The weekend blizzard shutting down the airports in the Washington area brings back memories of the Chicago Blizzard of 1979 when my late wife, Millie Woolf, flew to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to meet the representatives of five companies whose business activities were similar to Air Animal.

Representatives from Pet Express/SFO, JetPets/LAX, Worldwide/JFK, a local veterinarian from Chicago; Dr Gus Gillespie(now deceased), a New Jersey company, J & J transport (no longer in business) and ourselves, Air Animal, gathered for the weekend.  Fast and long-standing friends developed due to being blizzard-bound at O’Hare for the weekend.

From the Chicago Blizzard of 1979 and its O’Hare gathering, emerged IPATA, the Independent Pet & Animal Transportation Association, a global trade association of pet and animal transport professionals.

And, the weather continues to play a day-to-day role in the activities of pet shippers, pet movers, and pet transporters.  Whether it be winter blizzards, summer heat or any weather condition potentially affecting live animal airline transport.

Some things never change.