Last Year when we relocated to Mumbai from Bangalore, we were able to rent a crate with www.petvacations.in, it was convenient, did cost us less to rent a crate than buy a new one, and we weren’t stuck with a giant crate to store at home.
We wrongly assume things would not have changed in the last year, but DH just called them and they informed him that they no longer carry the crate rental service, informing him that a new IATA approved doggy crate to fit a labrador retriever cost 10k! DH doesn’t mind that part, after all renting comes around 6k anyway, but the big issue is the storage, as mentioned in my previous entry, so yup we will end up having to store an ugly looking crate in our apartment on top of all the mess we already have…sigh.
The other issue is that while pet vacations operate from Mumbai and does provide pet friendly taxi service, there is no such thing in Bangalore, city cab, Meru and all the big one will bluntly refuse to transport a pet and its crate to the airport, last year DH went to a car rental company to arrange for a Toyota Innova and driver, not without hassle. First the guy said that the dog had to be put in the crate and on the roof of the car, but upon hearing it was such a big dog agreed to have the dog inside the car, provided it was in its crate (duh!). But on the day itself the driver fussed about all kind of things, included the fact we had suitcases on top of having a dog, and that because we had no lift in our building would not agree to help us get two miserable suitcases down. Then the guy refused to close the car windows because then his car would smell for weeks (his words), DH shouted at him because Ishita who was sleeping in my arms was soaked in sweat and we needed the AC. So we doubt they will even agree on accommodating a pet again, leaving us with having to find another car hire company.
Hopefully JetLite hasn’t changed their policy and still allows pets to fly in their cargo hold. In the meantime I want to get a crate quote from our vet as well, that would spare DH the hassle of carrying the empty crate purchased in Mumbai all the way to Bangalore to fly it back with a 4 legged passenger a few days later.

Got to love all this relocating stuff, I swear this move better be the last one for at least a few years or I’m going to go insane, I’m already starting to dream of a horde of boxes at night…which multiply in the truck to attack me in my new place…at least I have some imagination!