Two Dog Or Not Two Dog
Orginally Posted 1 Setiembre 2025
Happy Labor Day!
It feels a little strange celebrating today, because I know this will be the last Labor Day we will observe. Uruguay doesn’t celebrate it, and soon we won’t even be in the U.S. to mark the holiday.
“Next question. Yes, the man in the pink jacket in the back.”
“Will you be taking your dogs with you to Uruguay?” he asks.
For those of you who don’t know, we have two rescued greyhounds who are truly part of our family. 12 Oaks is our wise old soul at 13 years old, gentle and calm. Tyson is younger—6, soon to be 7 on September 16—and still has a playful, goofy streak that makes us laugh daily. They’ve been with us through moves, life changes, and everything in between. Of course they’re coming with us—there was never any question about that.
But as much as our hearts said “yes,” the logistics made it complicated. When we started researching, the websites all promised it was “easy.” Maybe that’s true if your dog is a small poodle you can tuck into a carrier under the seat. But moving two greyhounds weighing 55 and 85 pounds? Not even close.
They’ll have to travel in kennels, in the cargo hold of the plane. That means following strict rules: no flights if the temperature is above 85°F at takeoff or landing, no sedation of any kind, and a mandatory five-hour drop-off at cargo before departure. On top of that, there’s the paperwork—rabies certificates, USDA-accredited vet forms, all of it signed within 10 days of their flight.
And because of their size, not every plane can even take them. The closest airport with the right aircraft is JFK. To make things harder, we can’t even book their flights until 20 days before departure. That means waiting—and paying premium prices—for our own tickets.
At one point, I mapped out their journey myself: JFK → Miami → Buenos Aires → a two-hour ferry across the Río de la Plata into Uruguay → and finally an Uber to our Airbnb in Montevideo. Complicated, stressful, and risky. One missed step and the whole move could be delayed by weeks.
That’s when we realized we needed help. We connected with World Pet Travel (WPT), a company out of Houston that specializes in moving pets internationally. They’ll handle it all: paperwork checks, flight bookings, pickup from our home in Bristol, customs clearance in Uruguay, and finally delivering the dogs right to our Airbnb. The relief that brings is hard to describe.
Because at the end of the day, this isn’t just about logistics—it’s about family. 12 Oaks may move a little slower now, but she deserves comfort and care in her retirement years. Tyson is curious and adventurous, and I can already picture him trotting happily along Montevideo’s Rambla, nose in the ocean breeze. They’ve both given us so much love and stability; the least we can do is make this move as smooth as possible for them.
“Next question. Yes, the woman here in the front.”
“This sounds like a logistical nightmare. Will you be on the same plane as your fur babies?”
Great question. Probably not. Once we know their flight schedule, we’ll book ours. We’ll fly out of Bradley International (Hartford) straight to Montevideo, timing it so we leave after the dogs are picked up and (hopefully) arrive before they’re cleared from cargo. If the timing is like our last trip, we’ll land around 06:00 a.m. Cargo pickup doesn’t begin until 08:00, which should give us just enough time to clear customs and be waiting at the apartment before they arrive.
So yes—our fur babies are coming with us. Because this new adventure wouldn’t feel complete without them by our side.
