I need your help please
 

I need some input please. I am in the process of getting a dane to germany, my daughter dog Ophelia after 3 weeks of researching and gathering info information from airlines and customs, my daughter who is already in germany now (she left 3 weeks ago) dinn't do her homework very well. right now her husband and her are on a air force base looking for a house to rent from what I understand all the houses are small and share a wall with the next apt/house very little yard. Ophelia is a house dog weighing 145lbs and stands 38 inches tall 51 inches long.
heres my problem my daughter wants her over there no matter what the cost which is going around $6000.00 dollars, i have her passport all papers are in order her crate is being custom made because she is so large.
BUT, is this fair to Ophelia? 1. she has to cargo on the plane (12hrs flight straight)
2. she going to be in a small apt
3. she going to be left at least for 9hrs or so a
day (they both work)
4. there is no yard for her to run in
there is also quiet time twice a day there
5. she has never been in really cold weather.
I would rather let Ophelia stay here until spring, let my daughter find out whats it like to live in Germnay, find out all the pet laws they have. they know nothing now. they will be there 3yrs, Ophelia is 5yrs old.

What do you think? is this fair to Ophelia?

Well from what you said, no it's not fair. Can you think of any positives of the dog being in Germany with your daughter? Everything you listed were obviously cons, and if all you have are cons, then maybe you already know your answer. :) :animal-pa

Thanks this is what I am thinking also, I forgot to mention that my daughter has a little girl who is 3. also Ophelia brother is not allow to go because he is consider a hostle breed shep/rot mixed, he will stay here.

well the only good thing is she would be with my daughter, and theres the possibley that Ophelia will not be here in 3yrs great dane do not live that long.

I am torn because I want whats best for the dog, but I also want my daughter to be happy.

I agree with the other posters, keep Ophelia with you. From what I understand, Dane's life expectancy isn't much longer than 8 years. If she's already 5, and they are going to be there 3 years.......poor Ophelia will be literally spending the rest of her life in a strange place, alone for 9 hours a day and no place to get exercise.

I think you know the answer to this one but perhaps having your thoughts confirmed by others will help. In no way is this fair to Ophelia. It's sweet of you to go to all of this trouble trying to make your daughter happy, I can see myself doing the same for my sons. However, you know this isn't just about making your daughter happy, Ophelia's well-being would be in jeopardy.

Thankts eveyone, I am just having a hard time with this one, Ophelia would rather be with her mom then me this I know, with the fact she doesn't have that many more years.

Wow, that's a tough one! My daughter has a 1 1/2 year old lab that stays with me when she goes away on business trips (usually just 3 or 4 days at a time) and McKenna seems sad and miserable the whole time my daughter is gone. So I know how much they want to be with their "mommies".

It is a tough decision but I think due to the circumstances I would keep him with me. He will adjust quickly to the absence or your daughter. I hope she can see that her wanting him with her "no matter what" may be a bit selfish on her part.

I don't personally think your daughter is thinking of the dogs's welfare. If she really loves this dog she would not put this dog through this. There is no pros in this only cons. I know she really loves this dog because she is willing to pay $6000.00 To bring the dog over to Germany. I think it's kind of stupid

I'm with you. Keep her with you. Is your daughter willing to pay the thousands of dollars it takes to get the dog over there? I know most military people don't make a great deal of money and that does not sound like officer's housing.
Cargo is not a good place for a dog to be for hour upon hour and the horror stories I have heard about animals being in cargo are awful. Don't do it. If your daughter loves that dog she should be happy that someone cares enough about her and the dog to take care of it for her. I'm glad you are considering this for yourself. Sometimes our kids can't have what they want at the expense of the suffering of someone else.

my daughter is paying all expenses, there might be a blessing in disguise here we only a few weeks to send her before cold weather in Germany, airline restricts cold weather, we are waiting on her kennel it's being custom made if it's not made and shipped here before mid october she can't go until spring.
they are trying to find off base housing.
I would feel better about doing this in the spring Ophelia wouldn't have to go through the really cold winter months, and my daughter would have had 6mos of living in Germany and working in a German hospitial they would be more settle, and her eyes would be more wide open, right now she is missing
home and family she left behind, she thinking with her heart not her head right now.

As I recall isn't it true that there is no heat in cargo? I know it is very cold. It just seems a lot to put her through. She would be so scared for hours and hours. I'm not sure what she would have to go through in order to be allowed into the country. If she were still alive when it was time to leave Germany think of how hard it would be on a big dog of that age to come back. The bones usually suffer first on a big dog. It is a very sad situation.

I really think she should stay with you.
I myself having lived in Germany for 5 years, and having friends who had larger breed dog's know how it was for them having their dog's there. The places are really small, compared to living in the states.
Ophelia I think would do so much better being with you.

Momma knows best is my vote!:thumbup:

Your daughter needs to put Ophelia's needs above her desires. Not to mention in an economy like today...$6k could go to something more useful.;)

Also, I just love her name, too! Would love it if you posted a pic of her!

You could look at Air Canada, I can find out for you if you like, but I understand now that they have introduced climate controlled air cargo. You need a shipper's number, but I think those details could be worked out.

Having said that, how-ever I do feel that you are right to be concerned; and maybe your daughter can see her way clear to instead of spending $6K to ship her dog over, put that money aside, and fly home at Xmas and Easter, and maybe summer vacation to see her doggy.

Also with Skype you can have Ophelia with you when you call, and turn on camera on monitor so she can see her. Make lots of videos and post to you tube. Just some ideas that might make it more palatable for her doggy to stay at home with Grandma.

I am not sure about air canada we have check delta and conn. both have direct flight from either houston tx or atlanta ga, we don't wont her to go thur UK. I think a direct flight would be better, cargo is how she is going because her kennel is to large for a reg. plane we has go on a wide body plane. so she can't go as baggage, all airlines require that a dog in their kennel be able to stand with their ears not touching the top of the kennel also a 2inch clearance all around and to be able to lay down without their feet folded under. the cargo is not heated or cool, that why she has to go by mid october.
we also do skype everyday.

I agree here... I had to move to Northern Canada from the southern states and had to leave a dog behind. I was going to take him but then I realized he woud miss his full blood brother, my mom, and my sister A LOT. And that he would hate the cold here, hate not having his huge yard, and hate a small apartment.

Either you are going to keep Oph for her benefit and well being or you're going to send her to Germany for your daughters happiness [and what happens if she decides to rehome Oph because she can't take care of her properly with no space and time]. Better choose quick October almost here already!

I guess I'm the only one here on your daughter's side. I understand that 9 hours a day is a long time for an animal to be at home alone, but if you daughter lives on base then she could just drive home at lunch for some hugs and a potty break. And people usually live near the bases when they're overseas, so again, she could just drive home and visit her pup. A lot of people work full time jobs with dogs, and not all of them can even make it home during lunch to give them a break. I work full time, and there are days I can't make it home to visit, and now I won't be able to make it home because I live too far away. I'll be looking for a dog walker once I get on a set schedule, which are easy to find...especially overseas, lots of military spouses don't work while in Europe/Asia and find little things to do to make a little cash on the side.
If you daughter can afford the $6k to ship Ophelia over, then I say follow through and send her. My super sensitive cat came out of cargo just fine and we came from Italy to the East Coast, Rizzo flew in cabin with me, so he was fine... Just saying, dogs love their mommies, and Ophelia will probably be happier with her family, even if it's not the the most ideal of situations.

There is no doubt that Ophelia would be happier with my daughter, she is like her child, with that said I am sending her after all it's my daughter decision it's her dog and if for some reason Ophlelia died while in my care I would always be saying what if. I know when Ichabob died those what if questions still haunt me today.

I want to thank everyone for there input, I really appreciate it. If the kennel arrives before mid oct she will be flying delta out of atlanta ga.
I will let you know how she did and will post her pic.

I think on the surface it is easy to say it is better for Ophelia to stay, but more information might change that. How well does Ophelia adjust to being away from her owner? Does your daughter have a plan for taking care of her? How committed is she to taking care of Ophelia? Some people may gett here dog over there and practically neglect it. I think if your daughter is committed to Ophelia's care and addressing her needs then it may be best for Ophelia. While getting there is certainly a hardship on Ophelia, if she could speak she just may say it is worth it to be with your daughter.

My daughter's dog Little Miss could not stand for Sydney to be gone. She was never truly happy without Sydney around.

I have just one more thing to say. The temperature of the cargo area of a plane in the air is very cold no matter what time of the year you send him/her. Check it out. The temperature several thousand feet in the air is freezing. That dog is going to sit in freezing temperatures for many long hours unless you can find a plane with a heated cargo area.