Thursday, May 28, 2009

DANTE OUR GUATEMALAN DOG

I have not posted regularly the last weeks because I have been traveling and in some emotional distress. I picked up a booked that attracted me for the title it is called a half empty heart, that illustrates very well the state of being not only in pain but with pessimism,  and my saint husband putting up with me!

Anyway I can't stand not posting something so I looked trough my pictures to find something that didn't require too much research to post and this is what I came up with:

HOW TO TAKE YOUR DOG FROM GUATEMALA TO THE US




We got Dante on January 2003, so as Megan always points out she is not the youngest in the family  Dante is!

In December 2003 we decided to move to the US and sure enough we had to take Dante. We didn't take him immediately because we weren't sure if we were going to have a place to have him, but then once we got settled in we came back to pick him up. 

The procedure is really easy:
1. Take Dante to a Veterinarian registered and authorized at the US embassy with a cost of about $20.00
2. Go collect a stamp and a letter of export a cost of about $5.00
3. Take the paperwork to the embassy and pay about $50.00
4. With all that buy a ticket, about $200.00
Then comes the tricky part which we didn't know.
5. You show up at the airport all the family packed, Dante in the crate, ticket paid, now they need to verify the temperature in the landing airport if it is above 100F they won't take it. We were going to Dallas in August.... Fortunately they check the weather at the time the flight leaves: 7:00 am so it was only 90F!
6. Arrive at Dallas and hope the plane doesn't have to taxi too long or it can be fatal to the dog.
7. Get off the plane, go through passport check point, then luggage claim. There we kept waiting for the someone to show up with the crate, when nothing happened we started getting nervous.
8. We actually had to first clear customs and I guess Dante didn't so they were waiting with him already at the end of the whole process.
9. Since they won't do connecting flights with dogs. Tom drove from Kansas to pick us up at DFW to then drive back home, then in Baldwin City, KS.
 

7 comments:

Kim & Dave said...

Hey! When did you live in Baldwin? I grew up in Lawrence! My brother & sister-in-law lived there for the first 10 years of their married life, too.

Kim & Dave said...

Yes.....I know exactly where you are talking about! How funny that I drove "by" your house so many times!

We always took that back way when they lived there, because my parents' home is on the SE side of Lawrence!

What a small world!

Kim & Dave said...

Oh....I was also going to ask you what you were doing in Baldwin.

Just tell me to stop bugging you if you want me to stop asking you questions! :)

Kim & Dave said...

I never knew how liberal Lawrence was until I moved away, lol!

I love Baldwin, too. It is a charming little town. I wish my brother & sister in law still lived there.

Kim & Dave said...

Oh, yes.....absolute Jayhawk fans around here!!! It's hilarious to hear our 22 month old try to say it!

Your husband went to the Academy? This is CRAZY....because so did mine!!!

Guatemalan Genes said...

I never know what to do, what is the etiquette: Answer in My blog or Your blog so I am copying here what I responded on your blog..

Hi, we lived there from 2003 to 2007. Can you recall historic Bishop Quayle's house across from the high school on the way out to Lawrence. Well the house behind also a 100 year old house that he built for his daughter is our house. We are renting it trying to hold off to sell....

Those years there were some of the best, I wish we could go back. I had never lived in the country before. I grew up in Guatemala city as busy, crowded, etc as it can get. It was amazing to live in BC!


Oh and we are also big Jay Hawk fans!! I am more of Jay Haw Fan in law, I knew nothing about them until I met Tom.

My brother and sister in law both went to KU my husband went to the Academy in Colorado Springs but is also a big Jay Hawk fan.

Kim & Dave said...

No, my hubby isn't active anymore, but he works as a contractor for the Army.

I'm assuming yours isn't either, if you can choose where you're living! :)

My hubby graduated in 1996-but I have no idea what his little saying is. I'm sure he remembers, though! They never forget stuff like that!

I never know how to have a "conversation on a blog" either, so I just started putting my reponses on both blogs. Kinda like what you're doing.

I just wanted to say, also.....my hubby & I have fallen in love with everything Guatemalan. We would love to go back, but right now it just isn't possible. Would you mind praying with me that we can start heading back on a more consistant basis?

Menewhile, though, your blog is a wonderful glimpse into Guatemalan culture & traditions & I'm so glad you found me in bloggerland!