August 2009

Don't forget the pets!

On one of the relocation discussion groups I visit frequently had a post from The Appleton Group, Mayflower Transit and United Van Lines reminding people of the top 10 most forgotten belongings when planning a move.

"With more than 43 million Americans planning to move this year, odds are even the most organized may not remember every detail of a move -- or every item," said Chris Well, Vice President of Commercial Sales for the Appleton Group.

Trudi the dog is a cute little mix who moved from North Carolina to Bangkok recently.  She has a heart murmur, and needed heart medication provided during the trip.

Trudi's owner Tom sent us some great pics of Trudi in Thailand!

Trudi arriving at Bangkok International Airport!: Dogs arriving in Thailand are a big hit!Trudi at Home: Trudi taking a nap after arriving!

Kindle owners will be excited to hear that subscriptions to our PetRelocation blog is now available on Amazon for just ninety-nine cents -- the required amount for Kindle blogs online!

You can purchase your subscription to PetRelocation Blog on Kindle here.

We came across this great shot of Bo Obama getting ready to get on a helicopter at the Cape Cod Coast Guard Air Station in Massachusetts on Sunday.  He's headed off with his Presidential family for a week of R&R in Martha's Vinyard.  Talk about first-class pet travel!

If you're in Rome and looking for a way to get out of the heat, why not check out Bau Beach, Rome's best dog park by the sea.

The organiser of Bau Beach, Pierpaolo Azzone, offers pets water and bins of food.  Most pet owners seem to appreciate the gesture - there were over 3,000 dogs regsistered there in the first month. Before being turned into Rome's first doggy pool, the area was a disused sports facility.

Bau Beach

Incheon International Airport had placed a ban on pets arriving as excess luggage last week.Last week, Incheon International Airport placed a ban on pets arriving as accompanied luggage due to pneumonic plague concerns.  Our customs agent in South Korea has since informed us that while this ban initially was for all pets, the customs officials are now allowing pets to arrive as

A new US House Bill (HR 3501) has been proposed by Michigan lawmaker Thaddeus McCotter to make pet care expenses tax-deductible.  The bill, known as the HAPPY Act, or the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years, would amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deductions up to $3,500 for “qualified pet care expenses" per individual.

Curious about what that creepy crawly creature on your deck is?  A website called What's That Bug? answers all your bug-related questions.  Search the database for a matching specimin, or snap a photo and send it in. You just might learn something!  For example, did you know only female horse flies eat blood from mammals? 

My daughter is moving from CA to MD to go to college and wants to take her 3 small turtles. What is the best way to get them there? -Cathi

Moving turtles always seems easy - put them in a little box, or a bag, and off you go!  However, most people quickly discover that airlines will not allow turtles to travel in cabin, which means your crawly-creature won't be able to fly in the carry on.

At this point, reptile and turtle owners have a few options:

Yesterday we posted a great photo of Wheezy, a pet we recently moved to Indonesia, in Indonesia.  Wheezy's owners sent us more pictures of her -- this time of her swimming and enjoying the temperate Indonesian climate!

Looking for a new car to take on a summer road trip?  Or maybe you're planning on cashing in on your clunker.

We got a great photo of "Wheezy" emailed to us over the weekend.  Wheezy moved from the New York area to Indonesia a few weeks ago.  Moving Boston terriers is always a tricky business, due to the fact that they have delicate respiratory systems that can cause them additional stress during international travel. 

One of our sister sites, TwitPets, was featured on "Tails of the City" today, the San Francisco Chronice's pet blog.

Tweet if you love pets

Twitter fans now have a central place to tweet about their furry pals. TwitPets the first pet-specific Twitter directory launched this week.