Hoops to Jump Through - taking the dogs

It is amazing all the things that you have to think about and make plans for. For instance, we have been having to decide what to do with our dogs. Sounds like an easy choice - bring the dogs with us. Unfortunately, there are a lot of hoops to jump through in order to get the dogs to Japan. In no particular order - current rabies shot (but not within 30 days of entry), notify the Japanese of when the dogs will arrive (no less than 40 days before arrival), FAVN test (only 2 labs in the country process the test), after the FAVN test the dogs cannot enter within 180 days (so, the dogs could be quarantined up to 180 days if we tried to bring them with us without waiting), if they are quarantined, we have to pay the boarding fees, a health certificate signed by a USDA approved veterinarian, approved kennels for transportation, airline tickets to Japan for the dogs and, finally, the actual inspection upon arrival to Japan. It is fascinating to find out how things work - for things we never would have known or even thought about except for our moving to Japan.