Abbiamo i Nostri Passoporti


14 Dec 05: We have been so busy this past month. Our things arrived from NM, which is great. But, we've been putting things away, sorting through them. Some things we threw away, others we donated to charity. Some things we don't have room for. We are still in the sorting process.
Our Mini Cooper S, we finally have it legal to drive in Italy. We have the tags, insurance, etc. It was a very long process. Bill used the services of Signor L in Roveredo, to help us. Now, the girls have a beautiful car to go places with us. We've had enough of the rental cars.
House training: Bill has been a good father to the pups. He usually takes them outside to do their business, about every 2 hours. Sometimes, they still have accidents in the house. We want them to make the connection that if they are trained, they will get the run of the hallway. Bill thinks that they really don't remember things for more than a few minutes. They are baby-like dogs. We don't want the pups to come into the dining or living rooms, unsupervised. We have Turkish rugs that we want to keep clean.
One day, I put down a wee wee pad for the pups to use. While I was in the living room, I heard a strange sound coming from the hall. I opened the door & saw Teddi with white cotton hanging from her mouth. Honey joined in with her, also chewing on the cotton. There were also shreds of blue plastic over the floor. The wee wee pads were not used for their intended purpose. They are supposed to have a chemical which attracts dogs to pee on them. But not for Teddi & Honey. They were having too much fun using the pad as a chew toy.
The girls love to be with us in the living room. They sit on our laps & get petted. Teddi usually gets in my lap. Sometimes, she will lay on her back, with her head toward my tummy. Her legs will be stretched out, resting in the middle of mine. She likes for me to pet her with both hands. If I touch the remote control or something else, she doesn't like it. I must hurry to pet her again. She likes when I pet her under her neck, by her ear. She likes when I pet her stomach, a leg, or her top notch. She will look up at me with her great brown eyes.
Teddi has a puppy stomach. It is very white & soft, like someone who never gets in the sun. She let her surgery stitches heal nicely. She has the bottom stitch left. Her hair is almost white under her neck & on her tummy. She has about 3 or 4 shades of blond on her. Her hair close to her body on her back, is a reddish color.
Honey usually gets in Bill's lap. She is more squirmy than Teddi. She wiggles around & rolls into the folds of the couch. When Bill starts petting her, she usually gets more relaxed & comfortable. Her eyes start drooping, she gets a sleepy look on her face. To be a puppy, her face & expression are more worried looking. But, she is happy.
Her hair is very soft, like velvet. Her ears & neck are very soft like a velvet muffler.
15 Dec 05: All of us went at 11:30 AM to the veterinario of Aviano, to apply for the girls' passports. There was a line of people waiting, mostly Americans. It seems to us it is the Americans, not the Italians who are following the new law. The European Union law is that all dogs must be microchipped, & get passports to travel outside of the country. We have no plans to travel anytime soon. But, we want to be ready when we do.
We showed Franco the vet, our paperwork from our Dr. He came outside, the pets were not allowed inside. He passed the scanner over Teddi first, then over Honey to check their microchips. The scanner beeped. We were happy to know the chips worked. This was the first time I had seen the scanner used, except on TV. We were told to come back the next day, Friday, to pick up the passports " passaporti per animali da compagnia".
Bill went at 8:30, 16 Dec to get the passports. They are very official with the stamp "Regione Friuli & Dr Franco C". The booklets have pages to include mostly health information. It can include rabies & other vaccinations, tick treatment, heartworm prevention, & exam information. There is also a spot for their photos, which we need to include.
England, Ireland, Malta, Sweden have special requirements. They require a rabies serum test within 6 months of going on a trip. The pet cannot go to a non EU country, & then go to one of these countries for several years. The laws are complex.