TONKA AND RADAR MAKE IT HOME

When I first started this adventure with Tonka and Radar people I know said I was crazy. I thought how hard can it be. I love dogs. Then we got the dogs, and I thought maybe they were right. We had the two dogs from October 26 until December 14th. Some of this story is a repeat of a previous post, but I think it is important information.

My daily routine consisted of making sure all five cats where in the house. Which in itself was a fete. Then I had to get my two old dogs Jenny and Ginger, in the house, all the while listening to the other four bark and whine. Once that was done, I let Sophie out to go do her business, put her back in the kennel and fed her. Once she was locked up Tonka and Radar were next. Last but not least, was Harley. The reason he went last you may ask. He did not scream as I like to call it, like he was dying. Sophie and Tonka did. I should tell you though, Harley is the only dog who goes potty in his kennel, the other three didn't. Which explains the desperation to be let out.

Once that was done, I would wait at least one hour, before letting them out again, all the while listening to cats meow because they wanted to go back outside. When the hour was up, Sophie was let out to run around for a bit, then Tonka and Radar, then Harley. The reason you wait an hour after eating before letting a dog play, is to let their food digest. Deep chested dogs such as German Shepherds and Boxers are susceptible to bloat. I did this four times during the day and then once again at night.

If you had asked me three weeks ago or even last week, if I had known how hard it would be, would I do it again? My answer would have been, no. Below is the end of this story. I hope you will see why I am so happy to have helped and why I have no regrets. I would definitely do it again for this family that I have come to know mostly through emails.

On Friday December 14,  Tonka and Radar left our home to go back to their owners. When I made their flight arrangements, the agent told me to be at the airport 3 hrs ahead of their flight. I thought to myself, this is a small town, an hour before the flight should be enough time. For three weeks this was in the back of my mind. 

On the day of their departure, Tonka played with Sophie for the last time. They played for an hour or so. Sophie is in heat so I had to watch them the entire time to make sure there was no monkey business going on. Yes it was a risky situation. At one point, Tonka was a little too interested until I asked him "Where's your ball Tonka?" He totally forgot about Sophie and went in search of his ball. At that point, I locked Sophie up.

Tonka and Radar were running around when I started to clean up their crates to get them ready for their trip. I happened to look over my shoulder to see Radar watching me with such sadness in his eyes. My heart sank, I called him over to me and knelt down beside him. I gave a hug and told him it would be okay, "you're going home, boy." Tonka, on the other hand was clueless. He kept shoving his ball in my face and against any part of my body that he could, making it extremely hard to clean his crate. At one point, I gave up cleaning the crate and played tug-o-war with him.

It was a crazy day, one that I dreaded. I hated the fact that we had to have the dogs in their crates sitting at the airport until their flight left. It was bothering me all day. That and the sadness in Radars eyes. It was a sadness I had seen before, one that I thought was gone once he settled down at our house. After cleaning the crates, I gave the two boys a good brushing and a waterless bath. It had been a rainy cold day. Had it been a hot sunny day, I would have given them a normal bath.

As I stated before, the airlines suggested we get there three hours before their flight. I pictured us checking them in and leaving. How long would that take 10 minutes at the most. Then the poor dogs would be sitting there surrounded by strangers not knowing what was going to happen to them next. All day I had a nagging feeling, we should take them early like the airline suggested. Then I would think, this is Hilo, it's not like there is going to be a lot of people checking in animals. 

Finally, about 6:45, I looked at Harold and said maybe we should go early like the airline suggested. We loaded the dogs up and headed to the airport. As we did when we picked them up, we let Tonka and Radar ride in the same crate. 

When we arrived at the airport, I was right no one was there, but, the airline was correct in their suggestion. Two hours had passed by the time we were done with all the paper work. If we had waited the usually hour before the flight left, Tonka and Radar wouldn't have made the flight. By the time we were done, their plane was leaving in an hour. At least they got to be by us the whole time we were there. They were in their crates but, they were still near us. Tonka occasionally barked at someone. It was quite entertaining, several people commented on the dogs. Where are they going? What kind of dogs are they? so on and so forth.

Finally, the ticket agent said the dogs had to go through TSA before they could leave. They took Radar first, Harold went with them to help out. I stayed with Tonka waiting for them to come back. thinking Radar would be with them. When they came back, I looked at Harold and asked "Where is Radar?" he said they took him in the back. I looked at Harold and then at the ticket agent and said "I didn't get to say goodbye to him! I really wanted to say goodbye." I got a blank stare from the ticket agent. When it was Tonka's turn, I went with them. To my surprise, we had to take Tonka out of the crate again. He was so confused, I felt so sorry for him. I was able to hug him and tell him he was going to be okay. Harold helped the agent take Tonka into the back where Radar was. He said they had them face to face so they could see each other. 

The next eighteen hours were, I want to say were nerve wrecking. Not knowing if these two were okay was a little bit much. I know they aren't my dogs but they may have well been. I honestly don't know how their owners did it.  I didn't get a good nights sleep until I knew they were at home with their Mom and Dad.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, well, the following is worth a million!

These faces say it all. Priceless!!!! I would have given anything to hear the sound of their laughter when they saw their dogs had come home to stay.

 

 

 

 Tonka and his best friend are back together again.

 

 I mentioned earlier in this post of how I thought the sadness in Radar was gone once he settled in. After seeing the pictures of both Radar and Tonka, I now know better. In the pictures I took of them, their eyes did not sparkle like they do in the pictures of them at home again with their family.

 I still am baffled she can walk side by side with him, without being knocked down. He truly is her best friend!

These animals aren't just "dogs or cats" as far too many people like to refer to them. Make no mistake, they are living beings, a member of your family with feelings. You may think you don't have enough time for your pets or your yard is too small, but honestly, your pet doesn't have the concept of time or the knowledge of size.  Too many people give up their pets for one reason or another. I happen to have first hand knowledge of what it is like for them when their family disappears. They are lost and a little part of them disappears. Lucky for these two, they are right where they belong, with their family.

Thank you Joella and Curtis,  for giving me the opportunity to learn a lesson, I already knew deep in my heart.

May God bless you and keep you and your family safe.

FAMILY GET TOGETHER

Since Tonka has been staying with us, he did not get to play with him mommy due to her injury.

This was the only way I would dare take a picture of the two of them. As her paw got better and better, I decided it was time to reintroduce them. I let Tonka out first,  went to Sophie's crate,  held my breath as I opened the door and........ Here is what happened.

I can't believe I was actually worried. They just played and played. The funny thing is, I thought Sophie would be so upset with Tonka for having her ball. She could have cared less. She just wanted to play. And play they did.

Trying to get two playful German Shepherds to sit still for a picture was almost impossible. Lucky for me, they both love the ball. I was holding it while taking this picture and the one below.

 I just love watching these two together. They have so much fun.

The following weekend we decided Tonka should meet up with his sister Schatzi, again before he leaves tomorrow. Once again I was hesitant. The minute Schatzi got out of her car, she started to whine and bark. She wanted to see her mommy. Sophie was in her crate, ears alert and also whining. We let them out together and here is their reunion.

We could not let them off of their leashes due to me not being able to catch one of our cats. Sophie is pretty good about not chasing them. Unfortunately, Schatzi is not, she will chase after them, which makes Sophie think it's okay. 

I was really worried about letting Tonka out. Schatzi went over to greet him at his kennel. He was growling and his hackles were up.

Here, Schatzi is waiting to go say hello.

I held on to Sophie, while Harold got Tonka out. Here they are saying hello to one another

They all had fun sniffing one another.

Trying to take a picture of three dogs at once is very challenging.

 Sophie is the only one who is looking at me in all four pictures.

I accidently took a video first.          UGH!                                                            

And now for the family  picture!

What a beautiful bunch. I have all but made up my mind to spay Sophie, although when I look at this picture, maybe not!

Such a handsome boy 

 He gets his good looks from his mommy.

T.

o Today will be their last day to play together

 

Tomorrow Tonka and Radar will be leaving us to go and join their family in Germany. Here is a picture of Radar.

 Radar has been a joy to watch. He comes when called and goes to bed when told to. He also loves to chase the flashlight. We had so much fun doing this the other night. Although, I am sure my neighbor wasn't too happy with us, due to Radar barking at the light!

  I know Sophie will be sad, but I know one little girl in particular who will be happy to have her dog back.

This is her buddy and she misses him terribly. She is the only one, to my understanding, who can walk him on the leash without him pulling.

It has been quite an experience boarding these two dogs. I am happy to see them go to be with their family but, I will also miss them. It was sometimes stressful  since I had get all five cats in the house before letting them out. But it was mostly fun. Safe travels you two.

SHIPPING DOGS OUT OF COUNTRY

I now know why so many families moving out of country do not take their animals with them. You have to go through leaps and bounds to get your animal to whatever country you are going to. Not to mention the outrageous airline fees. Also, if for some reason you have to leave earlier than planned which is the case with Tonka and Radar's owners, you will need to board them with someone until they can leave. The following is my experience with shipping the two dogs to Germany.

Living in Hawaii has it's perks, beautiful weather most of the time, and of course beautiful beaches. We are a state with very little wild life, in other words, no lions, tigers, bears, coyotes, snakes, well you get the idea. And rabies free. 

If you are moving here from the mainland, your animal has to go through some sort of quarantine. Whether it be a series of shots over a certain amount of months or four month in quarantine here on the island. That being said, getting them from Hawaii to another country is the most difficult task I have ever encountered. 

Your dogs have to be up to date with their shots. No problem, right? Wrong, most people who live in Hawaii do not get their dogs vaccinated for rabies. In order to ship your dog from Hawaii to Germany (another rabies free area), you must do the following.

Have your dog micro chipped with a European chip compatible with ISO standard 11784 or 11785 or you can provide a scanner along with the pet. If you dog has this type of chip then your next step is to get the rabies shot, wait 21 days, then make arrangements to ship your dog. If your dog does not have the correct chip and you cannot provide a scanner then you have to chip the dog first, then get the shot and wait 21 days. If by chance you have the incorrect micro chip placed in the dog, your have to start from square one. Micro chip, rabies shot, then wait TWENTY ONE days. I am really trying to stress to you how important the 21 days are.

Once all of this is done, you need to make your appointment for the veterinarian certificate of health, with your state licensed vet who also has to also be a licensed federal veterinarian. I found out this one the hard way. 

This can only be done ten days prior to their departure. The vet will only do the certificate if you have the airline reservations and a physical address of where they will be going to live upon their arrival is said country. 

Then your dogs have to be cleared by the Federal Vet, again all of this has to be done within 10 days of their departure.  If you live in a town where you can get all of this done in one day, then it really isn't that much of a hassle. 

Unfortunately, the Federal Vet is on Oahu and I am on the Big Island. So you can see the dilemma I am having. Now, I have to take them to the vet here, fax the paper work to the Federal Vet to make sure every thing is in order before actually going to him. If anything is incorrect, I have a day or two to get it fixed. Unless of course their micro chips are incorrect, then I have to do the whole process over again.

By the time all this is said and done, the cost will be close to $1800.00 per dog, depending on their size and what airline fares are at the time of their departure. I would imagine smaller dogs would costs less.We are talking vet bills and flight arrangements. I could have hired a pet mover, but what for? They charge fees for something I can do myself. Now I know why they charge a fee.

You can read all of the information on how to ship your dog at:  http://www.aphis.usda.gov. Look for the country you will be shipping to. Here is an example of the link forhttp://www.aphis.usda.gov/regulations/vs/iregs/animals/animal_european_union.shtml. Europe

Mind you, I read and reread all of these instructions to the point of having a headache and I still got it wrong. I finally called our local (Oahu) Federal Vet and got the answers from him. He nicely explained what to do. 

Hopefully by posting my experiencece, I may be of help to someone else who is thinking about moving out of country. 

Boarding Tonka and Radar

This is the day we picked Tonka and Radar up from the Hilo airport. Talk about stress. Earlier in the day, I got a phone call from their owner saying the airline won't ship Tonka due to his crate being to large. The crate that airline said to get. The airline finally agreed to let Radar ride in one of their crates, Tonka ride in Radar's crate and ship his large crate separately.

The dogs arrived, Harold put Tonka's crate back together while the airline employee asked if we needed anything else. Mind you, this is basically the only airline we can travel on and their customer service is something to be desired. I really cannot stand this airline but, what choice do we have?

Radar the day he got here

I was really apprehensive about picking up Radar. I had only met him a time or two. He was always nice, but, still, I did not know this dog. Tonka on the other hand, was a ten month old puppy. How hard could that be?

Our lives have been really hectic since taking on this project. Before we can do anything with Radar and Tonka, we have to catch all five of our cats to lock them in the house. This is not an easy task. Once that is done, we then feed Radar and Tonka, wait an hour, all the while the cats are meowing not stop to go outside. I then go outside to doggie sit for an hour. I am too afraid they will take off and we will never be able to find them again.( I do the same thing with Harley and Sophie, only Harley manages to disappear every once in a while. I think he has a girlfriend up the road from us.)

  The first few days, were great? Radar turned out to be the sweetest dog I've ever met. Other than my own but, hey, they are my dogs. Tonka came when called, loved to play with his water dish and the ball.

Tonka on the third day with us.

By the third day, I guess it was clear to Tonka he was not going home anytime soon. Harold and I were taking them for a walk when I got a little bit ahead of him. Tonka has separation issues when he is not next to Radar. I heard a commotion turned to see him in one chomped destroy Sophie's leash. Harold was trying to hold on to Tonka by his collar (the pinch collar, also Sophie's) when a struggle ensued. Tonka I want to say panicked, then started nipping at Harold. I could not believe what I was seeing. He was promptly put back in the kennel where he stayed for the rest of the night.

This poor dog's world has been turned upside down. He went from being at home with his family to getting on a noisy plane to be met by people he did not know  and live at a home he barely if at all remembered. But by no means is he allowed to put his teeth on anybody!


The next day I took on the task of training him. At first, it seemed like I was making some progress. I had taught him Aus, which he quickly learned for one day. After that day,  well, lets say he quickly forgot it. From that day on, it was a battle to get him to let go of his ball.

I took this picture while holding the ball.

That was not the only problem I have encountered with Tonka. When I would grab him by the collar to walk him to his Kennel, he would nip at me. Sad to say he actually dd get me a few times. It was not a vicious bite, it was a puppy nip. Kind of like a child having a temper tantrum about going to bed.

So I tried the e-collar, that worked for maybe a week. I've come to the conclusion that either the e-collar is not working properly or he is one stubborn German Shepherd. I think it's the latter. I solved that problem by using cheese. I just say go to bed and he 
runs in there.


I wanted to get a picture of Tonka and Sophie together. Because he is in an unfamiliar place and I was by myself this is the only way I could take the picture.

As the weeks go by, Tonka and Radar are feeling more and more at home. Here he is posing (actually I am holding his, er, Sophie's ball). I have some how manage to teach, once he drops the ball, he waits for me to pick it up and then run for it after I say "go".  I have tried to teach him other things like heel, down and shake, but, his teeth are so sharp, I think I'll leave the training up to his owners.

Trying to get a picture of these two side by side is virtually impossible. So, I do what I can.

Radar is one of the most difficult dogs to get a picture of. He will not look at the camera.I have thoroughly enjoyed watching this dog. He is a gentle soul who reminds me so much of our dog Ginger. They have the same personality. The only difference, Ginger talks to us, Radar not so much.

He loves hunting for things in our bushes, just like Ginger. Another thing they have in common? Chasing the flashlight and giving lots and lots of kisses.

I have been able to brush these two on a daily basis. Radar loves it, Tonka tolerates it. He just want to play ball. 




Next post: Trying to get them to Germany.

A VISIT WITH THE BOYS

While staying on Oahu for the month of September, I was able to see the two boys. They are now nine months old. Since their looks have changed so much, I've put puppy photos of Tonka at 7 weeks and Behr at 8 weeks for a comparison.



Here is Tonka
 

 He is just beautiful. He was the tiniest of them all and has grown into a handsome dog. When we first got there he barked at all of us. Then he was okay with everyone except my sister. For some reason he would bark at her off and on.

 He is such a big boy now. It's hard to believe he was the smallest of the bunch!

Tonka at 7 weeks

Tonka at 9 months

 Notice how his right ear is slightly tilted? He does the same thing with his ear that Sophie does.  


This is the last time I will be able to see him. He will be moving to Germany in November with his humans.


Updated information:
Due to a snafu, Tonka and his brother Radar will be coming to stay with us until arrangements can be made for them to fly to Germany.







 Here is Behr.

Behr at 9 months

Behr at 8 weeks

  Behr was the first born, he was the biggest out of all of them. When he was a puppy, I honestly thought he would be mostly black. He was the only puppy born without eyebrows. As you can see by the above picture, he now has them.  His colors have come in just beautifully.

When we got to the house, it was dusk. I was hesitant about going through the gate. Harold said "Come on, lets go in." My reply was simple "Are you nuts? There's a German Shepherd in there, I'm waiting for Cordula (his human). 

Behr did not bark at all, in fact he was happy to see us. We visited for a long time. We found out he has a lot of Sophie's traits. One in particular is bringing the ball to you, but not actually giving it to you. 

All in all, it was good to see both of them.

PLAYING CHASE WITH HARLEY!

I love watching the two of them play together. Sophie gets a little frustrated chasing Harley, he is too fast for her.

WOULD LOVE TO GET BACK TO MY LIFE

We are still not done fixing up our rental. Truthfully, we are burned out, we only have about 10% more to go to finish it. I just can't bring myself to go over there day after day. Not to mention working with Sophie. I don't have any desire to write on my blog either. My brain is tired.