The Foreign Service Journal, October 2011

sock with the snake. The young guard felt the sock and asked him to take it out. Daniel turned to me for guidance, but all I could do was nod yes, even as I mentally considered the potential penalties for smuggling snakes through Germany. It did not feel career-en- hancing. The guard then asked us what was inside. A toy snake, Daniel replied. (OK, toy snake, pet snake — close enough. Still, between smuggling rep- tiles and lying to a customs official, the plot was thickening.) Fortunately, the snake played his part and did not squirm. (He, too, was apparently contemplating life in a Ger- man detention center.) The guard was satisfied, and waved us on. From Canada to Mexico The pet count remained stable, at three, throughout our tour in Ottawa. True, Rascal sometimes disappeared for days at a time in 30-below weather and three feet of snow, and we were convinced we would find him only when the spring thaws came. But then he would come prancing up the drive- way and into the house. It was only months later, when the neighbors asked us if we knew our cats liked fresh salmon, that we figured out where he spent those days. We never worried about Rascal again, not in Canada anyway. But we did worry about him, as well as our san- ity, on the next transfer — a road trip from Ottawa to Mexico City with five people, two cats and a snake. It was an excellent adventure, with stops in the White Mountains; New York City; Washington, D.C.; Dublin, Ohio; St. Louis; Denver and Albu- querque. Much of it was lost on the an- imals, of course, who only wanted to get out of their godforsaken cages — or, in the case of the snake, a large Tupper- ware container under one of the seats. And escape they did. Feeling a misguided sense of pity for the snake, we opened his cont- ainer and cracked the window in the car while in front of a relative’s house, only to find the next morning that he had escaped. We frantically searched nearby drains and woods but to no avail. Then Daniel, tapping into that uncanny bond between kid and pet, walked up to some recently placed mulch and banged on the rock wall. Up came the snake’s head, his short- lived Ohio adventure at an end. Rascal, too, discovered a gap in the defenses and escaped in Albuquerque while we were dropping our eldest son off at college. He enjoyed a longer pe- riod of freedom, but within 24 hours was also safely back in his cage and on the way to Mexico City after some in- tense searching. Having spent over $200 on health certificates for the animals, I was put out that the customs officials did not check our documents at the border, and was tempted to go chase down the animal control officers to get my money’s worth. But, given the lack of a certificate for the snake, I wisely thought better of it. All three animals are now safe and sound in Mexico City, the cats aging and the snake now nearly four feet long. Next year, we will again make an effort to leave no pet behind, although I am not entirely convinced the pets themselves share our conviction. The cats, at least, are looking for a ticket back to that fresh salmon in Ottawa — snow or no snow. O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 57 Next year we will again do our best to leave no pet behind, although I am not sure the pets themselves share our conviction.