Pet Travel Story: Planning Dog Transport to Poland and Texas
Incredible Experiences: Puma Comes Home to Texas
Puma and I originally moved to Poland back in August 2011. This was a personal move that PetRelocation also helped us out with.
The first move was very stressful, as I did not know what to expect and how it would turn out, especially since it was during the hot summer months. I picked her up myself once I got to Warsaw because our flights were only a few hours apart. Puma was safe and sound, but obviously very tired and confused. I'm sure she endured quite a bit of stress along the way, but she did great and was happy to see me.
Well, I thought my move to Poland would be a permanent thing, but life is sometimes unpredictable and things change. So, I decided to move back and Puma had to go through this unfortunate ordeal once again. This time, however, since I was already familiar with the process and the great job that PetRelocation does, I was more confident and not as stressed out as two years ago. Puma got home safe and sound, but we did have a few challenges along the way.
This is a tip for all of you traveling to and from very hot climates: be aware that there are some things that are beyond the control of this service. When traveling during hot summer months, some airlines will place restrictions on pet travel that might throw a kink in your plans at the last moment. Such was our case. Puma had everything arranged to fly Lufthansa directly to Houston from Warsaw via Frankfurt. But, about two weeks before departure, the airline restricted travel to Houston from June 1 to September 15.
This was a huge problem for me because I already had my plane ticket, was moving out of my apartment, and had all my belongings already shipped. I would pretty much be left homeless if I had to change my departure date to September. But, both Keith Boone and Jon Bartosh, who were helping my out with all my arrangements from the start, did a great job in rearranging Puma's trip to Dallas instead. From there she was driven to Houston. This was not the ideal solution since it created more stress for my dog and definitely prolonged the whole experience, but it all had a happy ending. So, here's a big thank you to all who coordinated this effort successfully.
It's odd, though, why Lufthansa restricted pet travel to Houston but not Dallas. It's not like temperatures and the climate in general is that much different in both cities during the summer. Both places are hot as hell 😊
So, just to reiterate, when you are traveling during the summer, please take the climate of your destination city under consideration, because your best laid plans can change unexpectedly when airlines throw you a curve ball.
Thank you,
Peter
Pet Travel Details:
Name: Peter
Pet's Name: Puma
From: Lodz, Poland
To: Houston, Texas, USA