Flying Into the Sun: Part One

One thing about facing hardship in life is that we find out who our friends are. I have certainly discovered mine and I treasure them more than words can say.

The “it takes a village” effort that went into helping Milo and me reunite in Newark this week is something for the record books. From Marcia Landau stepping up at the eleventh hour to help manage his dire situation in the States and keep him when no would else would, to Anna Russau driving him to Newark for his flight, to volunteers I left behind in Virginia making sure the last rescue doggies who got dropped by receiving rescues found sanctuary, to Red Lane and Lori Salyer making sure my property was secured--yes. These people deserve more credit than I will ever be able to give them. They are heroes in a world where “hero” is a dying breed.

Milo grieved when I left him. I knew he would, but Marcia is the one who had to get him through it. She and her husband spent a great deal of time with him, and Marcia even made him a calender where they crossed off days together until he would join me in Newark.

Many thanks to Dr. Anna Russau for bringing him to meet me. This is Anna getting her last Milo hug before scurrying off to parts unknown.

In Newark, I had reservations at the airport Holiday Inn. I’m going to say more about that in a moment, and I have quite a bit to say about this hotel and its staff. Good or bad? You never know with me. Keep reading!

Thursday afternoon before our flight, I took Milo to the airport early to familiarize him with all the gizmos and gadgets he’d never seen before, like shuttle trains, glass elevators, and moving sidewalks. There was a bit of a learning curve for him, but within an hour he had mastered them all. Watch the video below to see him in action.

Then it was time to check in for our flight. Off we went on our next big adventure.

First step: clear security. I’d read everything I could get my hands on about taking a service dog through airport scanners, and fortunately, the information was good. All of the security officers seemed to enjoy working with a dog, and I’m sure it does break the monotony. Smiles all around as I put my belongings in separate bins, removed my shoes, and took off his guide harness that would no doubt have set off every alarm in the place with its buckles and straps.

Milo walked through the scanner with me like a pro. No beeps, no alarms. I had my hands swabbed for trace explosives just as I expected after reading up on the process. Then we got down to the business of repacking my luggage, re-harnessing Milo, and this time I let him carry my neck pillow. He seemed to think that was just as funny as the security officers behind him did.

I have to say, he wore it well.

In the terminal waiting to board, Milo went straight to the glass wall overlooking the tarmac and tucked himself flush against it. From there he could see everything happening inside and out and was completely out of everyone’s way.

He didn’t move the entire time until we were called to board. We had priority boarding and were in the first group to go. Still, we had to wait a moment, and during this time a wheelchair pusher accidentally drove a person right up onto Milo’s rump. Did he react? Not at all. He looked at them, offered his big, goofy smile, and stayed put until told to move. He’s a natural at public access service work. I am so proud of him.

In my next post I’ll write about our flight across the Atlantic. Spoiler alert: he did great! He made some awesome new friends and got tons of compliments about his remarkable behavior. It’s as if he has absorbed several levels of advanced training through osmosis, since we didn’t have time to complete the program in the States. I can’t wait for Lisa Wood with ThinkPawsitive Pup to work with him again. She will be well-pleased with his progress, I’m sure.

I’d like to end this post with some commentary about the Newark Airport Holiday Inn. I’ve stayed there before with a service dog so I knew they are very accomodating for actual working teams. The staff is always effusively friendly and this means so much for people who get stressed out by traveling like I do. I’ve never once encountered a surly or even indifferent employee at this hotel. They always go above and beyond when it comes not only to customer service, but in relating to other human beings as well.

But there is one staff member I want to call out by name. Raphael drives one of the airport shuttles, and I’m honestly surprised that other hotels in the area and even the airport itself aren’t competing to steal him away. Let me explain.

Who remembers my post “After the Redeye?” It begins with a heartfelt confession about how difficult it had been for me to put Michel on a plane back to France at the end of our bookstore tour. Well, it so happened that Raphael was our shuttle driver that night, and after leaving Michel at the terminal, Raphael distracted me from panic by talking about my future trip to France and how quickly time would pass. He was great. He also gave me some invaluable local tips about long term parking and other information for the upcoming flight that turned out to be 100% accurate. I followed his advice to the letter, and as a result, mine and @martiawilson’s Newark leg of the journey was utterly seamless and without complication.

I ran into Raphael again during this stay. Once again he outdid himself as a shuttle driver and gave me tons of information that airport staff should have, but of course did not. And he was right about all of it. Saved me a ton of stress later when I went for check-in. Holiday Inn management: please recognize this staff member for extraordinary service. He does your brand proud and your customers are grateful.

Flying Into the Sun: Part Two
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