I have written this short page to introduce you to the small team at Golden Arrow Shippers, who do all they can to make your pet’s move to foreign parts, as stress free as possible.
We have the famous Chris, Boss and Anchorman, part Viking, who is talked about on the beaches of New Zealand and parks of Seoul – true actually, a chance meeting of migrants! Derek once told someone that what Chris didn’t know about shipping pets, would not fill a space the size of a postage stamp. But, then he has been doing it as my nephew puts it, since the days of the dinosaur.
Steve, whom we stole from British Airways a few years ago, works alongside Chris. He knows the belly of an aircraft intimately and handles most of the bookings, the telephone calls and he is our computer expert. He works impossible hours and we cannot remember what life was like before Steve came.
Likewise, Andy, without whom we could not function; he makes the travelling boxes, all made to measure on the premises when the pets have arrived here – just to be on the safe side. Andy, also keeps the place shipshape, looks after the grass, the lake and the wood, but is not that fussy about being in the office – there is always something more important to do outside. He is aided and abetted, after school and in the holidays, by his son Kieran, who at the age of fifteen (and counting), knows as much about the running of this place as we do.
Derek does most of our driving – he will come in at 4a.m. whatever the weather with a smile on his face and travel half way around England via Manchester or Heathrow, arriving back at the end of the day, with a smile still on his face.
Lastly there is me – Fissa - kennelmaid, wife to Chris, general dog’s body and bottle washer – I look after your pets, help the Vets when they come in, and like Andy, I do not like office work!
We all have lots of fun, laugh a lot and love what we do.
We have only 12 dog kennels and 10 for cats. Your pets come to us with their own unique personality and identity and leave as they came, whether they are here for three days or as in some cases, three months. Each one becomes part of our ever changing family, known by name and not number, which is why many a tear is shed when seeing them off to the airport, and why your letters and phone calls are so important to us.
Andy, with two of our guests inspecting his handy-work.