Getting to Japan - October 22-23, 2019

I don't know what happened today. The past few weeks have been incredibly stressful. The female pack leader and I haven't been home in a long time. We have been staying in strange places with scary noises and unfamiliar smells. Then today everything got worse. The pack leader woke me up. That was confusing since it is my job to wake her up. We rode a 'shuttle' which was similar but different than any car I had ever been in. I tried to find a corner to hide in but then got stuck until the pack leader pulled me out. We went into a very noisy and busy building. There were people everywhere and I saw other dogs in kennels. One dog started whining when it saw me but I was too concerned about everything else to pay it any attention. A stranger took my leash while the pack leader was putting my kennel together. I stuck as close as I could to the stranger. She seemed safer than anything else around. They made me go in my kennel and then lifted the kennel onto a cart. I hated that. The ground is not supposed to move under your feet. Everyone knows that. Eventually everything got quiet. We were in an area where there weren't a lot of people. I tried to stay awake but I was so tired I couldn't fight it. I dozed off for a little while. Then the pack leader took me out of the kennel and we went outside. It was SO scary! There were loud noises and unpleasant smells. There wasn't even any grass. The pack leaker kept telling me to 'finish', but I couldn't think about peeing or pooping. I needed to keep an eye out for the next scary thing that was coming at me. Eventually, I was put back in the kennel. It started to get busier around us. A few dogs walked by. I yelled at them to keep their distance. You can't take any chances under these circumstance, you know? Then it happened...I was put back the cart. I couldn't see the pack leader anymore. What was happening? I was put in a dark noisy room on a 'plane' that vibrated for a really long time. I tried to let them know I had to go to the bathroom but no-one came to let me out. Eventually I couldn't hold it anymore. I don't know how much time passed but finally the vibrations stopped and they pulled my kennel out of the dark room. The air smelled different. There were lots of noises and lots of people again. The male and female pack leader appeared. I was so happy to see them! But why weren't they releasing me from the kennel? Couldn't they tell the smell was horrible in here? I was so confused my level of anxiety continued to rise. FINALLY, they let me out of the kennel and I got to pee on some grass. I also got attention from some new friends so there was a little bit of a bright spot. But then they put the kennel in a car and make me get back in it. The stinky towels were gone but it still smelled horrible in there. I didn't want to go in but they made me. After a car ride we arrive at a house. It was fun to explore the house. One of my dog beds was there! I was so glad to see it, even though it is not as comfortable as some of the other beds I used to have. The female pack leader gave me a bath. I didn't mind. The rub downs after a bath always make them worthwhile. Then things got even better when she fed me my dinner. Food is my favorite. Everything then took another unpleasant turn. The pack leaders wanted me to go back into the kennel, AGAIN! Nothing good has happened in the kennel today. I did not want to go in and see what would happen next. I was not given a choice. At least it was quiet this time and I slept until they returned and let me back out. After exploring the house some more. I nestled down onto my dog bed and fell asleep, exhausted,

Jenn's take on the day: Overall the day went smoothly. A USO lady helped us get to where we needed to be and guided us through the process of checking in for our flight. Thankfully all of Dasher's paperwork was in order. I was lucky enough to get a first class seat on the plane. Or maybe it was the attendant taking pity on me more than luck? Despite my comfy seat I was only able to sleep for about an hour. David was able to meet us at customs and help get Dash and our luggage. Poor Dash, he was happy to see us but his panting just kept intensifying when we couldn't let him out of crate right away. David had done a great job picking out our car. We needed something compact enough for Japanese streets but with enough space to transport Dash;. Dash's crate fit in in perfectly. Once Dash was cleaned and fed at the house we walked to a nearby restaurant and had ramen for dinner. The broth was absolutely AMAZING. It was an exhausting day but I am excited to see what Japan has in store for us.