Stay Signed In
Do you want to access your site more quickly on this computer? Check this box, and your username and password will be remembered for two weeks. Click logout to turn this off.
Stay Safe
Do not check this box if you are using a public computer. You don't want anyone seeing your personal info or messing with your site.
Final Page
Peter collected a hire car from Heathrow airport and returned to collect Angela, Jason and the suitcases from the boat. That evening we were in Shrewsbury visiting Peter’s mother, brother and his family. We spent a few days with them before driving down to spend a couple of days with Angela’s mother near Brighton.
On February 8 we were at Heathrow Airport four hours before the flight was due to deliver Jason to the Air Canada Cargo Department. Jason was traveling on the same flight as ourselves. The special kennel that he was to travel in had been delivered in advance. He entered the box without a murmur and we left him as we still had to return the hire car and check-in ourselves. We were advised that he would be kept in a warm environment until about 20 minutes before the flight when he would be loaded into the heated cargo hold.
We must say that when we next saw him, 14 hours later and in Toronto (that’s 4 hours pre-flight, 8 hours flying time plus 2 hours retrieving him from Customs and Animal Health) he did not look tired or fazed out. He had not been allowed food before or during the flight but had been supplied with plenty of fresh water. He had not been sedated either as this was definitely not recommended.
The Customs agent required some sort of identification from us to prove that he was our dog, but waived that requirement on seeing Jason’s reaction when he was released from the kennel.
Surprisingly, he had not wet the kennel but did manage to stand on three legs for what seemed like two full minutes the moment we took him outside the Custom’s building.
My eldest son Sean was at the airport to meet us and take us back home. The car was full with the three of us, the dog, plus the four suitcases and hand luggage. The kennel was firmly strapped to the roof rack.
Daughter-in Law, Maryanne and our two grand-daughters Abigayle and Emily were awaiting us at home where the heating had been turned on and the fridge filled with essentials.
How big the house seemed after the confines of the boat – and there was hot water every time we turned on the tap.
The next few days flew by, unpacking and storing everything, getting the car back on the road (it had been blocked up for the duration), arranging for the reconnection of the telephone, cable TV service and Internet connection, washing and drying suitcases full of clothes and introducing Jason to the neighbourhood and local “leash-free areas”.
The weather is decidedly more cold here than in England and a couple of days after our arrival it snowed, not much, just a couple of inches. Since then the wind has blown it away and it has been replaced a couple of times. As of writing this we still do not have more than a sprinkling.
Back To Home Page
