[nagdu] Report on my travels to Mexico with Loyal

Wed Mar 28 16:57:10 UTC 2012

Hi Cheryl,
Nice to see you back on the list.

I live in San Diego and I used to go down to Tijuana back in the early '90s 
and haven't been there since.  Now you need a passport or one of those 
limited passport cards that people can use to go to Canada but not to Europe 
or other places not on the North American continent.

The last time I was in Tijuana, I did see the loose dogs and, fortunately, 
had no problem with them.  I did eat in a restaurant where they were going 
to deny me access but relented when we agreed to sit near the door - which 
we did.  I was with a group of people and knew that the places in Tijuana 
might not have the same access laws as the US does.  Another time I wwent to 
Tijuana, I was with my sister and a friend and I had my guide Olivia.  I got 
seperated from my sister and friend - we were looking at stuff in an outdoor 
market.  A man came up to me and asked me if I would sell him my dog in 
broken English.  I shook my head no and said, "No, mi perro de guia" in 
Spanish and pointed to my eyes and said, "Ojos no bueno" and he did leave me 
alone.  Afterwards, I found my friends and thought, "What if he forcedly 
took Olivia from me!"  I would have been left in a foreign country without 
any mobility aide!  Yikes!!!  Then it was starting to get dark and we 
decided to leave for home.  Some men started to harass us on the pedestrian 
bridge but fortunately we weren't harmed.  After that, I decided that we've 
seen enough of Tijuana and didn't need to come back - not with my dog or not 
in the late afternoon.  We have not been back at all and have no plans to. 
Besides, I don't have that passport card anyway.

Lyn and Landon who are just as happy to tour THIS country!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "cheryl echevarria" <cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>
To: "nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 5:22 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Report on my travels to Mexico with Loyal

>
> Ioana:
> Nice Story, if I had known you were going to Mexico, I would have been 
> glad to help with your search, I send many people who are guide dog users 
> to Mexico, and I think this information is also listed on the NAGDU 
> website.
> You have to also remember in Mexico and other countries what you expect to 
> be there, like paved side walks and trees every place or bushes where dogs 
> go busy, may not be what you are used to.
> In fact at GDF, our dogs are trained to go on cement and then we clean it 
> up or in the streets.  I don't know if all schools are like this.
> First it is easier to clean up, and second you (meaning people that live 
> there or possible a garden in the area) where they don't want dogs to go 
> and do there business.
> In Mexico, they may be nervous and scared, because dogs run wild in 
> Mexico, some are homeless, some are mean and viscous.  But, again Mexico 
> doesn't have the same access laws as the US.
> We all must remember this when we are traveling outside our own country, 
> what if any are the laws.
> FYI, most paperwork for importing pets, meaning guide dogs as well, is 
> under the department of agriculture of that country.
> Hopes this helps in the way of others going to Mexico or outside the US.
>
>
> Leading the Way in Independent Travel!
>
> Cheryl Echevarria
> http://www.echevarriatravel.com
> 631-456-5394
> reservations at echevarriatravel.com
>
> For daily updates read our blog at
> http://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com
>
>> From: sparklylicious at gmail.com
>> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:14:51 -0700
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Report on my travels to Mexico with Loyal
>>
>> Ioana,
>> Great to hear about your fantastic and successful trip with your dog!
>> All the best, Hannah and Princess
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
>> Behalf
>> Of Ioana Gandrabur
>> Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 3:44 PM
>> To: NFBnet NAGDU NFBnet NAGDU Mailing List
>> Subject: [nagdu] Report on my travels to Mexico with Loyal
>>
>> Hello everyone,
>>
>> Hope my message finds you well and spring is giving you a nice energy 
>> boost.
>> Some time ago I received valuable insight from the list about traveling 
>> to
>> Mexico with my guide dog and I thought I would give you an update on how 
>> it
>> went.
>> I found after some searching the official website of the Mexican embassy
>> about importing pets. Meeting all their requirements made the control at 
>> the
>> airport very smooth. Took about 20 minutes.
>> Here is the link for anyone interested:
>> http://embamex.sre.gob.mx/canada_eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=artic
>> le&id=3938&Itemid=41
>> My biggest concern was that they officially do not allow you to bring 
>> your
>> own food. I found out about stores that carry Loyal<s food but brought 
>> mine
>> anyway and they made an exception. BUt they recommend that you bring the
>> food in original packaging for even better chances of success.
>> Now about the trip itself, I stayed in 3 hotels and went to many 
>> restaurants
>> and never had an access issue. This might have something to do with the 
>> fact
>> that I was traveling with an official team of the music festival 
>> organizers.
>> I have to say that most room service people were scared of Loyal and very
>> hesitant to come in the room when we were there, even when he was on 
>> leash.
>> Loyal was incredible! Stayed through hours of judging an international
>> competition pretty much without a sound. Best news for me was that he 
>> stayed
>> backstage without wining when I performed my concerts. I hope it will 
>> stay
>> that way and not that he was too tired to care. I think that the fact 
>> that I
>> brought his mat everywhere I performed might have helped to make him feel
>> safe.
>> It is in any case good to know that he can deal with long days of 
>> teaching
>> judging in competitions and ending with concerts where he has to be quiet
>> and after concert late dinners. Poor dog did not get much walking but I 
>> made
>> sure we played a bit but he was too tired even to play too much at the 
>> end
>> of a long day.
>> Guiding was outstanding on almost non-existent sidewalks at time. No
>> relieving issues either although often there was just cement available. 
>> In
>> time the other participants of the festival learned to trust his guiding 
>> and
>> stopped freaking out at any potential difficulty like over-heads or 
>> stairs.
>> He ended up being the mascot of the festival and got quite some publicity
>> even on tv.
>>
>> Flying went ok but given that I had 7 hours wait time I made sure I could
>> relieve him twice and actually fed him since the trip took 20 hours.
>> Well, hope this helps someone and thanks for following my story about our
>> adventures.
>>
>> Take care,
>>
>> Ioana
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>
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