[Piper]

Having just received the fantastic news that I can now actually move to NZ (so long as immigration goes ok of course) my big dilemma is what to do about my beloved dog.

I can see from reading past threads that plenty of people ship their pets over with no problems but I have a particularly dependent, nervous, rescued, young large dog. He has been pretty much looked after 24 hrs a day here and I can't see how that would be possible when I will be working in a full-time job in NZ. It just doesn't seem fair to put him through the massive stress of the journey only to leave him cooped up in a house all day.

But I love him so much and, living alone in NZ, he would be the wonderful companion to me that he's been so far. My parents love him too but are not willing to take him on forever and I can't even begin to imagine him going to a stranger. This is the only fly in the ointment for me at this stage and I would appreciate any thoughts on the matter.

Thanks

Piper

(Actually, just putting this into writing makes me see that taking him would be pretty selfish and I should be thinking along the lines of what would be best for him, heartbreaking as that is :wah )

[jubjub]

there is an option available in auckland for doggy Day Care... dunno if such a thing would exist down in Chch though, its worth looking around.

Our kennels also do a day care arrangement. Only prob is that it would get pretty pricey, an idea of costs, our border colliee x costs $25 a night to put into kennels.

Hope you find a solution.

[Caroline and Dave]

Hi,
We know exactly how you feel regarding leaving a loved pet behind.
We had a 9 year old Dalmatian who we loved very dearly but She was a very nervous dog and our vet advised us of the risks in bringing her to NZ and we decided that it was too much for her and we got in touch with the Dalmatian society who found a wonderful home for her in the countryside with a retired couple who had just lost a dalmatian to old age.They allowed us to visit her prospective home and it was the ideal set up for her .So we said goodbye to her 6 months ago and they let us know through the Dalmatian society how she is getting on and she has settled down nicely. We miss her dearly but because she was such a nervous dog we know we made the right decision.
Many people though have brought their dogs over successfully. You could get the opinion of your vet as to whether they think the dog would be ok for the journey but then you would have to consider leaving the dog alone during the day.It is not an easy decision but you have to consider what is best for the dog particulary if it needs a lot of attention as you mentioned

Hope this helps

Dave and Caroline

[veronica]

yep Christchurch has Fur Kids on Fitzgerald ave.

[Shana F]

Only you know your dog, but I've found that dogs are surprisingly adaptable as long as you stick to a routine so they learn to know what to expect. That's not to say that the travel and quarantine period wouldn't be traumatic, but over time I'm sure he'd settle into your life and new schedule. Both of our dogs are rescues and they've gone through various episodes of separation anxiety and extreme nervousness when we first got them (i.e. tearing up our blinds when we left the house), but after going through crate training and then being weaned from their crates, they handle themselves just fine at home alone for up to 8 hours.

I also think doggie daycare is a great option (it gets very expensive, at least in the States, but I think it's worth it a couple of days a week) to make sure your dog gets lots of exercise & prevent boredom and loneliness. (We find that our dogs play so hard at daycare they sleep the entire next day) Another option would be to consider a dog walker (perhaps a neighborhood teen or retired person) who could take him out for 1/2 hour walk during the day.

I'm learning our move would be a lot easier (and MUCH cheaper) if we left our dogs behind, but like you they are so loving and dependent on us I just can't imagine trusting them with just any stranger.

Good luck with your decision ... it's hard!

[Familyofmonkeys]

(Actually, just putting this into writing makes me see that taking him would be pretty selfish and I should be thinking along the lines of what would be best for him, heartbreaking as that is :wah )

Absolutely....talk to your vet. We got our two wonderful 7 year old cats re-homed with RSPCA. They were a great help....managed to get them re-homed together a while before we left. Gave us a chance to get over the guilt feeling before we set off for NZ, and look at situation more objectively. We decided it would not be in cats best interests to go through stress of moving, especially as we were likely to rent for a while before moving again. You might also encounter problems getting rental with pets too. OK, so I know cats are more independent than dogs, but we all feel the same way about our pets, don't we?

[Sam'n'Kelv]

We know exactly how you feel. We were extremely anxious about what to do with our labrador and even considered not coming to NZ rather than leave him behind. In the end we rehomed him via the lab rescue centre and they found him a great home. He was also a very nervous dog who hated the vets, kennels etc and I'm sure the move over would have been extremely traumatic. He would then have arrived and been forced to live in a rental property - outside! He would have hated it.

We feel certain that re-homing him was the right thing to do. We've since been told that labradors are particularly disloyal and that Fred was no exception. He settled into his new home with far too much ease for our liking and didn't appear to have missed us one bit!!

It's all very traumatic, but I feel that the humans are far more likely to suffer than the actual animals.

[Piper]

Thank you everyone for your kind and thoughtful replies. Personally, I'm trying NOT to think about it at the moment, but I know the time will come when I have to. I'm hoping that my ex will find somewhere to live where he can keep the dog and I won't have to worry too much.
Also I know that my parents would take him (the dog, NOT the ex!) for as long as need be till I get settled if I do decide to take him.

On balance though, I don't think it's fair and I agree with Sam'n'Kelv that it is we humans who struggle with this.

I am leaving the dog at my parents house with some Kiwi friends looking after him while we go to NZ in a few weeks time and I have no doubt that he will be as happy as larry with them while we're gone.

But then I also know I'll be coming back to get him... Oh it's torture.

Piper

[Piper]

yep Christchurch has Fur Kids on Fitzgerald ave.
I just checked this out and Fur Kids is about 10 minutes away from where I'll be working :D
I can't find their website though but I'll try to go visit them while I'm in Christchurch (if I'm allowed).

Now all I need is somewhere dog friendly to live!

(I've been reading Mel's thread on leaving her pooch behind and it made me cry so much :wah that I have to think again about taking my dog)
http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=14200


Piper

[Mels]

sorry Piper, I didn't mean to upset you, or anyone. It was just something on my mind and as I sit looking at this web site he is usually just lying in the lounge doorway, snoring. As I said it's not a decision we have to make yet... so I've put my head in the sand a bit - we'll just have to see if/when we get to that point.

[Piper]

sorry Piper, I didn't mean to upset you, or anyone.

Don't worry Mels, I think it's just one of those subjects that tugs at the old heart-strings, no matter what anyone says.

Some more not so good news. (What is it with life? Does it have to be what goes up must come down???).

I took my loopy lurcher out for his walk before bed last night and he ran into something in the dark. It took me ages to realise that he was limping because he had a big cut on his shoulder/neck. My poor boy is feeling very sore this morning and can barely walk. We are just waiting for the vet to open and (having talked to the emergency vet last night) it seems like he may need an operation to clean and stitch it. :no

Who ever designed the lurcher - a dog with the speed of a greyhound and the skin of a chihuahua??? Most impractical and he has cost a fortune in vets fees in his short life. I hope pet insurance in NZ is not too expensive...

[Piper]

All okay - phew. The vet's leaving his wound open in case there's anything in it, so I just have to clean it twice a day.

That's another £100 for the insurance company to pay - boy am I glad I took out a 'no excess' policy!

[Mels]

thats good, I hope he's back to his bouncy self soon

:raebanana :raebanana

[Piper]

I just spoke to the man at Golden Arrow. Looks like my long tall doggy is 3inches too tall to fly to Christchurch from Auckland with Air NZ :wah

The only option to fly him into Christchurch is flying out of Sydney which costs another bomb apparently.

Or to drive up to Auckland and pick him up from there. Wow. Has anyone ever done that before? Doesn't sound ideal to me for an animal coming off a transatlantic flight.

Apparently it's all because they can't tip the box on its side to get it in the Air NZ plane.

[mgf]

Piper,

Understand the what you are going through. We been faced as what to do with our dogs as well. Our collie, who was very timid and I knew would not be able to handle all the stress of strangers around her all the time let alone being cooped up in a crate for extend trip from the States, was taken in my niece who lives in Montana and has made a wonderful transition and will have a great life there. We are know looking for a home for our Scotty but it gets harder everyday due to all the one on one time she is getting. I hadn't realized that I should have started the immigration process for her a lot sooner. So we may be forced to find a home for her as well. Breaks my heart everytime I have to look at her somedays.

M

[veronica]

if you do pick him up from auckland then i would bet he wouldn't give two hoots about the drive down if he was bak with you

[Piper]

if you do pick him up from auckland then i would bet he wouldn't give two hoots about the drive down if he was bak with you

Yes, that did occur to me actually, Veronica!!

I just got the quotes in from Golden Arrow and it's going to cost £2800 to fly him to Auckland or £3300 to fly him to Christchurch. :roll :roll :roll Gulp.

Now how long exactly is that drive from Christchurch to Auckland and back???

Actually, it would make sense for ME to fly to Auckland, hire a car and drive down, if possible. Anybody done this?

[nickydwuk]

We had a similar response from Golden Arrow when we were just getting costings. Other companies didn't seem to have the same problem. I contacted Air NZ directly and they said it was because they were using different planes where the doors were not as big. I think Golden Arrow must have been using slightly bigger crates which is why the problem occurred. As we were moving more than one dog - collecting our bigger one from Auckland was not a possibility. We have yet to book any of the petshippers up but I think I would still go with Golden Arrow as they seem to provide bigger crates which can only help the dogs comfort on such long flights.

At the end of the day it is £500 extra. If it will cost you less to go to Auckland & drive back it might be worth doing it just for the joy & magic of the trip. :)

[Piper]

Yup, it's the height of the plane doors that causes the problem. Mr Golden Arrow told me that Air NZ did have a plane that was ok up until a few years ago but they've stopped it now. He was mighty chuffed incidentally when he asked how I'd heard of them and I told him that people on this forum recommend them all the time. Very touched, he was - such nice people, he said!

Are you flying your dogs via Sydney then, Nicky?

I'm thinking that the drive to Auckland would be dependent on time more than anything really but I've no idea how long it would take.

[IanW99]

Yup, it's the height of the plane doors that causes the problem. Mr Golden Arrow told me that Air NZ did have a plane that was ok up until a few years ago but they've stopped it now. He was mighty chuffed incidentally when he asked how I'd heard of them and I told him that people on this forum recommend them all the time. Very touched, he was - such nice people, he said!

Are you flying your dogs via Sydney then, Nicky?

I'm thinking that the drive to Auckland would be dependent on time more than anything really but I've no idea how long it would take.

If you decide to drive down from Auckland to Christchurch then this is a very long journey to undertake. The approximate times you would need to take into account are 9 hours from Auckland to Wellington. 3 hours on the Ferry to Picton and then 4 hours down to Christchurch. You really would need to find somewhere to stay overnight around Wellington that would accept pets.

Ian

[nickydwuk]

Yup, it's the height of the plane doors that causes the problem. Mr Golden Arrow told me that Air NZ did have a plane that was ok up until a few years ago but they've stopped it now. He was mighty chuffed incidentally when he asked how I'd heard of them and I told him that people on this forum recommend them all the time. Very touched, he was - such nice people, he said!

Are you flying your dogs via Sydney then, Nicky?



We haven't organised it all yet but it looks as if we will be flying one via Sydney and the other 3 to Chch via Auckland. I just hope they will all arive about the same time. As we are not going for a few months yet things may change. This seemed the best option unless we went with a cheaper company that would fly all 4 together via Auckland but as GA have got such a good reputation I think we will stick with this plan.

[mic'n'sj]

I couldn't leave our dog (my baby). The stress part of the flight has been taken into consideration. But then again she isn't a nervous animal and has taken life in her stride so far including the operation she had last year to remove a sewing needle from her stomach.(Long story and typical puppy behaviour). We thought it would do more damage to her to leave her here as we are the only family she has had. I suppose each animal is different and has different considerations. Still heartbreaking to do but if it is best for the animal then....

[Piper]

We haven't organised it all yet but it looks as if we will be flying one via Sydney and the other 3 to Chch via Auckland. I just hope they will all arive about the same time. As we are not going for a few months yet things may change. This seemed the best option unless we went with a cheaper company that would fly all 4 together via Auckland but as GA have got such a good reputation I think we will stick with this plan.

Are you planning on buying shares in Golden Arrow? :laugh
I can only imagine that would cost an arm and a leg.

Where are you going to put them all when you get there? That question is on a serious note - I'm told that you can only keep 2 dogs on a property in Christchurch. Maybe you're moving to somewhere out of town though?

[Myrkk]

just a thought....... dogs are happy regardless of where they are as long as they are with someone they trust.
You say your dog is a rescue dog so it has already been rehomed at least once and is nervous so ?? has trust issues? Ia another home really what s/he needs?

I'm not trying to make your decision difficult

I have a similar problem with my dog and I am getting my Mum to look after her when we go out until we are settled and then she will be shipped over. I know she will be happy with my Mum 'cause she knows her but ultimately Mum can't keep her so then we'll be settled and she can be shipped over.

[Myrkk]

How tall is your lurcher? My dog is a lurcher too. Have never heard of a problem with plane doors before there are many dogs larger than lurchers so that sounds odd.

Yep, big dogs but skin like paper and wusses too, she screams even if you rub her ear the wrong way.

[IanW99]

Are you planning on buying shares in Golden Arrow? :laugh
I can only imagine that would cost an arm and a leg.

Where are you going to put them all when you get there? That question is on a serious note - I'm told that you can only keep 2 dogs on a property in Christchurch. Maybe you're moving to somewhere out of town though?

Piper raises a good point, most councils limit the number of dogs normally allowed per residence, most seem to limit it to 2, so if anyone is bringing more than 2 dogs they would be advised to check the rules with the council - most council websites should have the required information.

Most councils do allow dispensation to have more dogs but the rules are stricter and there are additional costs incurred.

There may also be covenants on the property that also limit the amount and types of pets so best to check this also.

Ian

[nickydwuk]

Piper raises a good point, most councils limit the number of dogs normally allowed per residence, most seem to limit it to 2, so if anyone is bringing more than 2 dogs they would be advised to check the rules with the council - most council websites should have the required information.

Most councils do allow dispensation to have more dogs but the rules are stricter and there are additional costs incurred.

There may also be covenants on the property that also limit the amount and types of pets so best to check this also.

Ian

I have looked into it and what the council say is that if you have more than 2 dogs the property has to be inspected and fit certain rules and there are extra fees/licenses payable for extra dogs. As long as we comply we should be ok. The problem will be finding a property that is already fenced and then getting it dog friendly.

[Piper]

Gosh nicky, you've got your work cut out for you there. Good luck.
But I guess you must be used to it with 4 dogs - one's enough for me!

In response to Myrkk, my decision has now been made! I'm doing exactly the same thing with my dog as you are. He's staying with my parents where he's happy as anything living with their dog and then he'll be flown over when the time's right.

Plus he's 4 inches too tall for the plane doors apparently - he's 90cms (GA work in inches though). It's only the plane that flies from Auckland to Christchurch that has the height restriction so maybe that's why you've never heard of it. I actually checked back through old forum messages and found a post where someone was concerned about an animal box being put on its side at Auckland. That's one of the reasons they stopped doing it.

[Piper]

Oh yes, and I forgot to say...
I spoke to Fur Kids in Christchurch and they sent me a load of stuff through the post (I wasn't organised enough to see them when I was there, although they did offer).
Thank you to Veronica for telling me about them :nice1

So my dog can go to their 'doggy daycare' no problem, it seems. And it's incredibly affordable at $16 a day if he goes every day - $25 a day if it was occasionally. (It can cost up to £12/hr just for a dogwalker here in London) And I can leave him from 7.30am to 6pm if I have to. I can work without worrying about him.

To me, that sounds like a great option for a dog who just loves to play with other dogs. He gets an hour a day here if he's lucky and meets a kindred spirit when he's out on a walk.

[veronica]

Re the number of dogs per property in christchurch. Its not so much that it restricts the number, its just that the council comes around and checks that the property is suitable for multiple dogs, ie. two or more. If you just have one dog of any type then that isn't necessary.

and by the way we have a dog that likes to play too.

[nickydwuk]

What kind of things do they check? We currently have a gate to stop our dogs from getting to the front door. There is a fenced area immediately outside our backdoor for them to do their business and they go for a long walk every day. They live in the house with us. Would this be sufficient in NZ (Chch in particular) or do we have to build kennels & runs?

[settersred]

Hi
Just a thought, but if your parents are happy to have the dog for a while why don't you leave him there until you are settled. This will give you time to see whether you can fit him into your new life, if so send for him, or if not, by that time your parents may have become attached and decide to keep him.

There are also people who will come to your house to look after/walk your dogs while you are at work so that may also be an option.

We brought our dog over and she has settled really well, I actually think the flight did her good cos now she seems more confident. It's like she's saying "if I can go through a 25 hr flight I can cope with anything":laugh

Good luck with whatever you decide.