“Ruff” Ryder’s Christmas Eve Anthem
On December 29, 2021, we lost my father to a massive heart attack. As a grandfather, one of his wishes was to be able to take his granddaughters on a Disney Cruise when they were old enough to appreciate the experience. Sadly, he never got the opportunity. Last year, my immediate family and I spent the first anniversary of his death at the cemetery for his gravestone unveiling. “Can we please do something less depressing to celebrate Dad’s life next year?” I asked everyone. I’m not sure if it was my sister or my mom who brought up taking a post-Christmas Disney Cruise, but we all agreed that it would be a great vessel (pun intended) to reunite for the holidays, honor Dad’s life, and fulfill his wish.
Since my sister lives in Miami, the plan was to celebrate Christmas with my nieces before catching the Disney Dream from Fort Lauderdale on December 28th. Ahead of our flights on Christmas Eve, my uncle suggested picking us up an extra 30-minutes early for our airport drop-off. “I know you’re flying First Class and all, but you just never know what to expect with holiday traffic and folks traveling,” he said. “Plus, you gals aren’t known to pack light. You’re checking five bags and each carrying on two between the two of you. Plus, there’s her (he pointed to my pup)!”
We arrived at the El Paso airport at 7:30 am head of our 9:47 am departure. For those of you who have been around here for a while, you know that I often travel with Lucy, my precious 12-year old, 7-pound Maltese. I approached the American Airlines priority counter and handed Becky, the agent, my ID and presented my credit card, as in-cabin pets are a $125 charge. “Can I see your (dog) kennel?” I showed Becky the soft-sided kennel/carrier/bag where Lucy chills while ‘in flight.’ She asked how many mesh panels the bag contained, and I pointed to the two areas located on either side of the carrier. “Hmmmm, I think it’s supposed to have three mesh panels. I recall reading something about that recently. I am going to review on our website.” Seemingly unfazed and definitely not concerned, I stood by scrolled through my social media feeds to kill time while Becky did her homework. “Yep, it says right here that kennels must have three-mesh panels,” she said looking me square in the eyes. “Not two.” I told Becky that I fly with Lucy almost monthly and on various airlines. I even pointed to the bag’s wear and tear. “Is there a waiver I can sign that states that I’m aware the bag should have three panels?” Becky informed me that I was not allowed to get on the plane. “Wait, are you serious?” I gasped. “Yes ma’am, she is serious,” Becky’s colleague, Carmen, chimed in. “I’m her supervisor, and that carrier is absolutely not allowed.” She pointed to another woman in line traveling with her in-cabin dog. “Do you want to see what a proper carrier looks like?” I shook my head ‘no.’ “OK, suit yourself,” she quipped. I burst out crying. “I feel like I’m going to throw up,” my mom said. “What if we cut a hole on the top (of the carrier)?” Carmen looked at my mom like she had five heads. “No ma’am,” she blurted.
We were told to step aside and that they could not check our luggage until we had a proper kennel for Lucy. “I think there’s a Walmart nearby. Wait, here’s one on Amazon!” Becky showed us her phone. “It’s Sunday. Not to mention Christmas Eve! And it’s not even 8 am. Is Amazon supposed to deliver that to us in 30-minutes, Becky?” Mom facetiously asked. “Well, we can try to put you on a later flight so that you can go and find a proper kennel nearby in the meantime and then come back.” Becky said, “But today is a pretty busy travel day.” We called my uncle who had just gotten home from dropping us off at the airport. “Wow, I cannot believe this! I am so sorry, you guys. OK, the only place I know that is open right now is Walmart. Let me hop back in the car and see what they have.” After my uncle left the house for the second time that morning, my aunt called me. “Hi Donna,” my voice quivered as I was sobbing. “I can’t believe this! What if they don’t have the right kind of bag at Walmart?” Donna offered to watch Lucy for the duration of our trip if we weren’t able to bring her to Miami. If anything, this whole situation just re-proved to me what an amazing family I have.
Luckily, the travel stars somehow aligned for us on Christmas Eve: Thanks to my uncle urging us to leave 30-minutes earlier than originally scheduled, he was able to haul ass to Walmart and grab the floor model of a “suitable” kennel and hand-deliver it to us at the airport. With over an hour to spare! “It’s a Christmas Miracle,” Mom and I both blurted in unison between sobs as we hugged.
To conclude: I am a very seasoned traveler. Hell, so is my dog! While we were saved in this particular instance solely because of timing being on our side, I cannot imagine the further heartache we would have experienced had we not made our flight. El Paso is not NYC or LA or Chicago, people; there is no nonstop service to Miami.
American Airlines really should consider having a heart waiver in place for other pet parents who unknowingly bring the incorrectly-vented kennel to sign acknowledging that they are aware of the potential (?) danger.
