I can’t believe it. Shadow cannot come home. Her microchip has failed and she is not allowed to travel. She has had to have a new chip fitted and her old chip will be sent to the manufacturers to see if they can read it. If they can, then she could come home in a week or two. If they can’t she won’t be able to come home until next January. It makes me having to stay in kennels for a few days seem like a minor inconvenience. Poor Shadow had to have a minor operation to remove her old chip. She was very brave and is being very understanding about everything she is being put through. When I had a tattoo in Belgium and asked why I was being given a microchip too, the vet in Belgium told me a tattoo can become unreadable. No one told me a chip might stop working. They are supposed to last over 20 years and Shadow’s has gone wrong in just 2 years. It isn’t fair. Humans aren’t put through all this to be able to travel. If they can use technology to scan the eye of a human and let them through, why can’t they do the same with us dogs? What about paw printing? Surely there must be some more effective way to recognise us.
We are so lucky to have such good friends in Switzerland. It means that Shadow will be well looked after and will be as happy as she can be away from her family. I wonder if she will start talking with a Swiss accent by the time she comes home. It is going to be a very odd journey for Megan with no one to annoy next to her on the back seat. They are setting off again tomorrow and if all goes well they will be home on Wednesday. I think by the time they get here they will be very tired.
Alfie Dog with a little help from Rosemary J Kind alfie@alfiedog.me.uk
Alfie’s Diary – the Book is available at Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00583ZGSA