[3littlepikes]

I am probably being thick but I will ask anyway .

Hoping to fly Black LAB with us to NZ - I am aware of rough cost ( that hurt a lot ) Especially as he is BIG ( Tall not fat otherwise he could diet )

I know he has to be kept at the same address on arrival for 30 days .

Do I need to get any preparation in advance of him being delivered to place that will fly him or do they do all that stuff ?

He is chipped and up to date with UK vaccines ? anything else needed ? How long in advance do I do this ?

Anything that might save a few pounds or be less traumatic for him ?

If we live in a motel for a week whilst we find rentals what do I do with him ?

He is more a worry than the kids - probably becaaause he is brain dead - although lovely !!!

Would it be better for him to be baby sat in UK until we are settled ? :D

[LesleyS]

Do I need to get any preparation in advance of him being delivered to place that will fly him or do they do all that stuff ?

He is chipped and up to date with UK vaccines ? anything else needed ? How long in advance do I do this ?


If we live in a motel for a week whilst we find rentals what do I do with him ?



Would it be better for him to be baby sat in UK until we are settled ? :D

Hi

Speaking from personal experience

1. Your Pet Shipping Company should give you a 'timetable' based on the date you wish your pet to travel. This tells you exactly what you need to do at a specific date in order to comply with regulations.

Once in their care, they will deal with all the neccessary paperwork and arrange transportation to the airport on the day of departure.
2. They will advise you of the neccessary tests and vaccinations, and provide the documentation for you own vet with controlled guidelines.

3. Finding a motel that in the first instance accepts dogs may prove tricky - they are few and far between from my experience. But more importantly, you need to be able to focus on the often tiring and stressful changes you have made travelling this far.

If we were to do it all again, I definitely would have left our dog with a friend until we were established in a rental - no question about it.

Feel free to ask more questions any time!

[Lara Croft]

Hi 3littlepikes.
There are motels that take pets, you just have to look a little harder... I am currently in a motel with my 7 cats!!!

Jane

[LesleyS]

Hi 3littlepikes.
There are motels that take pets, you just have to look a little harder... I am currently in a motel with my 7 cats!!!

Jane

With respect, most Motel owners are far more accepting of Cats than they are Dogs, and from a stress point of view you do not have to worry so much about exercising them - please correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, By having our dog with us in a motel, meant we were far more restricted to the quality of motel that we would have preferred. This we only discovered once we touched down on NZ soil, as our 'dog friendly' motel was booked over the Internet in advance!

It's a personal choice I think

[Pip]

Hi,

if you choose a specific shipping co, they will do it all for you. e.g Golden Arrow do all the paperwork for you, and tell you exactly what you need to do (for cats - just provide a sample for testing and make sure cat is microchipped, think more for dogs, but they will tell give you detailed instructions, sample pots, pre-addressed envelopes for testing laboratories etc ) - then they need the animal for 48 hrs before it travels and their vet does final tests. we left cat with Golden Arrow for five days before we flew, which means she missed the stressed of the flat being packed up and then with her travel time, she arrived about a week after we did, so we had a few days to settle before we collected her. def easier to find rentals for cats then dogs, but they are around...again, worth asking people, explaining type of dog and the situation and offering to pay a deposit against damage etc.

some people have done the shipping themselves, but we were advised that MAF prefer it if you use known companies as they know the forms will be filled correctly and things done to a certain standard. I have seen a couple of horror stories about self-shipping, but also many which were fine, so its your call. I would start by contacting a couple of companies such as Golden Arrow and Airpets and asking for quotes and they will send you quotes along with info packs telling you how the process works and whats involved.

best of luck.. where are you headed ?

[lockstock]

Hi and welcome. We arrived here at the beginning of January with our two Hungarian Wirehaired Vizslas - again tall not fat. We went with Golden arrow and they take you through every detail.

Where are you from in Somerset? Bridgwater born and bred here - then off to Somerton area.

[Hippywench]

We fully intend to use a pet shipping company despite the costs. We'll have enough things to worry about around the time of moving, plus these companies know what they're doing.
I'm not looking forward to finding a rental for them all but I've recently seen a few in the Hamilton area that will either definitely accept them or will consider taking them, so that's put my mind at rest.
I can't give you any idea of costs as we haven't asked for any quotes yet.

[Brijan]

Hi
When we brought out 2 Border collies out we made arrangments for Kennels to collect them from airport and board them until we were settled, in our case about 10 days.
Brian

[3littlepikes]

thanks for info I will measure him and ask for quotes . we are heading for bay of plenty either Tauranga or Whakatane - deciding re job at present . we live just outside of Frome -although many moons ago I worked for natwest in Bridgwater(info for lockstock ).
I think I might opt for baby sister or kennels until we find a holiday park or rental - my job will provide a motel for a week and it would be easier to get around and see things without our furry friend ! some holiday parks seem to let dogs stay . I do not mind what temporay accomodation is like as long as everyone is happy - but getting around a new place might be easier without dog ( or kids come to that )

[nickydwuk]

Most shippers will kennel your dogs for any period before flying. Golden Arrow have quoted me for having my dogs for an additonal 4 weeks before they fly. By them doing this they also have to do ALL the vets work. You can then kennel them in NZ until you find a decent rental. We may have to look at this option but by kenneling them here first we will have at least 4 weeks to get ourselves settled before our big babies arrive :yes

[lockstock]

Hey Natwest Bridgwater! Had an account there once. Near Frome? I used to teach at Sexey's in Bruton. That'll tickle anyone on here who doesn't know who Hugh Sexey was! Great Cheese Show at Frome.

Where are you headed in NZ? If your Lab is a friendly soul, we'll look after him for a few days or so. Not a problem.

[Pip]

wow..its a small world! I know all about Sexeys, I went to school at Sunny Hill and we were so jealous of kids at sexeys and their freedom. our highlight was being allowed to go into the metropolis of bruton (in no less than groups of four) on a saturday!

later on I used to go to the under 18's disco at the red lion in Somerton!

I reckon there's quite a few of us west country folk (I reckon North Canterbury is pretty similar to somerset!)

[3littlepikes]

thanks for info i have heard golden arrow are very good and what you say makes sense - I must investigate further - I am waiting for written job offer to then apply for my eoi in a similar trade to nickydwuk-can not wait

[3littlepikes]

our lab is very friendly but bouncy - thinks he is a kid ! we are heading to bay of plenty Tauranga or Whakatane - can not make my mind up - I have heard of both schools about 15 miles from here - a colleague sends her kids to schools in bruton ( private ) better option than fROME schools but costly for my 3 . I think her girl goes to Sunnyhill . My 2 kids are at Mells first school - one of the mums is looking at sexeys- I think you can get in their to board if you live within a certain distance . What a small world it is ? I opted for the NHS after the banking world and 19 years later am ready for a change

[veronica]

our dog transfer experience
http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=110&highlight=uk+dogs
might help you

[Den]

We are using "Golden Arrow" for our dog too - thanks to this forum (and Lockstock) as I couldn't remember the thread! So far they have talked us through everything and made it all seem simple and stress free. The testing starts next week, they collect her the 4th March and all being well she flies out on the 7th March arriving on the 9th March. Luckily OH brother will collect her and by the time we get over there will only be a 10 days remaining or so on the farm.