Notes from the General Manager, by Diane Jacoutot
Police in Druisberg Germany were called to investigate a ‘striking looking’ prowler hanging about outside the home of a couple who felt harassed as the prowler was standing directly outside of their window, looking in. "About 1.80 metres tall, yellow shirt, blue check trousers, green rucksack and a 'striking' face," says the official log of the call.
Police arrived in quick time and found that the culprit was in fact the Easter Bunny.
A 6 foot plastic statue was stolen and put outside the couple’s house as a prank. Striking indeed.
Humans and animals have been hanging out together for thousands of years in relative harmony. Dogs were domesticated 15,000 years ago and now almost half of all UK householdsown a pet, In the US, 37% own dogs and a similar percentage, cats. But pets can cause huge problems when moving abroad.
Firstly, you need to remember that you will likely be living in rented accommodation which is typically of a high, expatriate standard. And no landlord likes to take a risk on a pet – there is really very little upside for them and lots of risk. Dirt, fleas, and noise are just three of the rather large downsides. So most schools will reject you outright if you can’t leave your pet at home, especially in the more popular locations where schools have plenty of choice or in areas, such as the Middle East, where cost of accommodation is high and contracts to rent are not negotiable.
Secondly, as opposed to western societies, pet ownership is not seen as a common occurrence, but rather as a far flung unnecessary luxury, or even, in some Muslim countries, as something approximating vermin. In one apartment building in Abu Dhabi, the Arab neighbours insisted that the porter wash out the lift every time a western pet owner got in it to take his dog for a walk!
Thirdly is the cost – no schools that I or Teachanywhere know of will pay for you to bring your pet with you. Airline tickets for you? Sure. For your family? Sometimes. For your pets? Never. Pet passports, microchipping, import and export permits and vaccinations can easily cost you £300/$500. And then the airlines will charge you as well. Each airline is different but your dog or cat is 6kg or more and they travel in cargo, the minimum cost is around £300/$500, but it goes up from there. Many low cost airlines ban pets altogether so it may mean that you have to pay for an upgraded ticket for yourself as well as your pets. Each way, every year, every trip.
Finally, as I said last week, one of the main benefits to moving abroad is the opportunity for inexpensive and frequent travel. And pets will certainly tie you down. As much as landlords hate pets, you had better believe that hotel owners hate them more. Who will watch your pet when you have a weekend in Bali? What about spring break in the Seychelles? Kennels and catteries are pretty much non-existent in many parts of the world so you had better make some non-travelling friends quickly and trust me when I say that they will be hard to find.
I have nothing against pets but I do think I made the right decision when, 9 years ago, I left my pets behind. My dog is happily ensconced with my in-laws and my elderly cats lived out the rest of their lives with friends. Whilst I miss being greeted at the door, I realise that life abroad is much more flexible without furry friends.
So I encourage you to make your pets the plastic variety. Just don’t leave them outside your neighbours window.
