On the plane? No thanks -- Baldy will be in the plane.

First off, a tip of a pilot's cap to George Carlin for the title of this blog entry.

Today marked the final step in getting Baldy everything he needs to join in me in Prague. People often ask me if bringing him overseas is difficult. I'd call the process time consuming, and detail-driven, but not necessarily difficult. The most important things to remember are to do the research and plan ahead. Airlines have rules and guidelines. The U.S. has rules for exporting pets. The EU has rules for importing pets.

All told, I'll bring four items of paperwork with me when it's time to bring Baldy to Logan Airport on Tuesday. Here's a brief chronological look at the tasks I had to complete:

Yes, I'd like an aisle seat, please.

• On July 17, before I knew when we'd leave, Baldy had a microchip installed in the back of his neck. This 15-digit ISO chip is compatible with the scanners European Union personnel will use.
• After he was microchipped, he received a rabies vaccination. The EU requires adult dogs to be vaccinated within a year and no sooner than 30 days before travel. The EU also requires the date on the rabies certificate to read day-month-year, with the month spelled out, to clarify.
• On August 29, I booked a reservation with Lufthansa online. I then called Lufthansa and told one of the reservations folks that I was bringing a dog onboard. They needed the dimensions of the kennel (70 by 50 by 52 cm) and the weight of the kennel with him in it (Baldy, not the guy I was talking to). They reserved a spot for him in the luggage hold, which will be temperature-controlled; the latter point is important because most large U.S. airlines don't do this and thus will not allow pets to fly if it's too hot or cold. (Only pets small enough to fit in crates that can go under a seat can fly in the cabin.)
• The EU veterinary form was completed on September 6. The pet passport I ordered suggested it be filled out 14-21 days before departure.
• Yesterday, my local vet filled out an APHIS form and an airline health certificate. The former is an official form that must be submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The form states that the exported animal is healthy enough to enter whatever country he's headed to.
• Today, I drove 67 miles to Sutton, Massachusetts -- home of the New England regional USDA office. After 25 minutes, the APHIS form was stamped and Baldy was officially declared ready to go. And here I was, thinking I could just tell customs, "Look how cute he is," and that'd be enough.
• This Tuesday, I'll bring Baldy with me to the checkout counter, pay a $200 fee, and the Lufthansa staff will collect him. After all of the security checks and waiting, a 7-hour flight to Frankfurt, a 3 1/2-hour layover (during which the Lufthansa staff will give Baldy a walk), and a 1-hour flight, we'll meet again in Prague.

Self-serving blog notes

• Really? You have no questions for me? Not even sarcastic ones? If there's anything you want to know about my job, or my school, or life in the Czech Republic as I know it, post a question in the Comments section or leave one on Facebook and I'll give you an answer, genuine or otherwise.
• There are still five days left to vote in the poll to predict the most likely outcome of my first three months in Prague. Poll's in the upper right of the webpage.
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