Dealing with airline companies around transporting a pet internationally can be very complicated. The polices and advice change depending on what airline employee you are talking to and on what day. I must have made forty telephone calls in order to check and then recheck the rules. If you are flying a long way and dealing with different carriers then it all gets even more convoluted and confusing as each airline has its own pet policy and information. There are also different animal Custom polices with each country and since I was was dealing with several ( Canada, USA, Argentina, Chile on the way down and then in reverse order on the way back) there was much to look into. I didn't want my dog quarantined some place for several months. I ended up having to deal with Canada Food Inspection and Agriculture regarding my dog. I had to get passport like photos of her which were attached to an official document and stamped. It seemed everything needed an official stamp. Of course I needed to prove she was healthy and up to date on all shots. I also had to look into a Chilean work visa for myself. Fortunately Montreal had a Chilean consulate. The consul there informed me I had to get my potential employer in Chile to fax a letter indicting that I in fact had employment and a job description. All this was understandable. I had a couple meetings at the consulate. The consul always sat behind an official looking desk and politely asked many questions. I imagined him to be a great card player as he revealed little. I telephoned the consulate just three or four days before my flight to remind them I had yet to receive a work visa they promised. I was concerned; they weren't. A couple of days before my flight I was at the consulate once again reviewing everything with "poker face". I was relieved when he provided me with the needed visa. I had received it in the finial hour. I had gotten through that hoop, a big hoop. Looking back I should have just told everyone including Customs that I was going on a 5 month fishing trip of a lifetime instead of being honest. Although honesty is the "best policy" sometimes it makes things much more complicated. Paper work, or not, I would have gone.
I purchased a large dog travel kennel and started sensitizing my dog to it. She was not used to confined spaces. Dog treats helped the learning process. I made the kennel a fun place with lots of rewards. The kennel came with a water container that looked flimsy. I made a back up one out of a solid plastic container and duct taped it to the grated kennel door. I then wrote the Spanish word for dog, Pero, all over the kennel along with my home address, etc. I consulted a veterinarian about long distance air travel. He informed me that since my dog was one year old she was in the prime of her life and at her strongest. He suggested a sedative for the air travel and I picked up the prescription. My itinerary was Montreal to Miami non-stop. Then a 5 hour stop over before boarding an all night Aerolineas Argentinas flight directly to Buenos Aires. Then I'd switch to a flight to Santiago just an hour later, where Jim had arranged someone to meet me. I'd spend two days with a member of Jim's family in downtown Santiago and then board an over night bus south to Osorno, Chile. The fly fishing lodge driver would met me there upon arrival early in the morning and we would travel southward a full day through Argentina and then back into Chile. I was informed the overnight bus had a place for pets in the back of the coach that was safe. Jim said he transported his dog this way and it worked out fine. I was uneasy with this arrangement. Next thing I knew I was at Montreal's Dorval airport with my fishing equipment, outdoor gear, extensive paper work (documents), and a drugged dog. Miami international would be my first stop. It turned out to be one of the most challenging on my journey.
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