Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Bursting At The Seams: We May Need to Invest in a Doggie Kilt

I am about to make one of the biggest life changes that anyone could ever make. I thought that getting engaged and then married was a big life change, and it was, but this is almost as big as that. I have been keeping it to myself since the end of December because I wasn't sure it would happen, but now that things are moving in that direction I have to share.
Mr. K, Glacier, Roscoe, Aria, Balloo and I are moving to the UK.
Remember I posted about applying to Grad school a while back? Well, I have applied to Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh Scotland. I don't know if I have gotten in or not because I am still in the application process, but we are moving there regardless. I can't tell you how excited and nervous I am. I have two friends already there-Tenie and Carmen-who were my roommates in university. They also have a roommate I have gotten to know a bit through email and Facebook and so I know we'll have a support network there. That makes me feel better because with both of us being blind, it could be interesting if we didn't know anyone.
I can't tell you how expensive it is to transfer four dogs overseas. lol Thankfully we only have to ship two dogs instead of four because Glacier and Roscoe can go in the cabin of the plane with us. That cuts down on cost a bit, but other than that, we are paying out the nose. I think it might cost more to get the dogs over than the humans. But it's worth it. There is no way we would leave our fuzzy family behind. Besides, we kind of need Glacier and Roscoe as they do serve a purpose.
What spurred this post was the fact that we have booked our vet appointment for this Friday to start all of the procedures that need to be done. All of the dogs must be fitted with an ISO microchip, which Glacier and Roscoe already have. Then blood has to be drawn to check for Rabies Tiders. That blood sample has to be sent away and we have to wait six months to make sure our dogs aren't carrying Rabies. There is a particular order that everything must occur in as well. Once the test results come back in six months, we have to have the USDA sign the documents that have been prepared by our vet. It costs us 114 dollars for each signed and sealed report from the USDA. Four times 114 is expensive. That doesn't include the vet fees for drawing the blood, putting the microchip in and the fee we have to pay the University of Kansas for processing the tests. Then, we have to pay for a flight approved crate for our Dachshunds and pay their shipping fee. We also have to deplane in London England because we can't fly into Scotland with the dogs. A friend has to pick us up. We also have to have a health certificate drawn up for each dog ten days before we leave and have them flea and tick treated with specific treatments 48 to 24 hours before we leave. More costs. It's not cheap!
I think I've put things out of order here or it might be a bit confusing: I've had three large cups of coffee and I am sooooooooo excited. After Friday's appointment, all we can do is wait. At least eh majority of the dogs' paperwork will be done. We're still working on ours. :)

8 comments:

L^2 said...

OMG! That is awesome news! I'm so excited for you, and admittedly a little jealous too (though not about all the money it's going to cost you to get your furkids over there). LOL

Just Jess for now said...

lol Thanks.
It just gives you an excuse to come visit. Plane tickets are expensive, but usually so are accomodations, but if you have a place to stay then things won't be as much. :)
We'd love to have you. I was just hoping that I'd get to see you and meet Jack before we left, but I'm not sure that is going to be possible. But maybe we'll see each other on another continent lol
hugs

Brooke, Cessna, Canyon & Rogue said...

This is so unexpected, but exciting because you'll be back with Christena :) I'm not sure we'll get there to visit, but you'll have to let me know whenever you come home to see your parents so we can come visit you there :) Good luck with everything and keep us all posted on your adventures.

Just Jess for now said...

I will for sure. :) But we'll still see you in May right? We won't be leaving until the end of August and our wedding is still in May.
If you ever feel you need a trip, our door is open.
xoxoxo

Jen said...

Waw! So we really could be doing that dog training business together! Well I live in Ireland, but its not far.
I've done the pet passport thing and yes its a pain. I haven't actually used OJ's yet but getting it will be worth it.
Sounds like you have so much to organise. Rather you than me! I'm hoping to move house at the end of the summer, a mile from where I currently live and the thought of packing everything is horrible!

Just Jess for now said...

lol I had made that comment with the move in mind. :) I'm not sure if it's actually doable, but it's something to keep in mind. I've always wanted to visit Ireland.
Isn't moving such a pain? I hate packing too. We're going to have a huge yard sale with most of our stuff since we can't bring it with us.
Once we've settled in, you'll have to tell me all about the process of getting a doggie passport so I can get Glacier's as well. :)

L^2 said...

Haha... That would be great! I better start saving up for a plane ticket now, and maybe I'll get there someday. LOL

Just Jess for now said...

lol The door will aways be open. :)