First things first

Hello, My name is Namaste. My 2 legged companion and all her friends and family call me Nami.

I really like my name. I know the meaning comes from the sanskrit salutation, “I bow to the God that lives within you”. Hindus say that while their hands are together in prayer. Yogis say it too.

We changed it to, “I bow wow to the divine k-9 in you.”

My companion likes to say that I am a dog of pray, not prey....although I did kill a squirrel once.

I am a seven and a half year old Chocolate Rat Terrier. If you go to my profile page you will see a recent picture of me posted there.

I am starting this new year, 2010 off with a Free Travel Tips Blog for my fellow Rat Terriers.

While I am a professional traveler today, I actually started this business when I was only three months old. My companion saw my picture on the internet and wanted me so much that she flew out to NY, where I was living at the time, to get me and bring me back to where she lives in Santa Fe NM.

That was the farthest trip I had ever made.

I am originally from Rochester NY and my birth family brought me by car down to Nyack NY. After about a week of getting to know my new family in Nyack it was time to fly all the way to Santa Fe. Prairie Dogs and everything!

Travel tip number one. Get your papers in order. This is a must. A trip to the (holistic) vet to get any last minute pre flight check up and shots. With a clean bill of health you will be ready to go.

Travel tip number two. Get your people to buy you a very nice, easy to carry, completely ventilated and well cushioned travel bedroom aka "sherpa bag". We all know how important burrowing is to us Rats, so this is a serious must have.

From the very start I was brought into the cabin by my companion and was treated like any other passenger.

As a result, I felt like a princess being carried in my very own enclosed travel bedroom. I felt so safe inside there that I was able to go right to sleep. I barely remember a thing except it was a great trip. All the flight attendants made such a fuss over me. Why not?, After all I was as cute as any other three month old chocolate rat.

That’s all for now but please check back to read about of one of our most memorable Christmas travels.

Thanks for checking in...nam out.