Här
är berättelsen om Ralph och hans resa till sin nya husse och matte Phil
& Deirdre Marr som bor i Dallas, Texas USA.
Den
10 September så började resan för Ralph med att från Landvetter
flygplats åka till Frankfurt i Tyskland, för att övernatta där och
nästa dag 11 September flyga vidare till Houston.
Resan
till Frankfurt gick bra förutom att det var väldigt ledsamt, att bli
lämnad ensam i en bur utan mamma eller brorsan. Som tur var så hade han
sin favoritleksak, en svart mjukishund som han fått från sin nya familj
med sig i buren.
Resan
mot Houston fortsatte kl.10.40 den 11 september och efter ca 3 ½ timme in
på den resan så vet nog alla vad som då hände i New York och
Washington.
Detta
innebar ju då att inga plan fick flyga in i Amerikanskt luftrum så
Ralph's plan blev omdirigerat till att åka till Gander i Canada.
Det
kom att dröja till sent på eftermiddagen innan vi fick veta vart han
hade tagit vägen. Sen var det då att försöka få tag i telefonnummer
till Gander International Airport, för att se till att de inte glömde
honom i allt detta och att han skulle få vatten och mat.
Flygbolaget
som han åkte med var inte till mycket hjälp utan var istället väldigt
otrevliga och arroganta och tyckte inte att en hund var så viktigt i
detta sammanhang.
Men
jag gav mig inte för det utan blev rätt så förbannad och ledsen och
såg bara vår lilla Ralph framför mig, tog reda på numret själv och
ringde Gander.
Där
var de otroligt hjälpsamma och trevliga, kontrollerade var han var och
tog sedan hand om honom.
SPCA
hade kallats in för att ta hand om djuren (ca.20 stycken totalt), Phil
pratade med dem flera gånger om dagen för att höra att allt gick bra
samt för att höra när de ev. skulle få flyga vidare.
Här
hemma så gick vi och våndades och ringde både Frankfurt samt Gander
ca. var fjärde timme (dag som natt) och hoppades på att få beskedet att
han skulle få åka vidare.
Tre
dagar senare vid 23-tiden så fick vi besked om att han redan var på väg
till Houston, Phil & Deirdre som hade en biltur på 5 timmar till
Houston kastade sig in i bilen och lättnaden var stor både för dem och
för oss.
När
de kommit en bit på väg (hade ungefär en timme kvar), så ringde de
Lufthansa i Houston för att få bekräftat vilken tid planet skulle
landa, de fick då veta att planet aldrig lyft.
Besvikna
och trötta så var det bara att vända hemåt igen.
Ralph
var Ganders lilla stjärna och det var många som charmades av hans glada
och positiva sätt.
Bonnie
Harris som var en av dem som hade hand om honom, badade honom, gick på
promenader och hade lekstunder varje dag.
Även
den lokala veterinären kom dit för att kontrollera att allt stod rätt
till, han tyckte att Ralph var vid väldigt gott mod (och hull :o) och sa
till Phil att han hade köpt en väldigt fin representant för Cocker
Spaniel.
17
september, en vecka senare från att resan startade från Landvetter så
gick hans flight vidare till Houston och det var med stor
förväntan samt lite funderingar om hur han klarat av allt detta som Phil
& Deirdre hämtade sin lilla Ralph.
Det
var en glad kille som nyfiket kollade in sin nya husse och tyckte
att " detta var en trevlig prick, vad ska vi göra nu då!? "
Innan
hemresan så åkte de till ett hotell där Ralph fick äta lite, duscha av
resdammet och leka lite och sov sen hela vägen hem.
Så
till slut så blev ju allt bra men det var en väldigt jobbig tid för
alla parter under denna tid.
Ett
stort tack till alla ni som under denna tid hörde av er och hjälpte till
att muntra upp en, det är bra med sanna vänner.
/Karin
Ralph's
story begins with a simple email to Backhill's Kennel and Karin Staaf.
We knew nothing about Backhill's Cockers except what we had seen and
liked on her beautiful webpage.
As
luck would have it, Karin had just had a litter of puppies and there was
one that was not spoken for.
It did not take any time to decide that we were very interested in
having a Backhill puppy and that we would try to qualify for that
special home.
After
several emails and phone conversations, the deal was done and Ralph
was always our favorite puppy from the photos posted weekly on the
website.
As
the time approached for an acceptable date to ship Ralph to the United
States, we tried to coordinate the
trip with a trip we had planned.
Deirdre
and I had planned a photo safari to South Africa some months ahead and
were very excited about the trip. Now there was an added excitement that Ralph would be sent shortly
after our arrival home from Africa.
While
in South Africa we emailed and called to Sweden to make the final
arrangements and check on Ralph's progress. All was settled and he
had his reservations made.
It
sounded like a smooth journey and a good connection to Houston, about a
four hour drive for us. We returned home on a Tuesday, returned to work
and anxiously awaited Ralph being sent to us.
On
the following Monday we got a call and email from Karin that Ralph had
been taken to the flight and all was set for him to arrive the following
day in Houston.
Early
the next morning, Deirdre and I set out for Houston Intercontental
Airport. Just about half hour from
the airport we received a call on the cell phone from Karin that
the Lufthansia flight had be diverted to Canada and would not land in
Houston.
Very
concerned we turned around and returned to Dallas, all the while trying
to get information from the
cargo department at Houston.
After
some ten or so calls, we were finally able to find out that Ralph had
indeed
landed at Gander, Newfoundland, along with some 45 other jumbo jets.
Gander
is a town of about 8000 people and they had just received some 8000 more
on diverted jets.
Naturally
we were quite concerned what would happen to this 10 week old puppy on
his first time away from home.
We
were immediately assured that the animals, some twenty in all,
were
being cared for by the Gander SPCA.
And
upon calling this group, we were further assured that Ralph himself was
being cared for and was receiving more attention than the norm.
He
evidently was a crowd favorite, and was given extra tender
loving
care because he was so cute and friendly. This made us a little at
ease, but we still wanted him in
Texas to his new home.
Since
information was on a hour by hour basis, we called every hour.
The
voices at the other end became very familiar and they instantly
recognized our voices.
They
were very helpful and shared our concern, and continued to assure us he
was being care for. After a couple of days, the air space was
opened and the flight was about to leave again.
It
was not certain if the plane would return to Germany or continue on to
Houston.
After
some time, we were told it would continue on and that it would land that
afternoon. We again loaded
the car and proceeded to Houston to retrieve our new puppy.
Four
hours later, arriving at the cargo terminal, we were told that the plane was turned around and sent back to
Gander when the air space once again was reclosed.
Frustrated
and feeling very sorry for Ralph, we pressed for information
on
when he would really be arriving.
The
attendants at the cargo were as concerned as we were
and
genuinely concerned about this young puppy flying all around without a
home yet.
When
we arrived back in Dallas, still calling each hour, we then started
investigating the possibility of driving to Gander.
Not
a small feat, as it is a two day drive to Canada's border, then five
hours to the bay, and a six hour
ferry ride to Gander.
All
the while we were being told that the plane would leave perhaps the
next
day, but would go back to Germany, as had several already.
It
was a stroke of luck that the flight he came into Gander was one of the
last to land, this would be
one of the last to leave.
By
the time it was time for Flight 440 to take off, the American airspace
had once again been opened
for foreign airlines to land.
We
prepared once again to make the trip to Houston. We talked to
three different offices that day to
find out when the flight would indeed be in Houston.
The
three offices gave us three responses: One told us it had already
landed back in Germany!!, one told
us it had taken off and would be in Houston that day at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.
The
third, cargo terminal in Houston, told us it had not taken off and would
not until the next day.
We
waited and decided that Cargo Houston probably knew the best.
Then
we received a call from Cargo Houston that the plane was in the air
headed for Houston.
We
started out for Houston at eight o'clock on Sunday night and arrived in
Houston about one in the morning, too late to get Ralph from the air
kennel at the airport.
At
exactly 8:30 opening of the kennel office Deirdre and I were there to
get our very well traveled
Ralph. When we walked through the front door of the office, the
first thing we saw was a beautiful
tri colored English Cocker as he bounded across the floor to greet us.
As
we scooped him up in our arms, we were the most relieved we had
ever felt.
He
was in perfect condition and had made this long journey with little wear.
He was equally happy to see someone who called his name and appeared to
be new friends.
After
the paper work was completed and thanks given, we returned to the hotel,
gave him quick bath and let him romp around freely for awhile while we
beamed at this very adaptable little fellow.
He
certainly took the trip and rigors of the travel better than I would
have.
Ralph
is now at home with all of his new house mates,
Doberman
Leica, Cardigan Corgi Cappy, and Dachshund mix Pumpkin.
All
have accepted this new addition and I am sure have listened to Ralph
telling his tale many times.
Ralph
has settled in perfectly and is super happy with all of the attention he
is getting, and we are quite happy with his arrival.
Bilder
tagna i Houston:
|
|
 |
| Första
mötet med husse "Phil" |
|
|
 |
|
På Amerikansk mark
:o) |
Ska jag duscha
igen...!? |
 |
 |
|
.......men bra, jag
får vara i sängen och busa i alla fall :o) |
