Warning: if you are a dog owner, read this blog with caution because you may get jealous that your dog is not as easy as Bella.
Airlines advise that you should spend a few weeks getting your dog used to and comfortable with their airline travel kennel to reduce possible stress on the plane. So we were a little nervous that we didn’t have the kennel until the day before she was taking off (California slacking, what?!). Honestly though, Florian hadn’t even finished putting the kennel together before Bella walked inside it nonchalantly, laid down and took a snooze. Whew! Crisis averted.
Always the hopeless optimist, our sweet little Bella had no idea that she was flying cargo for 14 hours on Florian’s flight from San Diego to Zurich. When we checked her in as baggage, I was hyperventilating and crying while Bella was happily chewing her bone and wagging her tail inside her cool new house (aka, her airline kennel). Florian and I waited on pins and needles the whole time, wondering if she was going to be scared or cold or lonely or get sick or…
When Florian finally got Bella at the airport, she wasn’t phased in the least by the trip she’d just taken! [for those of you who know Bella well, insert a dumb blond happy joke here]. She was soooo cute and excited to see humans again that everyone couldn’t help but stop and pet her. In fact, Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit couldn’t stop chatting Florian up about how great Bella was!! J