Better Call Sue

***WARNING: this post is a long one; feel free to pause halfway, come back when you have a stiff drink, or maybe take it with you when you go to the bathroom and need something to read.

When we adopted our son Josh, it was quite the process. Not just because it was an adult adoption (he was 18 when all the court visits and documents were filed) but also because his birth had not been registered in Ontario. The only records I could find through the registrar's office was a female who gave birth to a male child at the hospital that Josh had been told he was born in, on the day that he knew to be his birth-date. The rest was unfinished, no names and no signatures. Being of no blood relation to Josh, just a woman who wanted to help and had always wanted to be a mother; I hit so many road blocks. I sent countless emails and made hundreds of phone calls to every governmental agency until one day I was told about a magical person, Sue NoName (I know her last name but I don't want to get her in trouble by sharing it publicly). Doors began to open as we referenced her, we were put through to the right people with the best advice. Thanks to Sue NoName, the adoption was completed in 2017. Our son is turning 25 this year (nine more days to be exact ☝🏻).

Now, I have Susan NoName (again, not fair to share publicly), who is rescuing my other son, Zeus. Susan works for the airline that we will use to travel to Pico Island in Portugal. The phone conversations started on Thursday, late afternoon. I called in to the 1-800 line in Toronto at 4pm and I was on hold until 5:10pm. Susan took my call and she did not sound happy about it. She was curt and as I berated her with questions, she asked twice as many, often interrupting me.

If there was a transcript of the call, it would look something like this:

Me: Hi, I need some information on transporting a dog, he is -

Susan: All the information is online, if you have your ticket confirmation number I can input the dog, is it a small dog or a big dog to go in cargo?

Me: He is a big dog and I know the information online, I have it in front of me, but he is too large for the maximum sized crate that I -

Susan: What are the dimensions of your crate?

Me: I haven't bought it yet because I need your help on what I -

Susan: You don't have the crate? I can't ask for an exception unless I have all the information and I am the only one here, it's past 5pm and I can't get any answers right now.

Me: Please, I will buy ANY crate that is acceptable but I am in a difficult position because my dog is larger than your maximum dimensions. Can I give you the dog's dimensions so you can see what I am talking about?

Susan: The maximum weight of the crate with the dog cannot go over 45kilos (100lbs). The crate can be bigger but the weight cannot be over. How much does the dog weigh?

Me: Zeus is 77.8lbs

Susan: What is that in kilos?

One more phone call on Thursday (Susan calling me back) plus three calls on Friday and two emails (which included my heart felt plea adding two photos of Zeus). We were able to make a plan. Susan is going to email a supervisor to ask if we can have an oversized, overweight in-cargo pet transport out of Toronto straight to Terceira (a different Island in the Azores).

The devil is in the details, apparently this is the first season to include a straight through flight from Toronto to Terceira because the airplane that is being used for this trek is being borrowed from Montreal. Now, the maximum weight and dimensions of the crate are over for the usual flight from Toronto to Sao Miguel (the island we are USED to flying into and then taking a propeller plane to Pico). Sao Miguel and ALL connecting flights cannot accommodate Zeus sooo we have to fly to Terceira and then take a 6hr ferry boat ride to Pico 😅😳. IF Susan can get the exception for that flight than we are golden! We can purchase the $400 crate that I found online to be the lightest (36lbs), oversized metal pet carrier that we can get our hands on and get the rest of the documents/paperwork from the Canadian veterinarian to bring our dog with us. IF Susan gets the exception BUT we don't have permission to fly from Toronto, then we will need to rent a car, drive to Montreal the day before the flight because the Montreal flights are day-flights unlike the Toronto flights are over-night, and purchase the ferry boat tickets which only go to Pico Island three days a week. By the end of all the communication between Susan and myself, she has become like family ❤️. She is invested in Zeus, even wanting to meet him one day 🥹. I think back fondly on Sue NoName, when we were adopting Josh, and I can't help but feel like Susan NoName will be able to preform a similar miracle to keep my family together. Every Sue, Susan, Susanne, Suzanne, and Suzy will be seen as heroes in my book; protectors of the family unit, people I will blindly trust from now 😇

While I was trying to win over Susan, I decided to look into a private pet transportation option. I sent a 'request for a quote' to 5 companies and 3 of them said I was looking in the wrong place because they were specific to US departure (even though I could enter Canada in the 'pick-up location' field😑). Only 1 of the 5 companies has sent me an unofficial 'estimate' starting at $8200USD 😨 This would not be the route we want to take especially since Zeus would have to travel without us. It's way too much money and waaayyyyyy too much trust in complete strangers.

If there are any readers out there who think I am crazy for doing all of this for a dog, I promise you, you have not met a dog like this. Zeus is one of a kind. He has his quirks, like being afraid of the dark and breathing in your face during thunderstorms. He is far from perfect, but he is more than just a family pet. Zeus is a constant source of love and support. He is hilarious, a giant lap dog with affection for days. As I write this paragraph I am in tears at the thought of not having him near me 😢.

I want to take a second to thank every person, in the US and in Canada, who has offered to take care Zeus. It is a very kind gesture and I know it comes from a place of love but Kevin and I cannot imagine being without him. Plus, you'd have to physically fight Josh to get to Zeus because those two are thick as thieves and if Zeus isn't with us, we would move mountains to find a way that he could be with his brother Josh.

Here are some pictures from our recent afternoon out on the Marshwalk in Murrells Inlet, SC:

SIDE NOTE: I am debating creating a social media page for Zeus. I know that sounds odd but people here who love Zeus keep asking me to share pictures of him after we move; I can't come up with any other solution but to give this cutie puttie his own profile page. I've seen people do this on different platforms for their pets and I am still on the fence because its a lot of work but I have no shortage of photos, videos and blog posts to share.

Any thoughts, suggestions, objections?