Adopting a dog from India?!!!

[citrine]

So, I have been in India for the last week, came here to see my family and get my wedding dress. However, I have fallen in love with one of the stray dogs that my aunt takes care of. If all goes well, I will be able to get him to the US on Lufthansa as part of their extra cargo. He already has all of his shots, he will get neutered and have a week to recover before flying out.

I am being called crazy by my family members, particularly by my mom and brother....but they have always thought that I was crazy. I have two cats whom I adore....love dogs too, but none of them have ever connected with me as this guy. He is barely a year old and has a lot of the puppy-ness in him instead of the hardcore streetness.

What do you guys think about this?

[Wildflower]

I think it's great!! Do you know if he will do ok with cats? A slow introduction will be best.

[citrine]

He gets along with the rest of the dogs here....I don't think he has ever seen a cat! I haven't seen one either here!
I am very happy that we have a spare bedroom to get him acclimated first. Matt has had dogs before so he can train and I will just spoil him silly!

[SteveinMN]

Sounds fine to me! People find strays everywhere. Yours just happens to be from further away than most! :)

So no quarantine Stateside?

[iris lily]

That is great, I hope it all works out for you. Lucky doggie.

[Float On]

I was wondering about quarantine as well.

That was honestly one reason we didn't take a job in Bermuda years ago because our Golden Retriever would have had to be in quarantine 4-6 months. He had seperation anxiety issues with me and I thought that would kill him.

[citrine]

Thanks everyone....not going to happen right now :( There are no quarantine issues coming into USA if they are cat/dog. However, documentation, neutering, and recovery would take a lot longer than my trip.
I am not liking my stay here at all....so many people, children, and dogs to rescue, the govt here does nothing for the people.

[fidgiegirl]

Sorry, citrine. I went to India in 2005 and it was difficult to see that. And I was just a tourist! Sorry about the doggy :(

[JaneV2.0]

Can you work with your family to get him sent to you after you return? Could you have him neutered here? I hate to think of him being left behind.

[larknm]

If extra cargo isn't in the cabin, I wouldn't do it. I myself would freak out in some PTSD-forming way if I had to ride in cargo for any distance much less that distance. I have a big investment in not doing to someone else what I wouldn't do myself, with the proof being I will do it myself before doing it to someone else, including animals.

[JaneV2.0]

Good point. Unless you could afford to send him first class, probably not workable. Even then...Although you do hear about troops bringing dogs home from war zones.

[jp1]

WHile I agree that traveling in the baggage hold doesn't sound like fun, I would imagine that airlines wouldn't do it if animal rights people thought it was a dangerous way to travel. Unpleasant, perhaps. Dangerous, no. That said, in this case I would weight the difference of the dog spending 12 hours (or whatever) traveling in the hold to have a lifetime of love, versus spending a lifetime as a stray dog in India.

When we moved from NJ to CA we brought our cats into the cabin of the plane. Regardless, they still spent the whole six hours locked in a little bag stuffed under the seat in front of us. Not a particularly fun time, I'm sure. But just leaving the house in any context is not fun for them. When I went through security I had to take my boy out of the bag so it could be x-rayed. He CLUNG to me like his life depended on it as we went through the metal detector, and then lunged back into the bag as soon as it came out of the x-ray machine since he felt safer hidden away in it.

[citrine]

I have some of the prices....they start at $1500 and go up to $3500...not extra cargo, would have to rent a cage, he would fly as cargo, have a layover, and we would pick him up at Newark. This just seems to be getting more complicated and expensive!