While our time on Guam was fun, the call of home was too strong and I decided to move back to the mainland in May. There was no way I was leaving Yigo behind, so I booked him a ticket a few weeks ahead of me. And yes, I got miles for his ticket.
The night before he was to fly out, I went a little crazy with labeling his transport crate. Continental requires that every side of the crate say, "live animal," and, "this side up," with an arrow. Well, I wrote all that stuff at least twice on each side. I also put his destination and my parents' phone number in about three different places, just to be safe. I duct taped food and medical records to the top and threw in a pair of socks because Yigo always takes them anyway.
"So this is what being a mom feels like," I thought to myself.
Yigo had to arrive at the cargo gate three hours before his flight, so we made our way to the airport at 3 a.m. We almost didn't make it. I had already sold my car, leaving me stuck with my roommates piece of crap truck. The thing had no suspension, one mirror and practically no brakes.
He forgot to inform me about the brakes.
Approaching a red light, I was not slowing down, despite pushing the break. In panic, I slammed them and Yigo almost knocked his teeth out on the dashboard. Thankfully, the airport was only three minutes away and we made it without further incidents.
Check-in went smooth, but I felt like a jerk. My dog was about to be in a dark, loud and strange place for the next seven hours. On the bright side, he got to spend a night in Honolulu. That's one more night than I have ever spent there. I knew he would be stuck in a kennel for that evening, but I could not help but picture him sitting on the beach and sipping on some fruity beverage.
I was obsessively tracking his progress the next two days. I can't begin to describe the relief I felt when my parents called and said he was home.
After two days of being alone, Yigo now had my parents, brother and their dog, Sydney, to hang out with.
I followed him a few weeks later. Yigo was so excited when he saw me that he lost control of his blatter and peed with reckless abandon. Fortunately we were outside and no one fell victim to the stream.
Now, Yigo is my softball team's mascot, arguing balls and strikes with umpires and greeting me after every inning.
That is the tale of Yigo's rise from the streets of Guam to one of the nicest places in the United States. Don't believe me? He calls the No. 1o place on this list home now. http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/real-estate/2009/06/08/best-places-to-live-2009.html?PageNr=3.
And his journey is not close to being finished.
Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
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