# Moving with Dog to New Zealand



## kstaley

Hi,

We are going to move to New Zealand in a year and a half and would like to take our dog with us. We've explored options for leaving her in the US, but she's a high needs dog and don't feel comfortable having someone take care of her for a couple years nor do we want to find her a new family. So, we've decided to bring her. I've done a lot of research and know that this process will be expensive, complicated and time-consuming, but we're OK with that. I'm reading some conflicting information. Some sites say that your dog needs to be quarantined for 30 days in NZ and one site said 180 days! I'm not sure what to believe! I'm just wondering if anyone out there has brought a cat/dog/pet overseas to NZ and curious about how the experience was.

Also, do a lot of people have pets in NZ? Are there leash laws in NZ? Where we live, it is required that your dog be on a leash at all times and we fully adhere to that. How about veterinary care? Is it expensive?

Thank you for any input. I'm more worried about getting my dog to NZ than getting a job!


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## inhamilton

Hi. Most NZ families have a pet, the most popular being cats and dogs, or maybe a budgie or aquarium. The leash laws are similar, especially in the cities. In towns, you will often see people walking their dogs unleashed. Generally its a matter of courtesy and whether there are other people around, and the breed of dog. Some towns also have fenced off exercise areas. Dogs are not allowed in National Parks to protect the wildlife. If you live near the coast you can sometimes find a remote beach to walk a dog off the leash and people generally dont mind as long as you have verbal control of it. All towns of about 4000 people or more have vet clinics. They are expensive. Unlike doctors they are not subsidised so animal patients have to pay full costs.


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## Kimbella

kstaley said:


> Hi,
> 
> We are going to move to New Zealand in a year and a half and would like to take our dog with us. We've explored options for leaving her in the US, but she's a high needs dog and don't feel comfortable having someone take care of her for a couple years nor do we want to find her a new family. So, we've decided to bring her. I've done a lot of research and know that this process will be expensive, complicated and time-consuming, but we're OK with that. I'm reading some conflicting information. Some sites say that your dog needs to be quarantined for 30 days in NZ and one site said 180 days! I'm not sure what to believe! I'm just wondering if anyone out there has brought a cat/dog/pet overseas to NZ and curious about how the experience was.
> 
> Also, do a lot of people have pets in NZ? Are there leash laws in NZ? Where we live, it is required that your dog be on a leash at all times and we fully adhere to that. How about veterinary care? Is it expensive?
> 
> Thank you for any input. I'm more worried about getting my dog to NZ than getting a job!



I brought 2 cats (in 2013); quarantine was 10 days and is required in a govt certified facility (there is only 1 on the S Island, outside of Christchurch), not sure about the N Island. Quarantine might be longer for dogs, I'm not sure. I will reply in greater detail after returning from holiday next week.


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## Alilek

Hi, We shipped our dog from UK 5 mths ago, he was in quarantine for 10 days (Pethaven quarantine near Auckland - they were great, they send us a photo once he arrived and we were able to visit him)
Quite a few people have pets here, only problem is to rent a property that allows dogs. In our case we initially were told no pets, and a day later received a call to find out what type of dog we have and upon checking with the landlord they were ok  
Our dog loves it here  

here's link to nz website that will give you all the info.
https://www.mpi.govt.nz/importing/live-animals/pets/steps-to-importing-cats-and-dogs/ 

Best of luck


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## Pop Alexandra

I worked with W2C in the past for all animal transportation. I'm not sure they operate in New Zealand, though.


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## Rocketdogs

kstaley said:


> Hi,
> 
> We are going to move to New Zealand in a year and a half and would like to take our dog with us. We've explored options for leaving her in the US, but she's a high needs dog and don't feel comfortable having someone take care of her for a couple years nor do we want to find her a new family. So, we've decided to bring her. I've done a lot of research and know that this process will be expensive, complicated and time-consuming, but we're OK with that. I'm reading some conflicting information. Some sites say that your dog needs to be quarantined for 30 days in NZ and one site said 180 days! I'm not sure what to believe! I'm just wondering if anyone out there has brought a cat/dog/pet overseas to NZ and curious about how the experience was.
> 
> Also, do a lot of people have pets in NZ? Are there leash laws in NZ? Where we live, it is required that your dog be on a leash at all times and we fully adhere to that. How about veterinary care? Is it expensive?
> 
> Thank you for any input. I'm more worried about getting my dog to NZ than getting a job!


Hi - We bought our two dogs over from the UK 12 years ago - it was super easy as there is no rabies there, so I just had to follow the protocol and have blood samples etc and they were then left at a verified kennels near Heathrow and shipped out with Air New Zealand. We arrived a day early, picked them up from Biosecurity in Auckland and it as if they had just been in a short car journey....popped them in the back of our hire car and took them to the nearest beach for a run.
I think things differ from country to country though and maybe things are different from The States.
Yes there are plenty of dog owners here, but you'd be surprised that there are so many places dogs are not allowed, DOC land for instance. Some places require a leash, perhaps on a beach with birdlife etc but you are not expected to have one on at all time. You must register your dog in the area you move to and pay a dog license annually


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