This past weekend, I flew to NYC to finalize my big move to Las Vegas. I was in town for a wedding but also to cart my two mini-dachshunds, Cody and Riley, back with me to Sin City. Having lived with them for the past 10 years, my spacious apartment with absolutely ZERO furniture seemed even emptier without them.

So I recruited my mom and we schlepped them across the country. They have flown a few times – when I moved to Florida and back – and it’s most definitely one of my least favorite things to deal with. Theirs too, I presume.

Stuffed into separate Sherpa bags, we cabbed it to JFK – I was told to arrive 2 hours early since I was traveling with pets – and then sat in the terminal for over 90 minutes. The dogs were restless and yappy. So I slipped them each half of a sleeping pill that my vet had given to me “just in case.”

Soon, hilarity ensued.

The dogs couldn’t keep their eyes open or their heads held up. Their eyes were watering and they looked dazed and confused. I couldn’t stop laughing.

Thankfully, they stayed curled up and passed out for the entire 4 + hour flight, arousing only when we landed and the cabin lights came on, jarring them back to reality. When I opened their travel bags so they could get out and walk around, they stayed put.

Lesson: sleeping pills for dogs are awesome.

Back at the apartment, they ran around like crazy people, darting from room to room. We went downstairs to check out the building’s dog park – yes, my building has 2 private dog runs – and I felt calm and much more settled.

My move was complete. And with Cody and Riley running around my new aprtment, so was I.