# Bringing Dogs to Australia



## karen1979 (Jun 30, 2008)

I really hope someone can help me, we are planning a move to Australia next year and are hoping to bring our 2 medium sized dogs with us. I have looked up all the websites re: quarantine and stuff but was just hoping someone with first hand experience could help me.
Does anyone know how much it will cost etc.


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## MichelleAlison (Aug 25, 2007)

karen1979 said:


> I really hope someone can help me, we are planning a move to Australia next year and are hoping to bring our 2 medium sized dogs with us. I have looked up all the websites re: quarantine and stuff but was just hoping someone with first hand experience could help me.
> Does anyone know how much it will cost etc.


Hi Karen and welcome to the forum.

I am sure there is someone on this forum who can advise you, but do read through all the Aussie posts as I am sure people have posted their own personal experiences there.

Regards

Michelle


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## Tiff (Jun 9, 2008)

We are using Petair which is run by vets. Ours is a 'door to door' service which means we do nothing. (There are cheaper ones about, but the owner has to participate more in arrangements)The vet comes to the house, takes bloods, takes the to the airport everything. We are paying £2900

PetAir UK - worldwide air pet transport by qualified vets


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

Hi Karen,

We used AirPets ( http://www.airpets.com/ ).

They did everything for us, all we had to do was take Milly to the vets for her vaccinations. We paid around £2500 to ship her over. Then quarantine fees this end were around $900.

She went to Spotswood Quarantine Station in Melbourne. They were lovely there. We decided not to visit her in quarantine because I couldn't bear the thought of her seeing us and wanting to come home with us and having to leave her there until her 30 days were up. 

Out of everything we did, she was the easiest to organise the the biggest worry! But she coped fine.

Dolly


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

Unfortunately my experience with bringing my dog over has not been so easy. I'm coming from the US, and everything was fine until we had to do a final round of tests within 30 days of export. She showed a positive result for a disease she's never had, and it's taken months to get it completely resolved. Anyway, the upshot is, she's due to arrive in about 30 minutes in Melbourne!!! but 2 months later than initially planned. She'll be staying at Spotswood in Melbourne and we do plan to visit her twice a week. The people at the quarantine station seem very nice from the phone conversations we've had.


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

Tiffani said:


> Unfortunately my experience with bringing my dog over has not been so easy. I'm coming from the US, and everything was fine until we had to do a final round of tests within 30 days of export. She showed a positive result for a disease she's never had, and it's taken months to get it completely resolved. Anyway, the upshot is, she's due to arrive in about 30 minutes in Melbourne!!! but 2 months later than initially planned. She'll be staying at Spotswood in Melbourne and we do plan to visit her twice a week. The people at the quarantine station seem very nice from the phone conversations we've had.


Good news Tiffani,

At least she's just down the road from you (in the scheme of things) and not the other side of the world!

I promise you 30 days will just fly by.

Dolly


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

I know right! Her flight was delayed so she should be arriving in about 15 minutes (I wonder if they're circling since it's foggy here this morning). 
I will go visit her on Monday


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## CarterTucker (Mar 5, 2008)

Hi, 

I have done alot of research on this, as one of my dogs has just turned 9years old, so he is a veteran! & found a very friendly company called 
*'Golden Arrow Shippers'* they get some very high recommendations & the price is reasonable. 

You give them a call :*01588 680240* & they send you paperwork, which includes a very friendly easy to read booklet & a booklet of quotes from happy customers (I didnt know I was going to get these prior to calling)

You then just fill in a form & they will quote you on your dogs. 

Hope this helps a little,
Kelly.


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

CarterTucker said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have done alot of research on this, as one of my dogs has just turned 9years old, so he is a veteran! & found a very friendly company called
> *'Golden Arrow Shippers'* they get some very high recommendations & the price is reasonable.
> ...


Hi Kelly,

Golden Arrow were top of our list for ages...the only reason we changed is that they were just too far away. From my dealings with them on getting quotes etc they were very quick and efficient...and they do have an extremely good reputation.

Dolly


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## cmabbo (Jan 13, 2008)

Hi, 

We are using airpets as they do most of the form filling all you have to do is take them to get their blood tests within 30 days of shipping. We have a golden retriever and choc lab and for both it is costing us around £4500 not cheap but we couldn't live without them. This cost doesn't include the quarantine on the other end.

Good luck

Christina


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## dustyredjaket (Sep 25, 2008)

*Moving Dog to Oz from US*



Tiffani said:


> I know right! Her flight was delayed so she should be arriving in about 15 minutes (I wonder if they're circling since it's foggy here this morning).
> I will go visit her on Monday


Hi Tiffany - I too am planning to move my dog from the US (June 2009). what disease came up on your little one? Just wondering if there are things to look out for early. Also - did you use an agent to facilitate the move and how did your girl do in quarantine. Our little guy (2.5 yr old VERY spoiled spaniel mix) will be going to the Melbourne station and looking for some advice on how the conditions are from someone who has visited and been through this.

Thanks a million!

-Amy


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## bearcatasia (Jun 13, 2009)

Bringing pets to Australia from the U.S. Possible loophole I found? Haven't tested it out yet as our move is about 2 years away...let me know if anyone tries it. Long way around, no quaranteen option for those with money and a little time. Hawaii now lets you do 120 days quaranteen at home before getting there and a MAX quaranteen time of 5 days if your stuff isn't complete or something shows up last minute. In MOST cases you take your pet directly from the plane...no quaranteen. Next. Stay in Hawaii for 6 months...how painful is that???!!
Go to New Zealand from Hawaii....Hawaii is rabies free so you can come right in. Stay in New Zealand and vacation for 3-4 months...then zip right into Australia. There are of course importing/exporting rules to follow and tons of paperwork...but looks like it would work.
You can also charter jets to take you and your pet privately (if you have the bucks) so they don't have to be in cargo. Also checking on the service dog rules and regs. as my dogs are service dogs.lane:


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## Stevec (Mar 29, 2009)

*what happens after quarantine?*

Hi there

We are moving from England to Adelaide in March next year  and want to take our dog with us - I have done some research on this and know that Melbourne is the closest quarantine station to Adelaide however it is obviously a long way between the two! I would be very grateful if anyone can advise on how I get my dog from Melbourne to Adelaide without having to do an 8 hour drive to pick her up!

The transportation services I have looked at so far appear to get them to quarantine and then the service ends.

Any help would be appreciated please!?! 

Thanks, 
Steve


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## Lobo35 (Apr 20, 2010)

Anyone reading this thread!!! If you are about to start the RNATT process be sure that your microchip is not a homeagain. Do not use homeagain microchips...they fail frequently!!!! I was 28days out from having my dogs on a plane to Australia when my dogs chip failed. Now my dog has to spend 5more months back in the USA because of a homeagain microchip. 
They are refusing to cover all legitimate costs that have acumulatex because of their defective product. The company is uncooperative and callous!!!!!


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## cbsquirrel (Apr 3, 2010)

Lobo35 said:


> Anyone reading this thread!!! If you are about to start the RNATT process be sure that your microchip is not a homeagain. Do not use homeagain microchips...they fail frequently!!!! I was 28days out from having my dogs on a plane to Australia when my dogs chip failed. Now my dog has to spend 5more months back in the USA because of a homeagain microchip.
> They are refusing to cover all legitimate costs that have acumulatex because of their defective product. The company is uncooperative and callous!!!!!


Yikes! We had to get my dog rechipped at the beginning of the process because it wasn't registering -- the vet told me that sometimes they fall out, so I thought that's what happened. If I'd known it was a Homeagain problem, I would have chosen a different type! I really really hope it doesn't fail again as he is due to leave in less than 30 days.


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## ardie514 (Aug 12, 2009)

We just moved to Perth in May and brought our dog with us from the U.S. All went smoothly and he did quite well in quarantine, lost a little much needed weight  The 30 days really did fly by, especially because we spent the first 30 days just getting our bearings (finding a house, buying a car, learning how to drive on the other side of the road, etc). I just looked up the expenses and when all is said and done it cost us about $5700 (USD). That is from start to finish (vet appointments, application fees, quarantine, etc.) using a transportation agent. I was told that Australia is very strict and paperwork is extensive and that using an agent was highly recommended. I can't compare since I've never done it without using an agent, but I can tell you the agent was wonderful and everything went perfectly and I felt very confident that our dog was in good hands. It was ALOT of money, however it never crossed our minds not to bring him with us. He's part of the family and he happens to be a heeler so he came back to his homeland


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## Ladyhaye (Feb 25, 2009)

Hello Stevec,

Most pet agents in the UK can help with a connecting flight once in Australia. Ladyhaye Pet Travel certainly can arrange all this from the UK and you can pay for it all in one go so no problems with unpaid invoices. They will arrange collection from quarantine and the internal flight to Brisbane.
Sharon


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## teamhunt (Aug 21, 2010)

Ardie can you tell me what agent you used. We are looking into moving our lab from Phoenix to Perth.
Thanks!


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## bearcatasia (Jun 13, 2009)

*using a pet mover*



ardie514 said:


> We just moved to Perth in May and brought our dog with us from the U.S. All went smoothly and he did quite well in quarantine, lost a little much needed weight  The 30 days really did fly by, especially because we spent the first 30 days just getting our bearings (finding a house, buying a car, learning how to drive on the other side of the road, etc). I just looked up the expenses and when all is said and done it cost us about $5700 (USD). That is from start to finish (vet appointments, application fees, quarantine, etc.) using a transportation agent. I was told that Australia is very strict and paperwork is extensive and that using an agent was highly recommended. I can't compare since I've never done it without using an agent, but I can tell you the agent was wonderful and everything went perfectly and I felt very confident that our dog was in good hands. It was ALOT of money, however it never crossed our minds not to bring him with us. He's part of the family and he happens to be a heeler so he came back to his homeland


What agent did you use? We are moving from Florida to Hobart area with eight....yep we're nuts ....8 Yorkies


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## ardie514 (Aug 12, 2009)

We used: 

International Pet Transportation, Inc.
Los Angeles, California - USA
Telephone: (310) 376-2899
FAX: (310) 372-3485
Email: [email protected]

They were wonderful. Not the least expensive, nor the most expensive quote that we got, but they were awesome!


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## mattchadwick (Feb 16, 2012)

*Moving from New York to Gold Coast, Australia*

Hi,

My name is Matt and i'm really hoping someone can help me. I'm intending to move from New York to the Gold Coast, Queensland. We're in the process of figuring out how to get our miniature schnauzer Louis there. He's only small (around 7.4 pounds)

We've read all the information provided on the daff.gov.au website and he's already been for the (RNATT). So we've already completed steps 1 - 5.

I'll be leaving for Australia in April and my partner will stay in the US until the pre-quarrentine process (5 months in the states) is completed, then they will both fly into Sydney where Louis will go into 30 days Quarantine there. 

I'd like to chat with anyone who has done this process and had their puppy in the Sydney quarantine. Their experience? advice? recommendations?

Any companies that we should consider using to make this incredibly difficult a little easier?

My major concern is the flight and the quarantine. I'm worried about him being stuck in the crate for such a long time. New York to Australia is really far. He's only really little i'm worried it will scare the **** out of him! 

I'd love to chat with people who have had similar experiences.

Look forward to chatting soon

Matt


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## cbsquirrel (Apr 3, 2010)

Hi Matt,

We shipped our dog to Australia two years ago, and the biggest problems we had were getting him out of the States. I tried to save money by not going through a pet shipping service and doing it all via the airline, but the airline was unhelpful and we had to pay a special attendant in L.A. anyway! My husband flew from Alaska to L.A. with the dog just to get him on the Sydney flight. What a hassle. Point being, you might want to check out a pet shipping service anyway, as they are very experienced and can help you through the process. I have heard good things about Jet Pet.

I had concerns about my dog in quarantine too, but he weathered it just fine. Your dog will be in a facility with rows of kennels out west. Part of the run is open, but part is enclosed and has a bed for him. He will have plenty of food and water, and they gave our dog a little toy. Quarantine has visiting hours twice a week, but you can make appointments other times during the week to play with your dog in a fenced yard, or you can make a grooming appointment. You will have the phone number of the quarantine attendant so you can call him or her if you have any questions or concerns. I found the staff to be very knowledgeable and caring. It was apparent that animal lovers worked there! Have you checked out the Australian Quarantine site? Bringing Cats and Dogs (and other pets) to Australia - Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

My dog was really happy to come home with us, but he handled quarantine just fine. I had concerns because he was a dog we rescued from the pound, so I thought he might be a little crazy when we got him out of quarantine, but he adjusted very quickly. My dog was older, but as far as I know, he'd never been on such a long flight before, yet it didn't seem to bother him. In Alaska, many people used to ship puppies from the Lower 48 (we didn't have many breeders), and I have not heard of any dog who was mentally scarred from the flight.

I hope this makes you feel a little better. I was really worried about my dog, but everything worked out just fine.


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## mattchadwick (Feb 16, 2012)

thank you so much for your reply i really appreciate it. I'll check out the companies you suggested and glad to know in the end everything worked out for you and your dog. 

We want to make it as less traumatic as possible, so we were thinking my partner and Louis could fly from new york to la about two weeks before the move (because he can fly in the cabin domestically) getting the crate in LA so he has time to adjust, finishing the final tests and paper work there, and then it's only 1 direct flight and the lowest possible flying time with no stops.

just need to make sure our vet in New York has a recommendation in LA. Either that or we'll use one of the pet services i.e. the one you suggested.

Many thanks again. I hope you enjoy living in Australia 


Matt


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