A very emotional post.

Before reading this I must warn you, if you don't like dogs, don't care for them or think "a dog is just a dog" you should stop reading right now. Don't say I didn't warn you.

 

So... I've been dealing with this for about a week now and it's time I let it out. Last week my husband gave me the news that we are not allowed to bring our dog, Chelsea, to Seoul with us. If you know me, you know Chelsea is my life. She is my baby, she is my friend, my family and my companionship. We have that bond that only someone who has really loved a dog knows about. 

 

I am upset, I am angry and I feel completely powerless. For the past few days I have been just sitting on my ass feeling like shit, hugging her, playing with her, cuddling with her and trying to squeeze as much time as I have left with her in my life. I know it sounds dramatic but I wasn't planning on leaving her behind and starting my life in Seoul without her.

 

 The reason why Chelsea can't come is because of the place we were assigned to be our home on base. Pets are not allowed in that specific apartment complex. (Which is also a bummer that we don't even get to house-hunt or choose where we will be living.) I don't know the reasons why, but I think it's completely unfair. They have got people moving halfway across the world for this job, and they wont let them bring what makes them feel most a home. A pet is part of the family, and I have read plenty of stories of people moving to Seoul and bringing their pets with them but unfortunately, we are not some of those people.

 

I haven't given up hope yet, I'm still looking for people to talk to about it and see if there is anything at all that we can do. After all, it's the least I can do for my little one.

That said, I am lucky I do not have to give her away. She is staying in Colombia with my mother in law, who is a huge dog lover. 

I have seen her take care of her dogs all these years and I am blessed to have someone like her to take care of my little Chelsea. She's going to keep her until we figure this out, maybe request housing somewhere else and then they can ship her to us, or I can bring her back with me when I go home on vacation. I am just really grateful to know that, be it 6 months, a year or the whole 3 years, I will still get to see her again and she will be back with us.

This makes me feel a lot better. I can't help but think about Karen, who had to give away her two dobermans before leaving, or that one time when I went to a garage sale with my friend Kerbie, and this family was moving to Japan and they could only take two pets so they were trying to find a home for their beagle. I am just so happy that we are not going through that situation, and that she has so many people that stepped up and offered to care for her while we are gone. I don't think I could handle just giving her away and not ever seeing her again. So knowing that I will be able to see her, know how she is doing and live with the hope of having her by my side again, gives me a lot of peace.

 

Yes, I can see the bright side, but I am still devastated. I am so not ready to go through that again (saying goodbye to my dog back in Colombia who lives with my mom was horrible.) I am not ready to not have her furry little body at my feet, following me everywhere. I am not ready to go to bed without having her digging on my side or balling up on top of my head. She has been by my side ever since that October day when we brought her home.

Truth is, this changes a lot. My level of excitement about moving to South Korea decreased considerably after hearing these news. My husband has been really supportive about this, he's very sad too and he is also trying his best to find something we can do about it. I just had planned it in my head and she was in every step of the way. But this is not over yet, it's not over until I am on that plane to Seoul, and still then it wont be over because I'm going to try and bring her with us as soon as possible.

 

 Thank you for reading, and for those who understand and know what I'm going through, thanks for the support.

Love, 

Zayda