A long time ago - October 12
Hello everyone!
For the past four years, Hannah and I have had a dog called Mini. For the past two years, we’ve also had her twin sister, Maxi. When we decided to get a dog, we pledged that they would come wherever we decided to move in the future. This is the tale (and not scientifically-proven-and-slightly-exaggerated-heart-rates) of how two little Jack Russells moved from Malawi to El Salvador. Strap in.
 |
| We spent a lot of time training them to use the crate to the point that they enjoyed chilling in them |
 |
| Ethiopian Airlines don't come out of this story very well |
Part 1: Preparing to leave Malawi
We started investigating this in January. Understandably, there are no direct flights from Central Africa to Central America. The dogs would have to transfer somewhere, as the absolute minimum route involved three flights. That much travel would probably be terminal for our pets, so we needed to find a suitable stop-off location for them to recover before doing the second leg of the journey.
 |
| They don't do their own packing |
The ideal scenario was that the dogs would go to America, where they could be looked after by Hannah’s family. We quickly ran into a problem. The US has declared Malawi (actually, almost the entire non-European world) as a ‘high-risk rabies zone’, meaning they could only enter if they had been out of one of those countries for 6 months or vaccinated in America. Where they’ve never been. You also need to apply for a permit at least six weeks in advance. However, everyone we spoke to seemed to think there may be a chance that Mini and Maxi would be allowed in.
Heart rate: 80
 |
| The email strongly suggesting that the US wasn't an option |
 |
| Meanwhile, training had its ups and downs |
Whilst figuring out where the dogs could go, we had to organise a small mountain of paperwork. A key issue was that Maxi’s original paperwork, including her rabies blood proof, had been lost by previous owners. That meant sending a sample to a lab in South Africa. When we did this before, it took a long time. Unfortunately it has to be done before anything else can be sorted.
Heart rate: 90
 |
| One of Maxi's hiding places when the vet came to the house |
We were told it would take 20 working days. I sent an email expressing my annoyance after 27 working days and being told to wait. The paperwork was then sent within 48 hours. Sometimes you have to be blunt!
Heart rate: 70
 |
| Part of the email chain which led to the paperwork delivery |
What we were finding frustrating was that no one could give us a definitive answer as to whether the dogs could enter America. Plan B was simultaneously being explored: the dogs flying to the UK and staying with my parents and Hannah for a week before moving on to El Salvador.
 |
| Mini has been with my parents before, in 2019 |
 |
| I'm sure she was looking forward to being a sous chef once more |
Eventually we decided that the UK was the best option. There are two parts to this: getting them on a flight, and getting them into the Animal Reception Centre (ARC) at Heathrow for processing. The flight was the responsibility of AGS, a global shipping company who were moving our belongings from Malawi, and the ARC booking was a UK import company called Starwood. Ethiopian Airlines were also going to be involved as the carrier.
This. Took. Ages. Once again, it was confusing and frustrating. A slot couldn’t be booked in the ARC without a flight. A flight couldn’t be booked without knowing there was a slot in the ARC. We went around in circles for months. It also involved me as a middleman as the two sides didn’t seem to communicate with one another, which I wasn’t impressed with as we had hired these companies at great expense to sort this out for us.
Heart rate: 100
 |
| In 2019, Mini announced her arrival by doing a poo right outside the ARC |
A plan had been formed by mid-May. Hannah and I would leave Malawi in June, leaving the dogs with our trusted friend Bisani until the flight date of August 30th. They would arrive in London on the 31st, spend a week in Sussex with Hannah and my parents, before flying to El Salvador a week later. This was all agreed via email, though nothing had been able to be booked at this point.
Heart rate: 70
 |
| Enjoying life with other dogs at Bisani's place |
What could possibly go wrong?
 |
| June 2022 - the last time we saw them |
Part 2 (take 1): Leaving Malawi
A lot could go wrong. Ethiopian Airlines wouldn’t finalise a slot on a flight, meaning AGS couldn’t book them on a flight, meaning Starwood couldn’t book a slot in the ARC. This went on for a while, by which time flying on August 30th wasn’t an option. They instead were due to be booked (not booked) on September 2nd, landing on the 3rd. A weekend, meaning an extra expense.
Heart rate: 90
 |
| Still no actual confirmation though |
The UK has a quite frankly ridiculous rule which states that a dog owner must fly from the same origin and to the same destination within 5 days of a pet’s flight, unless they are classed as non-commercial, in which case a vet needs to check them at great expense (more so on a weekend). Hannah was going to meet them in the UK, yet apparently this wasn’t good enough. The way around it is to book a ‘phantom’ flight for 3 or 4 days after the pet flight, which you then cancel and claim a refund for.
 |
| The email from Starwood suggesting the phantom flight |
Even after I had moved to El Salvador, found a house which was suitable for two dogs and started my new job, we still didn’t have confirmation that the dogs were on the plane. This apparently is normal. It shouldn’t be.
Heart rate: 110
 |
| Part of the 101 emails in the chain |
The airway bill, proving the dogs are booked on a flight, is sent on August 24th. Our vet in Malawi has all required medicines under control. The dogs are happy. We are happy.
Heart rate: 60
It gets to the day of the flight. Friday, 2nd September. Flight ET876 leaves Malawi in the early afternoon, stopping off in Lubumbashi in the DRC before going to Addis. Being on the other side of the world, I was tracking this in my early morning whilst preparing for work. Then this email came through…
 |
| Boarded, then unloaded |
So not leaving Malawi after all. You can imagine the emotions going through me - and Hannah, who had gone to my parents’ house in preparation for Mini and Maxi’s arrival - at this point. Though I was regularly on the phone, working actually managed to help my focus shift away from the crushing disappointment until the end of the day. The subsequent drinks were cathartic, as a lot of us had had a pretty rough week.
Heart rate: 130
 |
| A stock picture of our local - it wasn't a photo kind of day |
Attempts at contacting Ethiopian Airlines about this were - still are, actually - falling on deaf ears. Their lack of responsibility and gross negligence - not checking the pet cargo area when they knew that pets would be travelling - would have resulted in the death of our two dogs without the captain happening to do a thorough check of everything. All paperwork and medicines would now have to be done again because of this almost catastrophic error.
Heart rate: 120
 |
| Each follow-up to the complaint results in them starting a new complaint |
Let’s end this post here for now. At this point, the dogs are back with Bisani’s Pawsitive Dogs in Lilongwe (I can’t imagine what we would have done without him). We’re back at trying to get a slot at the ARC and a matching flight, which took three months last time. Such a wait would be hard to stomach.
 |
| Well, they still seemed happy |
 |
| At least they were still smiling. Hannah and I were definitely not. |
Love you all,
Matt
No comments:
Post a Comment