Lost and Found

When I boarded the plane last week in Minneapolis, everything was going according to plan. Honey was trusted into the hands of the Priority Pet people of Northwest Airlines, and I was settled into my seat in the plane. Usually about 15-30 minutes prior to take-off, I am given a slip of paper from one of the PriorityPet handlers together with an update of how my dog is, but that wasn't happening and the clock was ticking.

I contacted the headpurser and she got involved right away and assured me that "we will NOT take off without your dog on board". Come to find out,Honey was not on the plane at all! I was invited into the cockpit by the captain who was making all sorts of calls to track him down. I had my paperwork with me and we found out that his paper tag had come loose from his crate and they had to find it before they brought him out to the plane.

I so appreciate the NWA staff who delayed the flight almost 45 minutes inorder to find my dog and make sure he had the proper tags and paperwork, as well as stowing him in a nice pre-warmed cargo hold. However, it was stressful nonetheless because I couldn'tactually "see" what was going on, just the communication. I was in the cockpit for almost 20 minutes to help sort out the details,chatting with the pilots about their dogs and showing them all a photo of Honey. Then the hatch was opened again and his papers handed through to verify that it was my dog on board.

Whew! Such kind staff who were determined to care for my Honey Boy, who couldn't be blessed?!

Then, to top it all off, the head purser apologized for the mixup and offered me a seat in first class! It was then that I melted into a puddle of tears - whatwith the horrifying thot of my dog being lost at a cold airport, leaving my elderly mom after caring for her for 8 months,not to mention the stress of packing and travelling - it was all too much for me and I soaked my handerkerchief with tears of relief! And I put that 1st class chair to good use as my bed for the rest of the 8 hour flight.

When I arrived in Holland I was nearly the first one off the plane, my baggage was quick and they brought Honey up to me with no muss or fuss of paperwork of any kind.

We're home!