Oh no! Not again - huge disappointment when flights are cancelled

Sunday, June 19th, 2016

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What a day ... hard to believe it's happening again and that all the children had to go back to the Refugio ... when they were almost home !!!

Last year it was a regular occurance. When we flew with Brussels Airways there was regularly a problem, always "something". And when it happens the worst thing is that the dogs are already on their way to the plane and we are often on our way back to the Refugio. And then the phone rings ..

"Fabienne, tenemos un problema" ... and here we go again!

We have to turn round and go back to the airport to pick up the dogs because they can't fly today after all. They have sent the wrong plane because it doesn't have oxygen or, as happened toay, thre's a strike in Brussels.

Today all the dogs had to return, to go back into their cages and every time it breaks our hearts. The volunteers who had bought expensive tickets so they could escort the dogs home are crying. For their own dogs, who can't travel today after all, and for all the dogs who have to go back.

It causes so much stress and grief and despair because we have to come back with the poor dogs. But the reality is that there is nothing we can do about it.  No matter how much it hurts to have to put the dogs back into their cages and to phone the adopters to tell them their dog isn't coming today.

It really isn't good enough. When you see the effect on our staff, our volunteers and the adopters. And of course the doggies. 

When you see ...

... the sad eyes of the people who have gone to so much trouble to fly a special dog to it's golden basket and then have to go home empty-handed .. .

...  the extra work, lik the tracking documents we have to create all over again from scratch and to pay for.

... they do not consider what we have to do in order to get a flight organised, in order to comply with all the regulations, with the correct papers and stamps.

It's not even mentioned. It's very disappointing but we have to pick ourselves up and start again, for the sake of the dogs. So we must try not to look backwards but to try again tomorrow and hope for the best. 

Diane with some of our volunteer friends and a doggie ...