Pet escorts needed!

[kmurray719]

Really, they have a scanner behind the ticket counter that you have access to?

Can you explain what El Guardo was talking about? The people who were supposed to deliver the dog to them with all the appropriate papers didn't show up until the very last second before the plane departed, and simply handed off the dog in its pet carrier and left.

That doesn't seem like a secure system to me.

I will check this out on my next COZ trip and if it checks out legit, I may bring a couple back with me. One caveat, I don't do diapers.

I have escorted three dogs and two cats from the Humane Society in Coz and can back up everything Zman says. The volunteers who bring the animals to the airport have always been completely professional and came in plenty of time for me to check into my flights, and had all the necessary paperwork in order for the animals, plus blankets, leashes, water bowls and everything else that I might possibly need on the trip. And the animals are inspected by someone official (I think the military?) in a small room behind the airline check in counters before they are put onto the plane. They inspect not only the paperwork, but the animals themselves, and pay VERY close attention to any incisions and to their bellies. There's no way that a dog was just handed over to someone at the last second, not inspected, and put on the plane. But a bit of hyperbole makes any story way more fun to tell your friends, right?

Everyone is free to choose where to spend their volunteer time and energy, but please don't disparage a program you know nothing about, especially by creating unfounded fears in people who may want to help.

 

[soccerrefjason]

Normally I'd be like, 'whatever' , a dog bomb really isn't that far fetched.

Far fetched... I can not be the only one who giggled, or wondered if that is like throwing a stick a long distance for the dog...

 

[judydivescoz]

I have escorted dogs from Cozumel to the U.S. with no problem. In August, I even adopted a Cozumel rescue dog. The Humane Society folks were great. The dogs sent for adoption are very healthy and have had adequate time to recover from being neutered.
The Humane Society and I spoke a few times before they met me at the airport and checked in 90 minutes before departure. The dogs I escorted were small and fit under the seat. They include a leash, collar, snacks and a small water bowl. I had a connection in Atlanta and had to take the dogs to the Agriculture Inspection area. It took all of 10 minutes. The inspector looked at the health certificate provided and sent us on our way. The dogs were healthy...no diarrhea, quiet and very loving. The new owners were excited and very happy to have their new family member. Our adopted dog Squirt , a former Cozumel street dog is a great addition to our household.
I would not hesitate to escort a dog from the Cozumel Humane Society again. No cost to me, great company for the trip and great satisfaction when I turn the dog over to a great forever home at the airport.

 

[El Graduado]

There's no way that a dog was just handed over to someone at the last second, not inspected, and put on the plane. But a bit of hyperbole makes any story way more fun to tell your friends, right?

Hyperbole wasn't needed, or added by me, in my recounting of my friends' story. As they told the story to me, the guy with the dog handed them the dog at the last minute, then turned around and left. Maybe it was inspected by the authorities before he handed it off; I don't know and it really doesn't matter. The point of the story was not that the dog may have been loaded with heroin or explosives, it was that one of my friends worried that it was and spent the rest of the flight fretting about it. The crap and puke were just cream on the tacos (so to speak.)

The hand-off may have not been done the way it usually happens and it may have been a one-time slip-up, I don't know. But you telling me that it didn't happen that way for my friends simply because you don't believe it happened that way doesn't hold much water for me.

 

[Zeagle Eagle]

I have escorted three dogs and two cats from the Humane Society in Coz and can back up everything Zman says. The volunteers who bring the animals to the airport have always been completely professional and came in plenty of time for me to check into my flights, and had all the necessary paperwork in order for the animals, plus blankets, leashes, water bowls and everything else that I might possibly need on the trip. And the animals are inspected by someone official (I think the military?) in a small room behind the airline check in counters before they are put onto the plane. They inspect not only the paperwork, but the animals themselves, and pay VERY close attention to any incisions and to their bellies. There's no way that a dog was just handed over to someone at the last second, not inspected, and put on the plane. But a bit of hyperbole makes any story way more fun to tell your friends, right?

Everyone is free to choose where to spend their volunteer time and energy, but please don't disparage a program you know nothing about, especially by creating unfounded fears in people who may want to help.

It wasn't me that disparaged the program. It was another poster. I just indicated that if it were true they need to tighten it up. You weren't a witness to the exchange so don't make any assumptions.

Also, Please don't disparage a person you know nothing about. It turns out I know a lot about airports and airport security. Some would consider me an expert.

You got your undies in a bunch because some one dared to question your "pet project". Unfounded fears you say...lol. What planet do you live on. Do you not see what goes on in the world. Being a 'do-gooder' does not give anyone license to circumvent any security procedures. These dogs do not go through a scanner or xray machine in Cozumel. They don't have one for pets. They do go through a very basic search. Call the airport authority in Cozumel and ask for yourself, or better yet talk to the airport manager in Cozumel. Ask him. I did.

Would I bring an animal from Cozumel, yes. But, I would check it myself, to the best of my ability and I would want to see some ID and the appropriate paperwork from the Shelter and the people that deliver it.

I love animals; but, I love people more. There are really bad people that will take advantage of any little opportunity they can. Just be aware out there. If you see something, say something.

 

[judydivescoz]

It wasn't me that disparaged the program. It was another poster. I just indicated that if it were true they need to tighten it up. You weren't a witness to the exchange so don't make any assumptions.

Also, Please don't disparage a person you know nothing about. It turns out I know a lot about airports and airport security. Some would consider me an expert.

You got your undies in a bunch because some one dared to question your "pet project". Unfounded fears you say...lol. What planet do you live on. Do you not see what goes on in the world. Being a 'do-gooder' does not give anyone license to circumvent any security procedures. These dogs do not go through a scanner or xray machine in Cozumel. They don't have one for pets. They do go through a very basic search. Call the airport authority in Cozumel and ask for yourself, or better yet talk to the airport manager in Cozumel. Ask him. I did.

Would I bring an animal from Cozumel, yes. But, I would check it myself, to the best of my ability and I would want to see some ID and the appropriate paperwork from the Shelter and the people that deliver it.

I love animals; but, I love people more. There are really bad people that will take advantage of any little opportunity they can. Just be aware out there. If you see something, say something.

I don't mean to question you expertise in airport security but from my do good, dog escorting experience you are wrong. Each time I escorted a dog home I had to remove the dog from its crate and have that scanned with the rest of my carry ions. The dog and I had to walk thu the X-ray machine. Had to do this in Cozumel and in Atlanta. In order to even get to the security area the airline requires a health certificate from a vet that is less than 2 days old with an immunization record. The Humane Society delivered the proper papers along with the dog before we checked in. Those papers came in very handy in Atlanta when I had to bring the dogs and their papers to the Agriclture Inspection area right by the customs area. They looked very carefull at the papers and the immunization records along with the dog. I seriously doubt that a sick, vomiting dog with diarrhea would have been allowed to enter the country.
I love animals and people are well. I know and trust the good people at the Cozumel Humane Society. They do great work on the island. I am always happy to help.

 

[kmurray719]

Hyperbole wasn't needed, or added by me, in my recounting of my friends' story. As they told the story to me, the guy with the dog handed them the dog at the last minute, then turned around and left. Maybe it was inspected by the authorities before he handed it off; I don't know and it really doesn't matter. The point of the story was not that the dog may have been loaded with heroin or explosives, it was that one of my friends worried that it was and spent the rest of the flight fretting about it. The crap and puke were just cream on the tacos (so to speak.)

The hand-off may have not been done the way it usually happens and it may have been a one-time slip-up, I don't know. But you telling me that it didn't happen that way for my friends simply because you don't believe it happened that way doesn't hold much water for me.

I don't see where I implied that you were the one adding any hyperbole to the story, and in fact I wasn't. And you telling me second hand that it did happen that way doesn't hold much water for me. So I guess that makes us even?

It wasn't me that disparaged the program. It was another poster. I just indicated that if it were true they need to tighten it up. You weren't a witness to the exchange so don't make any assumptions.

Also, Please don't disparage a person you know nothing about. It turns out I know a lot about airports and airport security. Some would consider me an expert.

You got your undies in a bunch because some one dared to question your "pet project". Unfounded fears you say...lol. What planet do you live on. Do you not see what goes on in the world. Being a 'do-gooder' does not give anyone license to circumvent any security procedures. These dogs do not go through a scanner or xray machine in Cozumel. They don't have one for pets. They do go through a very basic search. Call the airport authority in Cozumel and ask for yourself, or better yet talk to the airport manager in Cozumel. Ask him. I did.

Would I bring an animal from Cozumel, yes. But, I would check it myself, to the best of my ability and I would want to see some ID and the appropriate paperwork from the Shelter and the people that deliver it.

I love animals; but, I love people more. There are really bad people that will take advantage of any little opportunity they can. Just be aware out there. If you see something, say something.

I don't see where I said they went through a scanner at all, I said they were carefully inspected. I'm pretty sure they used the wandy thing (since I'm not a security expert that may not be the technical term) on the dogs that I've escorted who went in the cargo hold. I've never taken one in cabin so I'll defer to Judy's experience on that.

I'm not quite sure how stating that based on my experience and that of every single other person I've heard about doing this (and that's been quite a few people on this forum alone) I don't believe that dogs were allowed to go on a plane completely uninspected indicates I "got my undies in a bunch." You seem to be the only one here with any "bunching" as far as I can see. The Humane Society is in no way my "pet project", I just happen to know that they're a legit organization staffed by volunteers who work really hard, and that escorting am animal from Coz is particularly easy and don't want people to be not do it because they've been unnecessarily freaked out about being unknowinglyturned into a drug mule.

 

[cvchief]

question your "pet project".

As a break in the arguing, that was kinda funny.

 

[Zman96]

I am with Judy as well, I must be imagining things as well. 2 dogs we have brought back went cargo and were screened in my views better than I am. I spent more than 5 minutes in the small very hot room while 3 or 4 security guards scrutinized the paper work and without doing an invasive procedure examined the dogs thoroughly including scanning them. This is not second hand information from a friend or somebody I talked with, it was done in front of me. The in cabin dog went through security right along with me just as Judy described. I in no way being a do gooder circumvent any security procedures and don't understand you accusation towards that, nor would security allow it. It is very simple, if you are not comfortable doing it, don't, if you are it is very easy and a great help to the Humane Society.
If I was in el Graduado's friends shoes and the story went as described, I probably would have declined escorting as well if they weren't familiar with the Humane Society. As a regular visitor I know many of the people involved and my comfort level is different than a newer visitor.

 

[sharky60]

Can you explain what El Guardo was talking about? The people who were supposed to deliver the dog to them with all the appropriate papers didn't show up until the very last second before the plane departed, and simply handed off the dog in its pet carrier and left.

Just dropping an animal off to someone at the last minute without any paperwork or anything, doesn't seem to be the Humane Society's M.O. at all, I suspect it was someone else, NOT the Humane Society of Cozumel, I think there are other shelters on the island, maybe this animal was from them, or just a private thing.

The animals at the HSC have all been through quarantine periods, not just taken off the street, given deworming meds and given to some one. They are cleared, health wise before even being put up for adoption.

This doesn't mean that an animal won't get sick during transport, some animals just don't travel well...period.

... for some reason, El Graduado, apparently doesn't like me, even though we have never met, he has a habit of finding something wrong with the posts I make and finds something negative to say about them. Despite the fact that I have 'liked' some of his posts and even somewhat agreed to the contradictive statements he has made about my posts.

...and to others, yes, there are literally millions of animals here in the U.S that need good homes. I have adopted my dog, and past dogs, from local shelters here at home & encourage folks to do the same.

I'm simply putting the word out as a public service to the Society, that other people HAVE adopted, and these animals need someone to bring them home, that is simply what we are trying to accomplish.

If you have a place in your home, and you wish to do it, this is a wonderful opportunity to give an animal a loving home. If you don't want to adopt off the island, fine, that's your choice.

Anne started supporting the Humane Society of Cozumel when she owned the radio station & I have continued that support, along with the support of several other island charities now that I own the station.

One of our charities that I back is the Chrysalis Group, an organization run my by pal Amethyst Amatista (Barefoot Sally to most folks). This group helps supply local kids with much needed school supplies.

So by the argument that we have adoptable pets in the U.S., so don't adopt off the island, do you also feel that the kids in the U.S. deserve a better chance of education than the kids on the island? ... I think not.

a full list of the island charities we are aware of and support are on the right sidebar of The Shark Tank radio show blog , if you know of an island charity that's not on our list and would like them added, please PM me and let me know. a link to their website or Facebook page will help.