordered Travel-Ease and Happy Traveler, these are herbal preparations that are supposed to calm your pet for travel. They contain valerian and chamomile. I went to the local pet store and thought they were too expensive so I ordered them online at http://www.vitacost.com/. We ended up using both products, they probably had the same effect, of mellowing out the dogs. You also might try stuffing cotton in the ears to dampen sound. It didn't work for us, they would shake it out, but I read somewhere that others have done it.

We also ordered some Waterbites hydration gel. It is a beef flavored gel containing 95% water and vitamins. The idea behind this product is that you can put it in your pet's dish and it won't spill during the flight, while hydrating your pet and providing vitamins. The problem for our dogs, is that they liked it so much, they would eat it all as soon as we put it in the dish, so they wouldn't have any for the flight. You also can't put it in your carry on since it's gel. So I taped an envelope to the outside of the crate and stuck it in there with a pair of scissors, and gave it to them at the layover as a treat. You've probably heard this suggestion, freeze water in the dog's dish. That worked for the first flight but it was all melted/gone by the end of the first flight. Also I've heard of freezing a plastic water bottle full of water and poking holes in it and putting it in the dish. I got some of those teeny water bottles, like the ones they serve you on some planes, but didn't end up using them. We ended up also duct taping and bungee cording filled bike water bottles to the outside of the crates, so they could be fit through the crate door grates and squeezed to fill the dishes from the outside. You can see them in the pictures from the previous post.
Travel crates: This was kind of complicated for us, but it doesn't have to be for you. We wanted to buy crates early to get the dogs used to them, but there are different size limitations on different airlines so we didn't know what size to get. So we waited until we had booked the flight to buy the crates.

If you don't already have one, buy a hardsided airline approved crate that is big enough for your pet to stand up, turn around, and lie down, but not any bigger, so they don't get bounced around. You want this at least a few weeks early so your pet is used to it. You will also need two attachable water and food dishes. There is an airline travel kit that's around $4 that includes 2 small plastic dishes and the live animal label, made by Petmate. We went with the Petmate Pet Porter 2.

For us, it turned out that the first flight only had room for one extra large crate (500 size) or two large (400 size) crates. So that ruled out buying two extra large crates, but it turned out that the large were just big enough. That's total capacity - as in no one else could have a pet on the plane after our dogs were on it. I lined the crates with puppy training pads on the bottom, and rubber backed carpeting on top. I took a rectangular non-skid area rug from Costco and cut it in half, and each half fit in each crate perfectly. A bath mat would work too. We then had the dogs go in the crate for fun stuff, like for "bone time" or getting their treats. We would take them for fun hikes by transporting them in the crates, by making them get in the crates, lifting them in the crates so they were used to that, putting them in the car, so they would associate being in them with fun times. Eventually they got comfortable enough to go inside and stay inside with the door open. Well, Tasha got comfortable. Danzig pretty much hated being caged but at least he would go inside voluntarily to get his rewards. This photo is before I went crazy with the duct tape, labels, photos, signs, zip ties, envelopes and other pre-flight "decorations" which I will describe.

This might be overkill, but I had bought a used crate then resold it and bought a new one because the airport security go through the crates in detail and wipe them for explosives, etc. and if the used crate has gunpowder from hunting then maybe it might not pass.

Time for a beach walk!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-02T15:51:00.000-08:00

The dogs enjoyed their first Hawaiian Halloween Friday night. With the warm weather, the kids were out trick or treating, and our dogs loved to greet everyone at the door. Here are some pics.

Our family room looks like a doggy daycare or Romper Room, we tried to make it somewhat sand-proof and slip proof for the dogs' furry feet. The first day one of our dogs twisted his knee getting off the floor so we had to put down a non-slip surface.

By the way, the baby in the picture dressed as a pumpkin, is cast to play Baby Aaron on ABC's hit television show, LOST. Aaron is Claire's baby, and Jack's (Matthew Fox) nephew. The "flash forward" baby Aaron who is being taken care of by Kate (Evangeline Lilly) is older. So Pumpkin baby will be in flashback or non-flash forward scenes, if you follow the show. But obviously, not dressed as a pumpkin.

The trick-or-treaters were sometimes more interested in the dogs than getting candy! We handed out packages of Halloween Arare treats, some were shaped like little bones, so some kids thought they were dog treats :) and we also gave out some sugary treats (fruit snacks - we tried to keep it healthy). Okay - back to the flying dogs here part - I'm working on it now, check back soon.

p.s. Does anyone know how to rearrange the posts so they show from oldest at the top of the page and newer ones as you scroll down? I'd like readers to be able to follow chronologically. I changed it on the side where it lists the posts, but it didn't show up that way on the page.

At the Vet - and Deciding whether to move your pet

2008-11-02T15:46:00.001-08:00

I'll start by recounting how it all actually went down, then recommend how it could have been done better. This adventure started out as a series of "just in case" actions, in case we wanted to move the dogs to Hawaii. A couple of years ago, I was at the vet and they were having a sale on microchipping. I think there is a national "microchip month" where all vets have a special. Since that is a prerequisite to importing pets to Hawaii, I went ahead and had it done. If they never moved, at least if they got lost they would have microchips in them. A microchip is like a grain of rice, very small and implanted in the back. Painless and easy. It was about $30 per dog.

We visited Hawaii without our dogs, and the petsitting bills were getting really high. With each visit we missed them more and wanted them to be with us. We never considered having them here at first, since they are double-coated and suited to cold weather. We really paid attention to the temperature and came for the month of August to see just how hot it would get, and it turns out it's cooler here in the heat of summer than in many places on the mainland, and cooler than where we were living.

Decide if your moving destination is right for your pet. If possible, visit beforehand and imagine your pet living there. Is the temperature too warm? Are there breezes? Will you need air conditioning? Can you afford to run air conditioning if you need it?
Go to http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/aqs-checklist-5.pdf and print out the checklist of requirements. I will go over these requirements in detail with examples of how I did it, if it would be helpful.
You can also get the dog and cat import form at http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/AQS-278.pdf You won't need this until you get closer to the move date and you have the tests completed and all the paperwork together.
You might want to print out the form at this link http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/AQS-39.pdf and bring it to your vet. Our vet didn't know anything about the Hawaii requirements and I had to walk them through it, and look over their shoulder every step of the way, and correct the health certificate when they filled it out.
Make sure their rabies vaccinations are up to date, even if you aren't planning to move for a long time, and KEEP THE ORIGINAL SIGNED RABIES CERTIFICATE IN YOUR FILES! Go to your filing cabinet now and check your pet's last rabies certificate and make sure you have the signed originals. When I looked for ours, the vet hadn't signed them, and she had left the clinic and moved away, they were mangled from having the rabies tags taped to them, and I had to bring them to the vet and have them re-signed. This has to do with the separate requirement regarding the rabies vaccinations themselves ("Step 1" on the checklist), not the OIE-FAVN Rabies Blood Test ("Step 3" on the checklist), hereinafter referred to as the "rabies blood titer" or "rabies titer."
Go ahead and have your pet microchipped right away ("Step 2" on the checklist), since it's a good thing to have whether you move or not. You need to have a microchip number for your pet in order to do the required rabies blood test.

During this whole time we weren't even sure if living in Hawaii would be right for ourselves, dogs or not. Some of my reading included the books entitled, "So you want to live in Hawaii" and the "Hawaii Pet Book." But that decision process is a whole different topic!

Fast forward to the point where we have made up our minds that we want to be in Hawaii and that we want our dogs with us. We had the dogs' rabies titers drawn (the required OIE-FAVN rabies blood test). This is a blood sample taken to see if the pet has sufficient levels of rabies vaccine in their blood.

If you are pretty sure now that your pet is moving, then you might as well have the rabies titer done at the same time as the microchip. This is more expensive ($90 per dog in our case) but the results are good for 3 years, or 36 months, so you have plenty of time to make up your mind after it's done.

Make sure your vet puts down Hawaii as the destination when sending in the blood sample! This ensures that the results are sent directly to the Hawaii Dept. of Agriculture so they can put your pet's microchip number into their records.
Reason to have it done early: In addition to the 120 day waiting period, your pet might fail the test, regardless of the fact that they are rabies free. It is the level of vaccine they are testing for, not the presence or absence of rabies. One of our dogs failed the test and this delayed our move for several months (because this particular dog needed surgery in between so we didn't want to inject him with more vaccine and draw blood in the midst of all the surgery related stuff). In a normal case, if your pet fails, you will have your pet re-vaccinated, wait 3 weeks (vet's recommendation) and re-draw the titer.
NOTE: If you have to re-vaccinate, it needs to be more than 90 days after the previous vaccination, if you are going to use this vaccination as one of the "two most recent" vaccines administered and sent in. Don't be confused, this is a whole separate requirement from the blood titer. It just happened to be, when we had the first titer done on the dog that failed, that his last rabies vaccination had been done over 6 months before, so that the time that passed between the two vaccinations was over the required 90 days. On the other dog, her first vaccine was in 2004, the next in 2007, her titer was taken in 2008 and she passed, and she won't be vaccinated again until 2010 (3 year rabies vaccine).

After the blood test is done, you can go to the DOA website and look up your pet's microchip number. You open this file http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/aqs-microchip.pdf and use "find" to find your pet's microchip. It's exciting you see your pet on the list! That will show they received the results and tell you the exact eligibility date from which you can book your travel! The waiting period begins the day (or the day after) the blood sample is received at the University of Kansas laboratory - but to make sure, the Hawaii Dept of Agriculture website's PDF document will list the exact eligibility date, which was actually earlier than the date our vet calculated. To be safe I booked the flight about 4 days after the eligibility date (though you have 3 years to do it after a successful test result).

Frontline and Interceptor - Get your pets tested for heartworm and get them on heartworm and tick/parasite treatments. Hawaii requires fipronil (ingredient in Frontline) treatment done and noted on the health certificate within 14 days of arrival. Heartworm protection is a must in the tropics. I didn't do this with the microchips/rabies tests, I waited until about a month before we came. Otherwise the vet bill can be huge. Money saving tip - if your vet allows it, buy Frontline online and bring it to the vet on the day the health certificate is being done, they only have to certify your pet's been treated, so I didn't feel like paying them to sell me the treatment too.

In retrospect, we wish we would have come sooner, but we couldn't because of the waiting period, one dog became eligible in April but the other had failed and had the surgery, then it was summer and too hot to fly - so get the blood titer done right away! You don't want to have to leave your pet behind or put it in quarantine, or have to endure waiting any longer than you have to.

These pictures don't belong in this post, I'm not to the "flying" step yet, but they are pretty cool. You can see our white dog (Tasha) coming out of the cargo hold from the first flight, she's standing up, looking alert. At the bottom of the conveyor there were five people very carefully paying attention to and handling the crates to the baggage cart, I have a pic of that below. We also did some airline personnel bribing - more on that later.

We wanted to claim and walk the dogs at the layover so they knew we would be there at the other end before getting on the long flight across the ocean. It took some jumping through hoops but I will explain in my post about the flight booking process.

This picture is of our brown dog (Danzig) getting to the bottom of the conveyor - notice the baggage handler greeting him face to face.

And notice there are five people surrounding the crate, it's not being bounced around or tipped on its side, they seem to really care!

Aloha and good night for now!

We've arrived!

2008-11-02T14:15:00.000-08:00

Aloha! This is my first blog so I hope this works out. I'm open to any suggestions to make this more helpful.

I wanted to create a site to help others who are planning to move with their pets to Hawaii. From reading the moving to Hawaii/travel/citydata forums, there are so many people wanting more information and I don't have time to reply to every email or follow forum threads. When I first started this process, there were so many questions and I couldn't find all the answers I needed. Our two dogs are so important to us, we didn't want to put them in baggage for fear of the unknown. We also didn't want them to spend any time in quarantine. I checked out dogtravel company to see about chartered flights where the dogs could ride in the cabin, cruise ships, cargo companies that transport zoo animals, everything. We considered driving to the West coast so they wouldn't have to change planes. I spent countless hours on this process and am happy to report that everything went smoothly and our dogs love the beach. They are both large breed dogs at 12+ years old so we were very worried, but they are totally fine. I took pictures of every step of the way, even loading them on/off the planes. Since I spent so much time researching everything, and since we achieved success, others should benefit from all our efforts.

Of course, the flying part was the final step. The culmination of weeks, months, even years (in our case) of preparation. Finding pet friendly housing, satisfying Hawaii's Department of Agriculture requirements, and the weighty decision process of whether to bring your pets in the first place. I am extra conscientious, and we were undecided for a while, so it shouldn't take others quite so long, if you know for sure you want to come to Hawaii you only need about 4-6 months to prepare adequately.

So I'll begin by posting some pictures, then start on the step by step description of the process. So, the snowy picture is the "before" picture. The "after" picture is from the end of our first beach walk!