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More About Abbey, the Aberdeen Terrier
Six-year old Abbey was named for Scotland's Aberdeen Terrier breed which later became known as the Scottish Terrier. Abbey is a big dog caught in a tiny body, a dilemma made even more unbearable by her grandfather's bull terrier heritage.
She is a loving, feisty, independent gal with a penchant for wandering off. Her wanderlust has not been tempered by her international journey from Cape Town, South Africa via Amsterdam, Netherlands to New Jersey, USA.
After two years of being spoiled by my parents, Abbey was finally reunited with us on October 25, 2004.
Abigail's Excellent Adventure
Abbey was micro chipped in South Africa on October 18, 2004 to comply with U.S. Customs requirements. She had her annual rabies shot and all her other vaccinations. Our veterinarian declared her fit to fly and the state vet verified all of the above information.
With Abbey's health screening behind her and her travel documentation in order, all that was left to do was to familiarize her with the cage. Animal Travel Services delivered the cage early on to give her enough time to become accustomed to it. As it turned out, she needed zero coaxing. She loved the cage and slept in it without any encouragement.
Saturday, October 23, 2004
On the day of her flight, my folks took Abbey (and Toffie) for a loooonnnnggg walk before they had to say goodbye to her.
Erika from Animal Travel Services arrived late afternoon to pick Abbey up for her midnight KLM flight. If it wasn't for Abbey's short legs, she would have climbed into the Animal Travel Services vehicle on her own! While my dad was taking pictures to document Abbey's journey for us, my mom was making sure she was comfortable and surrounded by all her favorite soft toys.
Even Toffie was outside to look at what all the commotion was about. One final document check and Abbey was on her way. After 11 hours in the air, Abbey was pampered at KLM's world renowned Animal Hotel at Schiphol Airport. During her 24 hour layover in Amsterdam she ate, drank and stretched her legs in preparation for her final flight to us across the Atlantic.
Monday, October 25, 2004
These are some of the signs around Newark Liberty International Airport's North Area; indicating the location of Building 340, where Abbey would be waiting for us. At this point, we were beside ourselves with excitement and could not wait for KLM's animal handling company, Air General, to bring her to us. When we finally caught a glimpse of her, she was still in her cage, but started wagging her tail as soon as she heard our voices.
She yelped and climbed into my arms the moment the cage door swung open. Abbey had no obvious signs of jetlag thanks in large part to Animal Travel Services and KLM's experience with caring for animals in transit. The Dutch Royal Airline made history in 1924 when they became the first airline to transport an animal - a bull named Nico - by air. Their 80 years of experience shows!
Abbey was not sedated, and handled her three days in transit like a pro. Other than being a little dehydrated, she looked as if she had just undertaken a short journey by car. Our thanks to the Animal Travel Services personnel (especially Riekie and Erika) as well as the KLM and Air General crew.
Since America does not have a quarantine requirement, we were able to pick Abbey up within an hour of her arrival at Newark Airport in New Jersey.
Dawid and I were allowed to take her for a walk around the Air General building in the cargo area while her documents were checked. After Dawid made a quick visit to customs, Abbey was cleared and we took her home to meet our adopted Scottie, Mack.
Mister Mack was a little unsure at first, but soon started wagging his tail at the fur ball that is our Abigail. Clearly Mr Mack, who has a keen sense of adventure, is thrilled to have a partner in crime.
A Significant Change of Scenery
Abbey has gone from suburban bliss to a farm paradise where she can wander around and explore to her heart's content. Who knows what she will make of the deer, fox, gophers, chipmunks, squirrels, black bear and other animals that frequent the farm.
She loves open space and running around freely, but she also has a knack for finding and rolling in smelly things when one least expects it.
The unlimited supply of stinky stuff on the farm is sure to present unique challenges. We are already wondering how we will manage to keep her out of trouble...
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