Menace Meets Microchip

While moving to a city you have never seen, where they speak an entirely different language and don't look anything like you can be scary, nothing is more frightening for me than moving my four year old, adored, 60 pound (the breed average weight is 40; yeah he's all muscle), Australian Blue Heeler, aka Queensland Heeler, aka Australian Cattledog: Ranger - also known as "Menace to Society,"  to Tokyo.  You see he's not........dramatic pause......nice.  He's gorgeous mind you.  I mean see for yourself.  He's beautiful.  But he really doesn't like people.....period.

So the biggest impediment to my moving to Tokyo is the ability to safely take my beloved dog with me.

Russell's ultimatum about moving to Tokyo was, "You don't go; I don't go."  Mine was, "If Ranger doesn't go; I don't go."  What we have here is a conundrum. Japan has a 180 days (that's six months BTW) mandatory quarantine for dogs and cats before they can be welcomed into the land of the rising sun.

Thankfully the quarantine can be served in the country of origin, in this case America.  But it also means the dog has to be implanted with a special microchip, (I had one installed in Russell too), undergo two rounds of rabies vaccination, even though he's had all his shots and I have all the records since he was six weeks old.  After the second round of rabies shots, blood is taken and sent to the one and only lab in the U.S., (Kansas City for some reason), the Japanese government recognizes to prove he has enough antibodies. Then, as if this wasn't already enough, you have to wait a mandatory 180 days before he can be packed up in a Japanese government approved crate and shipped over.   A minimum of 40 days prior, assuming he hasn't started foaming at the mouth and renamed himself Cujo, you get to warn Japan (probably a good idea in his case) the pet will be flying over in the next 40 days or so.  

I don't feel comfortable putting Ranger in a kennel for six months straight and leaving him behind is absolutely NOT AN OPTION.  Can you believe I had a couple of friends (friends?) suggest I just get rid of him.  I wonder how they would feel if I suggested they just get rid of their kid(s) when they become inconvenient.  That really knocked the wind out of me, especially when they suggested it on more than one occasion. It wasn't like my response was benign the first time.

What this does mean, however, is that I will be traveling back and forth between Tokyo and LA during the quarantine period.  The good news is half the time falls during the holidays so I'd be going back anyway.  When I'm in Tokyo, Ranger, also known as, the Wonder Dog, will be playing with his friends (for some reason he loves Boxers) and girlfriends (he's got a hot Australian Shepherd bitch with blue eyes named Jewel he drools all over) at his home away from home - Crossroads Pet Resort in lovely Cypress, California.  He's been going there since he was 10 months old and just starting to show his, um, aggressive side.  Believe it or not, he's their favorite now.  He's such a lover when he knows someone.

Funny, none of my friends want to come over everyday and feed him treats until he gets to know them.

Maybe it's the barred teeth and barking?

I wonder if Cesar would come to Tokyo?.....I went to his 100th show party.

What a beautiful boy!   I know, right?

Action shot

Baby photo

Oh, he's just too cute.  The puppy's pretty adorable as well.

The adolescent years..."who me?!"

But he's sooo sweet! When he's asleep!!!!

All right already; enough of the dog photos.