Kristi’s rescue German Shephard cross, Tugboat travelled from Melbourne to Dallas with Petraveller. This is Tugboat’s pet transport story.
From a homeless dog in Houston, Texas, Tugboat became part of Kristi’s family when they adopted him in January 2011. Kristi recalls, “Tugboat lived on the streets with a homeless man whose nickname was Tugboat and had named the dog Tugboat Junior. The rescue group who took him off the streets shortened his name to Tugboat in honour of the man who gave up his pet with the promise of a better life.”
Tugboat needed a lot of assurance and socialising when he was adopted. Now, he is a very loyal dog, and very protective of Kristi and the rest of her family. She says, “Tugboat loves it when we are all together. He goes on high alert if my husband or I leave the group even for a little while. He is very protective of both my children.”
Tugboat is a sensitive dog with a strong sense of home. The only time he ran away was when Woofers took him out on his first off-leash walk. Kristi recollects, “We had just moved to Melbourne, and he had no idea what was going on. He managed to find his way home and hung around the café next door until a customer called our number from his collar. He stopped running away when he realised that they would take him out and bring him back home!”
The Darby family were being repatriated back to the United States as their work visas were due to expire. Kristi says, “Tugboat is part of our family, and there was no doubt in our minds that he would be returning with us if we had to move back. We brought him here to Australia from the US seven years ago, and now it was time to head back.”
Kristi reached out to Petraveller to assist with Tugboat’s pet transport to the United States. She says, “Our vet at Port Phillip Animal Hospital recommended Petraveller, and I couldn’t be happier. I loved the frequent communication with us when he was preparing to travel and when he was in transit.”
Tugboat is now happily settling down in his new home in Dallas Fort Worth, and Kristi is delighted with Petraveller’s service. She says, “We had an exemplary experience and can’t thank Petraveller enough for all the care they gave Tugboat. We appreciated their pet concierge procuring a lamb neck bone for our dog, who is on a raw food diet when he transited through Sydney.”
Thank you, Kristi, for trusting us with adorable Tugboat. We enjoyed flying him to his new home.