Is this the new normal for pet relocation?

 

Corona or Covid19 has affected the world we knew, the world stopped in its track, people were confined to their homes, borders closed, and planes stopped flying.

 

Now 6 months later, we only start to see to what level this has changed our lives. So many aspects of a global lockdown were never considered or even thought of.

 

Pet travel for example is far down the list of foreseen consequences of this abrupt end to the world, if it was on there to start.

 

Six months later we are living in the new normal, our kids go to online school, we work from home and all news channels spend half the airtime on tour de France and the other on Covid19.

 

But not so for the people that lost their jobs and are trapped in a guest country, and even worse for those with pets. Where travel for humans, often impeded due to governmental or aviation restrictions, is already difficult, it becomes a more challenging task to bring their pets with them.

 

Pet relocation for pet owners was already stressful, part of our task is to help owners cope with their anxiety by explaining what is happening with their pet.

 

Unfortunately, due to all the uncertainties and added hurdles that now come with travel, some of the owners have reached their limit and now take that out on the first person they speak to. Us.

 

Lately we have learnt a few new words, we also have learnt not to take things personal. I think because I still become emotional when I relive some of the recent phone conversations. I wonder, what do you respond to a man that says: “Your quote is ridiculous, you are f**king thieves and it is your fault I will now have to put them to sleep!” (pets have safely landed at LAX in the meantime). Or what do you reply when a dog owner tells you “to stick the dog up you’re a**“ when yet another flight is canceled. Or what do you say when this otherwise nice lady sobs “you have no clue, you obviously think cats are unimportant.” And what do you reply when every other quote request starts with: “I lost my job, I have no money, our pets are like our children, we need a big discount”.

 

I don’t know... but we stay patient, stay professional, try harder, and hope this world will go back to the old normal soon.

 

People seem to have forgotten that the new normal is not normal at all, that we may have gotten used to all the restrictions but that they are not normal, we try our best every day but things are not normal at all.