Pobrecita Camila - Rescue Update

Thank you for all your encouragement and suggestions for getting little Camila to the U.S.! Something that seemed impossible yesterday is seeming more and more possible today, and I'm optimistic - thank you. I'm coming up with a plan, and have been doing research this evening (see bottom of e-mail), but besides the airline the hardest part might be getting a crate and harness/leash! The towns around here are so rural they don't have anything and of course she's traumatized by ropes - especially around her neck - so we can't make a collar/harness from a rope ourselves (we already tried that). She also gets a little scared, understandably, when she hears horses walking by in the streets - luckily, so far no sign of the evil horseman! We're going to go to the local leather shop tomorrow to see if they can make a harness or something for us. Bryan and I are going to take the train to Los Mochis a day early so we can hopefully find a crate there before our flight.

The plan is to take Camila to a veterinarian around here to get a health certificate and make sure our rabies vaccine paperwork is legitimate. Bryan and I will take her back to the U.S. via train-taxi-plane on the 29th, and Cathy will meet us at LAX to foster Camila until we can find her a good home. She has been such a great dog! We took her out into the mountains with us today where she followed us around, chased crickets, and chewed on sticks. I REALLY wish we could keep her, but UCSB family housing doesn't allow dogs, and I think it would be pretty hard to conceal her! Please let me know if you or someone you know would have a good home for Camila!

I'm a little worried about our airline Aeromexico - I can't believe the airline is more strict than the USDA and the CDC! Those of you who suggested driving across the border, I wish we could! But, we have to fly out. Luckily, the flights are short, but they are pretty warm... I'm going to try and wait by the plane when they change baggage onto a different plane in Hermosillo and give Camila a little water. Cathy leaves for the US in a day, so for the next week while Bryan and I are studying rocks, we'll also work on putting a little meat on her bones before we take her through customs so she looks healthy (right now her ribs and hips are pretty gaunt).

Thanks again to all of you - I really appreciate your help and think this will work!

This is the information I've gathered from your e-mails and the internet:

CDC:
- Rabies vaccination 30 days prior if dog is over 3 months old
(She was just vaccinated 2 days ago, so we're going to fill out a quarantine/confinement form for her to stay in a house (Cathy's) for the remainder of the 30 days)

USDA/CA DFA:
- Proof of rabies vaccination for dogs over 4 months old

Aeromexico (Airline):
- Caged
- Muzzled & Leashed
- Vaccination papers
- Health Certificate from a licensed veterinarian
- $75 + taxes fee
- Put in baggage hold