The Way There
November 18, 2022
Dear Ones,
You’ve probably gleaned by now that it has not been as easy as it sounded. It was late July when we asked ourselves this about our someday plan to start building a home in Costa Rica:“Why not now?”
Our Michigan home was not ready to sell, so we spent August doing projects. Then a couple weeks showing the house. Followed by a month of closing on the sale and giving most everything we had away. That, I must say, was powerfully satisfying.
Finally, on Tuesday, we were all scheduled to fly, humans on one flight and dog on another, since Parker turned out to be too big to fly on a passenger jet with us, even in the baggage compartment. That’s why we spent four days driving from the Great Lakes region to Miami, Florida, because that’s where he could get on a cargo plane bound for Costa Rica and have no connecting flight.
The process of arranging to bring our canine along turned out to be more complicated than any other aspect of the trip, as well as expensive and emotionally grueling - especially since he’s not here with us yet. His flight ended up not going that night. He’s been in good hands in Miami and we received word at 1:00 am this morning that he’s safely arrived in San Jose and at the home of the pet shipper. That does mean we’ll be traveling the four hours back on Saturday to get him. Normally we would do flights in and out of Liberia, which is much closer.
If you ever consider international travel with a large dog, know that, among other things, making arrangements for him requires a specific set of vaccinations and treatments that vary by destination country (and in the case of Costa Rica, are different on every site you check), as well as international USDA certification. A limited number of vets, mostly in larger cities, can provide the necessary exams, treatments, and paperwork.
The documentation gets submitted to the USDA for their stamp of approval, which requires a couple days of turnaround time – while this clean bill of health must be dated no more than ten days prior to the animal’s trip.
In our case, because of the qualified vet’s busy schedule and the fact that the dog’s flight couldn’t be confirmed until nine days before our planned departure, we almost had to reschedule everything (flights, three different Airbnb stays, car rental) for a two day delay. We all think the dog’s new status is funny, even Parker, I’m pretty sure. He’s always been a ‘dairy dog’, for his love of all things milk-based, but also now he’s also officially a USDA certified dog!
Challenging as it was, we would do it again. The Pura Vida (Pure Life) spirit of Costa Rica and its people is life-giving. On top of that, this should be a good investment for our family’s future.
As many of you wise friends have said, it’s too easy to let dreams languish. If not now, when?
With love,
Pia and Todd
