European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 28, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Cover Story from the cover except that those particular members of the family  Fly on military Airlift come planes. According to sgt Mike Smith passenger service representative at the Mac terminal at Rhein main a Germany a Only Domestic Pelsy Are allowed on Mac flights. That Means Only dogs and cats. A a a no Birds no turtles no fish no ants Quot Smith added. And no rats. So the Dykes had to go commercial. A most commercial airlines will ship pets of any kind overseas though there Are a few restrictions. Twa for instance wont ship snakes said a representative of the airline in Frankfurt Germany. The Dykes  take just any commercial airline. They wanted As direct a flight As possible to Ohio their first Stop. The Shorter the travel time they figured the less stress it would be on the animals and the better it would be for the human family members. The Dykes found an airline that fit the Bill Della air lines. It would Fly Margaret Jim Cait Lin Jeanette buckwheat Tiger Spud spook Cecil Bubba and Bambi directly to Cincinnati. Another Short hop would bring them to their destination Toledo. There was another problem. Delta forbids animals in the Cabins except for Sching Eye dogs hearing dogs and the like according to a spokeswoman  airline. That a unlike Twa which allows one Pel per passenger Cabin provided that Pel is either a eat or dog weighs under five pounds and the pets travel Carrier can fit under the seat. So the Dykes eats and rats had logo in the Delta cargo Section. And they had to be in travel carriers. To solve that problem the Dykes put each of the ruts in a separate Carrier. They placed their three rat cages inside a Large dog Carrier. One Way tickets for the animals came to $ 112 for each eat and another $112 for All the rats together. That s in addition to the Cost of the three carriers the largest of which was $60. The Dykes also had to bring their Pels to the veterinarian prior to departure. Each pet needed a signed health certificate that was not older than 10 Days. One piece of Good news for the Dykes was that the rats did not need any vaccinations. According to it. Col. John Fournier of the office of the assistant chief of staff for veterinary service at 7th medical come in Heidelberg Germany commonly domesticated rodents such As rats hamsters gerbils and Guinea pigs have no immunization requirements. So the Dykes were set to go. But Are the rats really Worth the trouble and Money of shipping them to the states Quot of course Quot said Dykes. A you can become just As attached to rats As to a dog or cat. Quot once you get past the Tail you can kind of appreciate the animal itself. They All have their own personality. And those Little faces god. I just love their Little faces a joining the rat race you think rats in flight is a weird concept try racoons. Hans Schulte says that in his 21 years of sen ice As director of the animal shipping station at Frankfurt s Airport he has come across quite a few raccoons that were being shipped to the states with their Host families. Still for even Raccoon at the station said Schulte there have been Quot at least a thousands amps Jim Derheim Margaret Dykes and daughter Caitlin play with rats at the end of a european assignment. Most every Breed known to Man. Quot there a almost no Breed of dog that has t come up Quot he said. The most prominent of the purebreds Are Hunting dogs in particular the German Short Quirand German wire hair. A i think that a because a lot of americans live in the Countryside in the United slates and go Hunting Quot said Schutte. Shut to has no qualms about shipping dogs to America. He knows that for the most Purl they will be treated Well by their owners. But he flinches each time a dog is headed for Japan. According to Schutte the japanese who prefer Large watchdog Breeds such As shepherds and rottweilers spoil the animals when they re Young and useful but get rid of them when they re old Quot these dogs Are status symbols for the japanese. But when they get old and rickety they done to Servo As status symbols anymore. Then they get sent out into the streets. They done to become pets or family  a Schulte guarantees that shipping animals overseas is Safe. Quot believe me we be always had a lot More dead people a people who have died in the air planes a than we be had dogs arrive dead Quot he said. A but of course More people than dogs  in his 21 years on the Job he said be can remember Only one Case in which an entire shipment of dogs perished. A charter plane that was transporting the animals to a race in Spain had engine trouble and was forced to land at Madrid. While the repairs were being made the backup system that was to provide the plane with oxygen and control the inner temperature either failed or was neglected. Without proper ventilation and with temperatures rising the dogs in the plane succumbed to the heat. Quot 1  know of this Case in Madrid if news like that did no to spread like wildfire among anybody who deals in animal shipment Quot Schutte said. A a it a just like when mount St. Helens erupted in the United states a everybody in the w Hole world heard about it right  Schulte has seen individual dogs that have continued on Pec. A amps Gus Schuettler Hans Schutte ships hem off in Frankfurt. Dogs and eats. By far most of the dogs and eats have Conie from the United Stales or were going Hack to the United  the everyday House eat makes up the greatest percentage of felines shipped to the slates said Schutte. Persians and siamese rank next in popularity a. Among dogs Schutte noted interesting t rends. Dogs shipped to the states come in two categories those that Are pets and those that Are commodities. In the latter category Are primarily German shepherds dobermans and weimaraner. Schutte said weimaraner a Hunting dogs named after Weimar a City in the former East Germany where the Breed was developed a Are bred almost exclusively for shipment to the states. Quot in Germany they re just not a in a Quot Schutte said. As fat As pet dogs Are concerned americans seem to prefer mix d Breeds. Quot As an animal Lystar. I think that s great Quot said Schulte. Quot the i fed Breed seems to know that he is one. That makes him the most thankful most affectionate dog and just excellent As a  americans also ship purebred dogs Back Home. Schulte has seen dachshunds collies huskies Al Page 4 a sunday july 28. 1991