Pet Move of the Month: Terra’s Texas Homecoming
There's a great story behind every pet relocation, but you'll probably agree that this month's featured move is especially poignant.
Discovered on an oil site in Mexico, Terra was a sweet stray suffering from neglect and abuse. Her future owner felt an immediate connection to her and knew she belonged in a safer and more loving environment, so he asked his wife to give us a call and start the process of relocating this sweet and lucky dog.
Read on to hear from Terra's family about her happy journey home!
How did Terra come into your life and what made you decide to bring her home to the U.S.?
While working on a rig site in Southern Mexico, I saw a number of stray dogs who became comfortable living on site with us. A few of us would make sure the regulars on site got the scraps from our plates after meal times. Of course, the more this happened, the more we saw stray dogs.
In exchange for food, the dogs would follow us around as we conducted our daily duties at the well site. The dogs were naturally very wary of those coming on to site, and would bark in defense, particularly those who arrived on motorcycles. The locals would carry machetes on them, and think nothing of swinging their machetes at the dogs if they got too close.
When I first saw Terra, she was new to the site, and hung about on the periphery. I made an effort to make sure she got some food and clean water whenever I was able to tend to her. She showed herself to be a very gentle and loving dog and we started to get to know each other. It broke my heart when I arrived on site one morning to see Terra with a horrific machete wound on her back left leg. The machete had removed all hair and skin from her thigh so the muscle was exposed. Being shy already, this incident had made her even more shy.
I made it my duty to deliver food and water to her on the days I saw her on site and watched as she made a slow recovery. I was told shortly afterwards, on a day when I wasn't on site, that a large 18 wheeler had hit Terra and she dragged herself off underneath the accommodation modules. My colleagues feared the worst and suspected we'd have to retrieve a dead dog from under the module before long. However, to my joy, I saw Terra emerge, gingerly, approaching me for some kindness.
I made sure my colleagues knew to look after her and see that she recovered. Meanwhile, My wife got in touch with PetRelocation to initiate the process of rescuing poor Terra. A former colleague of mine who lived locally agreed to help by taking Terra off the rig site and delivering her to a trusted veterinarian in Villahermosa.
Before she left the site, I took time to explain to her that she was moving to Texas. The last time I saw her in Mexico, I loaded her into the back of my friend's Jeep.
Were you familiar with international pet travel or was this all new to you? What surprised you about the process?
We were not familiar, this was all new to us. What surprised us most is how EASY you made this process for us!
How did you prepare Terra for the trip?
We had Terra taken off the rig site where she was living and delivered to a local vet in Villahermosa. He treated her as best he could. From there, your agent took her to Mexico City and then to Houston.
How has her transition to her new home been?
Her transition has been surprisingly smooth. She has adjusted well to living in our home. She still loves to be outside in the sunshine and gets so anxious when it's time to eat. She bows and 'shakes' your hands when you give her food. She's so grateful and so loving. [Pictured: Terra and her new sisters Madison and Mayzee.]
What advice do you have for people who might be starting to plan their own pet move?
Honestly, I thought we could do this move on our own. I'm so grateful that we didn't. We didn't have a clue. My advice is to work with people who know what they're doing (aka you).
What made you decide to hire PetRelocation to assist you?
I submitted an online request and connected with Heather. She was so pleasant and knowledgeable. I knew it was a good choice from the start.