PetRelocation Specialist Cara
It was finally time to reunite Mocha with his family — but first, we had close to twenty hours of flying! Checking in at JFK Airport in New York was very straightforward, but only because I had all of the pet travel paperwork organized in advance. After that came the real unknown. Our first test was going through security. As I walked Mocha on his leash over to security, I could already see the TSA agent shaking her head. In a matter of words she let me know Mocha either had to be carried through in my arms or be completely inside his travel carrier to be searched separately. I opted for holding Mocha of course and set his travel carrier on the belt for the x-ray machine. It’s one thing to comply with all the TSA rules these days (and with good reason!) but it’s quite another to move through security quickly when you have a dog with you. Fortunately, Mocha didn’t squirm or try and jump out of my arms at all. With my shoes back on, Ziploc bag of 3 oz containers for my liquids, my backpack, and Mocha’s carrier, we headed towards the gate.
No sooner did we reach the gate did we come to another airport agent shaking her head no to me. “Back in the carrier!” she ordered and in Mocha went. I guess they’re fine with any accidents that happen on a tile floor, but anywhere there’s carpet, they can’t count on my cleaning skills. We picked up a couple of magazines and then boarded the plane. It was another feat in and of itself to meander all the way down to the second to last row of the plane without decking any of the aisle passengers in the head with Mocha’s carrier. Yet, I stayed very cautious and considerate so as not to upset my fellow fliers before we even took off. Then came the discovery that would really make the trip smooth – no one was sitting in the seat next to me so we had the row to ourselves!
A couple of the people around me saw that I had a small dog in a carrier and offered me smiles. Others squished their noses and made it quite evident that they wanted nothing to do with Mocha. It was all okay because he was in my care. The rest of the 14.5hr flight was pretty uneventful. Once the sun went down and the cabin got dark, I did sneak Mocha out of his carrier for some naps and belly scratches. The flight attendants told me he must stay inside his carrier at all times, so I kept him hidden under a blanket. (Dear Korean Air Flight attendants, please accept my sincere apologies for breaking the rules, but I couldn’t resist not giving Mocha a little love and attention. Respectfully yours, Cara.)
Another comedic highlight of the first flight was my effort to get Mocha to relieve himself in the bathroom. It turns out that just because you lead a dog to an absorbent training pad, you can’t make him pee! Little did I know that in a short matter of hours, he would be fulfilling this command in the middle of the terminal at the airport in Seoul (we might have to put together a bloopers/outtakes episode for you to watch next week!).
Fast forward to another two-hour flight later and we had landed at Narita Airport in Japan. The customs clearance process was also very easy because of how hard we’d worked to fulfill the pet shipping requirements for Japan ahead of time. After an hour or so drive into Tokyo we had finally arrived as Mocha’s new home. His owners Hiro and Maiko came downstairs from their 14th floor flat and met us outside. Watching Mocha’s final reunion with his family was something I will never forget. The pure joy and relief that they expressed was surreal to witness. They laughed, they hugged, they held each other tightly. At long last, their sweet Mocha was home.
