A while back, Cathy asked if I would share some of the story about how Kike and Suni came to America. When I came across this newsletter over the weekend, it reminded me that she had asked.
You can click on the newsletter to embiggen if you’d like.
It’s really hard for me to believe that the African Queens have now been here for almost seven years.
I was in Nairobi, Kenya when I met Kike and Suni. My business partner was the Chairperson for the Kenya SPCA, and so each time I visited, a trip to the KSPCA was in order.
It was love at first sight when I saw Kike. She was the spitting image of Enzi, who I rescued while on a business trip to the Bahamas in 2001.
When they told me that Kike had a sister, I knew that I couldn’t take Kike and leave Suni behind… exactly as was the case when I knew Fergus had picked us… I knew we couldn’t take Fergus and leave Nigel behind.
The requirements to bring a dog through U.S. Customs are: 1) a valid rabies vaccination; given at least 30 days earlier, and 2) a certificate of good health completed by a doctor of veterinary medicine. (There is no quarantine period once they arrive in America.) Because Kike and Suni had only just been vaccinated for rabies, they were not able to fly home with me from Nairobi to Washington. (I lived in Maryland at the time.) Instead, we had to wait three weeks before they could fly.
While I was very unhappy that they wouldn’t be able to fly home with me right away, the time lag actually ended up being a blessing. The wait allowed the KSPCA staff to get Kike and Suni accustomed to being in crates, which was necessary for their long flights.
The KSPCA staff was wonderful in helping with all the necessary paperwork, helping to book flights for the girls, teaching them the names that I had picked for them, working with them to get them ready for their big journey, taking them to the airport, and so on. I’ll always be grateful to those wonderful and caring people.
Interestingly, we had the option of having Kike and Suni fly either with KLM through Amsterdam or British Airways through London. It was an easy decision to make based on the fact that had they flown with British Airways through London, they would have been in their crates for the entire 24-hour door-to-door journey. With KLM, the girls were taken out of their crates in Amsterdam, taken for a walk, and fed and watered, which I’m sure made all the difference for them.
I think I arrived at Dulles International Airport at least two hours before their flight arrived. As I watched each plane land, my anticipation grew. I couldn’t wait to see the girls in America! Naturally, those last moments felt like forever. When I finally saw them, it was a powerfully emotional moment. I was definitely in a hurry to get them out of their crates, but for safety reasons, I wasn’t allowed to take them out while we were still in customs. Who really wants a dog running down an airport runway?
Once I finished the required paperwork, I drove a short distance to one of the airport hotel parking lots. I remember feeling so happy taking them out of their crates and watching them ecstatically explore their new surroundings together. New smells! New sights! New sounds! To me, it was as if they had just been born. It was a beautiful June day and they were home.
If you’d like to learn more about the KSPCA, you can visit their website here. Interestingly, they do a tremendous amount of work with donkeys in Kenya. I vaguely remember donkeys at the KSPCA, but unfortunately the last time I was there was BD (before donkeys at Morning Bray Farm), so I didn’t give the donkeys there a second glance. You can bet that the next time I’m there, I’ll notice the donkeys. ♥
February 22, 2011 at 5:02 am
If I knew that Kike and Suni were sisters, I’d forgotten. What a beautiful story.
Next trip to Kenya…quarantine period for donkeys…just wondering.
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February 22, 2011 at 6:43 am
Oh my goodness…I had no idea about their history. What a neat story! So glad you didn’t take one and leave the other behind.
I can just imagine a blog about adopting an African donkey and it’s complicated trip home to Morning Bray.
You are good people. 🙂
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February 22, 2011 at 7:37 am
Wow, I’m very surprised there’s no quarantine period for dogs. Sounds like the KSPCA made things easy for you. And maybe you’re just the kind of person who gets things done!
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February 22, 2011 at 7:48 am
Great story, Justina! Kike and Suni are certainly two lucky girls! I flew KLM when I went to Africa and had no idea about their animal-handling policies, but glad to hear it! Let me know when that next trip is planned…I would love to tag along!
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February 22, 2011 at 9:00 pm
Lilla,
Deal! 🙂
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February 22, 2011 at 7:55 am
Goodness, what a great story!
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February 22, 2011 at 7:58 am
Me again, in looking over the newsletter from the KSPCA, the numbers in their sidebar are amazing. Good thing you didn’t look at donkeys or you’d have a whole herd at your house right now.
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February 22, 2011 at 9:01 pm
CeeCee,
I’m glad you noticed. No kidding, huh?! Truly amazing.
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February 22, 2011 at 8:26 am
Thank you so much for the story! Kike and Suni are lucky dogs, but so are you and the rest of your clan. Suni reminds me of the yeller dog we had when I was growing up. Her name was Sandy and she was installed in our freshly built house by the carpet people… Hmmm, I sense a blog post coming up!
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February 22, 2011 at 8:32 am
What a heartwarming story. These two are truly blessed to be with you & Don. I didn’t realize it was so (relatively) easy to bring dogs in. I can’t imagine asking anyone, animal or otherwise, to go 24 hours without peeing!! I know I couldn’t do it. ….anyway, I think I’ll end it on that note. *grin*
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February 22, 2011 at 8:37 am
What a wonderful story. I wonder if the girls could sense that they had traveled so far from home! They are lucky, indeed!
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February 22, 2011 at 9:09 am
When I first had my glimpse at Kike’s picture, I thought that you put in the wrong picture because I thought it was Enzi, the one you adopted from Bahamas, Then I looked at Kike’s chest, there was her white mark that identified her with no mistake. Remember how I mistake one for another for a long time by calling one’s name wrong. Now I know them better. In truth, Kike has a face of thousand expressions! Gosh, how I miss them all!
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February 22, 2011 at 9:18 am
Wilbur was restless — checking out possible exits, and he cried, off and on, when we first got him. I think he missed the open road, and being able to go wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted…..
He also had nightmares. I’ve never seen another dog so obviously scared and upset while sleeping. I would cup my hand near his nose, so he could smell that he was ok now, and then I’d wake him.
My conclusion — there were things he missed, but, all in all, he was/is very happy to be a Collar Dog instead of an Under-a-Bush Dog. He’ll eagerly stretch out his neck for a collar, any time one is offered. (Which is probably because he hopes a walk will immediately follow, but still.)
I bet that Kike and Suni might have missed some things that they knew from before, but that on balance they agree with W.
🙂
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February 22, 2011 at 9:03 pm
Vicki,
Oh, dear, sweet Wilbur.
I think you’re absolutely right.
xoxo
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February 22, 2011 at 9:27 am
I wasn’t aware of the story about how your girls came into your life. So glad you shared it with us! I’m sure they are quite happy to be living with you and Don and their old lives are just a distant memory. They are beautiful girls!
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February 22, 2011 at 11:13 am
You are so soft hearted! (That’s a good thing!) Kike has such an expressive face, look at those eyes! How do they get along with the donkeys?
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February 22, 2011 at 9:08 pm
Shirley,
Call me a wuss, but we haven’t let the dogs and donkeys mix. I’m sure Bernard would be fine with the dogs, but I’m not sure how Ellsworth or the BLM boyz would react.
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February 22, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Lucky dogs you came in their live! But I also think, lucky you, that the dogs came in your live.
Next time you need a container…
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February 22, 2011 at 9:06 pm
Pia,
You made me laugh out loud. 😀
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February 23, 2011 at 9:59 am
That’s a great story!
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April 2, 2011 at 6:45 pm
Wow!!! From Africa!! What worldly girls! Thank you for posting the link. I wonder if they know how lucky they are!?
Big hugs to everyone,
Sue
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July 16, 2014 at 10:14 am
Lovely story and lucky dogs to have found you!
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