If I had it to do over, I would not have brought our dog to TV.
We had a small dog and a cat. The dog was pretty much a lap dog, with a love me, love me, demeanor. Never met a stranger, and everyone loved him. Our cat was, and is, high maintenance. We had to warn visitors not to pet her or ever get too close. Both pets had free run of a large fenced yard, in a very warm climate. The cat could actually flatfoot the fence and go off wandering the neighborhood, causing terror amoung the other cats in the area.
We worried so much about how the cat would adjust to TV and being an inside cat. We never gave a thought to how the dog would adjust. After all, he would be with us, and that was all that ever mattered to him. Well....we sure got that one WRONG!
We had pre-shipped the little bit we brought with us, and the house was not bare, but starting to look like no one lived there. We could see the anxiety mounting in the dog, but still....he was with us. On moving day, with our final luggage sitting in the middle of the living room, as we put him into his carrier to go to the airport (where he traveled in the cabin with us), he had, as the Vet put it, an "event". We don't know if it was a stroke or a nervous/mental breakdown, but he starting barking and whining. We had tried to travel without tranquilizers, but during a plane change, we finally drugged him. Did no good. I held him in my lap for the entire flight, while he whined. I must say a giant thank you to the flight staff and fellow passengers on AA that day. They did not say a word or give us dirty looks. Everyone was very understanding.
Long story short.....and lots of vet visits and various medications....our little buddy did not survive. His little heart just gave out from the anxiety. He was about 16 years old and had congenital heart disease. He had just a few months here, where he refused to go to the bathroom outside, with walks hourly, including over-night. It was too cold for him, and he would not walk, or go, on the grass. If one of us was not holding him, he was barking. We took turns staying up with him at night.
@ paulandjean, I don't find your suggestion offensive, at all. Sometimes making the tough decisions come from love. I would have either stayed where we were for a few more years or left him behind with friends. Like I said....everyone loved him. We just didn't know and made the wrong choice based on what we assumed. What else can you do?
On a brighter note....the cat has adjusted better than we ever thought even possible. She even makes friends with visitors, although we still warn not to get too cozy. She doesn't seem to have an interest in going outside. She enjoys the lanai and just surveying the neighborhood from her warm perch.
Not meaning to discourage the OP from bringing their dogs. Of course, bring them!! They will not only have you, they will have each other.
Just another side of the story.....
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