# Should we bring our dog?



## nicned

We are moving to NZ in May and are all planned to bring our dog. I have gone to book it and am suddenly having doubts about whether we are doing the right thing? We really want to bring her, but I am really concerned about the effects of the flight and the time she will spend in Quarantine. She definately loves her creature comforts and can become quite unsettled by other dogs at times.
Does anyone have any experiences they can share and let me know, if you have taken a dog over, would you do it again?

Thanks.


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## Liam(at)Large

If you can't take your dog, don't come. You made a commitment to the dog when you got it, fulfill that commitment. Would you leave a son or daughter behind?

Quarantine, by its nature, segregates the animal. I brought a dog and two cats, no issues. It's tough on them, but worth it in the end... I would do it again.


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## nicned

Thanks for your reply.
Its not that we cant bring our dog. I just wonder if we are being selfish in putting her through 30 hours of flight and 10 days of quarantine. She is a rescue dog and had some pretty tough experiences before she came to us. The last thing I would want to do, is put her through hell just because it makes us happy to have her with us.
Was your dog ok when she got to you?


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## topcat83

nicned said:


> Thanks for your reply.
> Its not that we cant bring our dog. I just wonder if we are being selfish in putting her through 30 hours of flight and 10 days of quarantine. She is a rescue dog and had some pretty tough experiences before she came to us. The last thing I would want to do, is put her through hell just because it makes us happy to have her with us.
> Was your dog ok when she got to you?


I think you're being really sensible to ask the question. We have a rescue cat who freaked out just on the journey from Auckland to Miranda! (which is one hour). I would never put her through a longer journey. But with another cat, with a different character - no problem.

Speak to your vet - it may be that a sedative for the journey may make it possible to bring her.


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## Liam(at)Large

topcat83 said:


> Speak to your vet - it may be that a sedative for the journey may make it possible to bring her.


You cannot sedate pets on flights, it's a health risk, they cannot pant or shiver to cool or heat themselves adaqutily if sedated and is subsequently not allowed by airlines as death could result. There are holistic anti-anxiety solutions (tablets and sprays) available, same as what are used to help ease anxiety from car rides or lightning storms.

Out dog arrived fine, stressed, as you'd expect, and hung a little close for the first few days, but is totally adjusted now...


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## kiwigser

*Dogs*

You will find a lot more restrictions on dogs in NZ. A lot of domains (parks) beaches farmland do not allow dogs. Our local town will not allow dogs on the high street. Dogs are working animals in our area.

Friends with dogs walk them before going out for the day.


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## Liam(at)Large

kiwigser said:


> You will find a lot more restrictions on dogs in NZ. A lot of domains (parks) beaches farmland do not allow dogs. Our local town will not allow dogs on the high street. Dogs are working animals in our area.
> 
> Friends with dogs walk them before going out for the day.


Your profile indicates you are in Auckland, pretty sure Auckland allows dogs on high streets (otherwise, I'm sitting here in Starbucks watching a dozen people break the law. Lol).

Auckland beaches allow dogs before 10am and after, I believe, 7 or 8pm in the summer, otherwise all day.


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## kiwigser

Liam(at)Large said:


> Your profile indicates you are in Auckland, pretty sure Auckland allows dogs on high streets (otherwise, I'm sitting here in Starbucks watching a dozen people break the law. Lol).
> 
> Auckland beaches allow dogs before 10am and after, I believe, 7 or 8pm in the summer, otherwise all day.


My nearest town is Thames, and most domains do not allow dogs and places like Goat island


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## Liam(at)Large

kiwigser said:


> My nearest town is Thames, and most domains do not allow dogs and places like Goat island


You should probably change your profile then.


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## topcat83

Liam(at)Large said:


> You cannot sedate pets on flights, it's a health risk, they cannot pant or shiver to cool or heat themselves adaqutily if sedated and is subsequently not allowed by airlines as death could result. There are holistic anti-anxiety solutions (tablets and sprays) available, same as what are used to help ease anxiety from car rides or lightning storms.
> 
> Out dog arrived fine, stressed, as you'd expect, and hung a little close for the first few days, but is totally adjusted now...


You may be right about the dangers of sedation. I'm no vet.

But surely each pet owner should be able to make a judgement about whether it is fair to bring them such a distance based on their knowledge of their own pet. I left my two cats behind in the UK by finding a lovely new home for them. They were old, and one was very highly strung. It was my judgement that it was not fair on them to put them through the kind of stress that a long plane journey followed by weeks in quarantine would have caused. 

And I did leave my son behind too. He was 18, and chose not to come. 
Does it make me a rotten pet owner and mother? No. It means that I had some difficult decisions to make that took into account the health (physical and mental) of animals and people that I love.


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## topcat83

Liam(at)Large said:


> You should probably change your profile then.


Bearing in mind that Auckland how covers a huge area, kiwigser may well live in what is considered to be Auckland. I think his profile is up to him!


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## Liam(at)Large

topcat83 said:


> But surely each pet owner should be able to make a judgement about whether it is fair to bring them such a distance based on their knowledge of their own pet. I left my two cats behind in the UK by finding a lovely new home for them. They were old, and one was very highly strung. It was my judgement that it was not fair on them to put them through the kind of stress that a long plane journey followed by weeks in quarantine would have caused.
> 
> And I did leave my son behind too. He was 18, and chose not to come.
> Does it make me a rotten pet owner and mother? No. It means that I had some difficult decisions to make that took into account the health (physical and mental) of animals and people that I love.


Yes, it makes you a rotten pet owner and a lousy person. You made a commitment to those animals when you took them on, if they couldn't come with you, you shouldn't have come... Your justifications ("lovely new home", "they were old", "highly strung") may let you sleep better, but it doesn't change the facts that you have failed those animals, honestly, I'm disgusted.

(You should be banned from ever owning an animal again.)


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## Liam(at)Large

topcat83 said:


> Bearing in mind that Auckland how covers a huge area, kiwigser may well live in what is considered to be Auckland. I think his profile is up to him!


What are you smoking tonight?


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## escapedtonz

..............and here ends the lesson dear forum members!!!

What you have just witnessed from the previous couple of posts is how not to conduct oneself whist taking an active part in a worldwide public internet forum.

Personal opinions of other members life decisions have no place here and do not serve any benefit to the forum.
Remember we are here to help, offer support and give the benefit of our experience.


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## kiwigser

nicned said:


> We are moving to NZ in May and are all planned to bring our dog. I have gone to book it and am suddenly having doubts about whether we are doing the right thing? We really want to bring her, but I am really concerned about the effects of the flight and the time she will spend in Quarantine. She definately loves her creature comforts and can become quite unsettled by other dogs at times.
> Does anyone have any experiences they can share and let me know, if you have taken a dog over, would you do it again?
> 
> Thanks.


I have heard from friends that they wish they had left their dog in the UK. Mainly because of the restrictions I mentioned before. One of the reasons we moved over here from the UK was the outdoor lifestyle and a dog will restrict were you venture, especially if you wish to tour. Anyway that's it from me, I may have to look over my shoulder though!


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## DPK

I firmly believe that your beloved pet will adjust very quickly after the long journey, when it is safe and secure with the family it knows and has learnt to love and trust.

More harm would be done by rehoming, again, a pet that has already experienced being abandoned.

Good Luck.


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## Judy&Rob

Hi,

I brought my pet from the uk to Oz.....it's 30 days quarantine .......and obviously long flight, but the thought of leaving her behind while I started on a new adventure......was just impossible.Yes she came out underweight, no doubt she hated the quarantine...but after a few days of running round she was fine. I just could not be parted from her. I generally check places out before we go, but if you are a animal lover-dog lover you make allowances in your life for them.


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## UK Kiwi

Liam(at)Large said:


> Yes, it makes you a rotten pet owner and a lousy person. You made a commitment to those animals when you took them on, if they couldn't come with you, you shouldn't have come... Your justifications ("lovely new home", "they were old", "highly strung") may let you sleep better, but it doesn't change the facts that you have failed those animals, honestly, I'm disgusted.
> 
> (You should be banned from ever owning an animal again.)


I am a new person to this particular forum, and only came on to the site to check out some information before returning to NZ after 17 years away. But my blood boiled a little (and I am pretty laid back) after reading this particular reply. _[part deleted]_ I try not to be so judgemental of people _[partially depleted]_. The poster that you are "disgusted" by is someone who has given some thought to their responsibilities, and they have come to a different conclusion than you - and that does not mean merely moral relativism - they also might be morally right. _We cannot_ assume they came to this decision because they are a "rotten person". Why _can we_ be so understanding of animals and so hard on people? I have tried to look at _this post_ as maybe a tongue in cheek - but it is just plain weird, and a little bit frightening tbh. _[partially deleted]_


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## UK Kiwi

I used inflammatory insults in my earlier post to make the point that it is not nice to be judged so harshly on a personal level. I understand people have strong views, but we should always aim to avoid insulting language and keep to the topic rather than attack the person. I am sure that Liam at Large has loads of admirable personal qualities and would not assume he was an all round lousy person because I felt so strongly about his opinion on this.


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## topcat83

UK Kiwi said:


> I used inflammatory insults in my earlier post to make the point that it is not nice to be judged so harshly on a personal level. I understand people have strong views, but we should always aim to avoid insulting language and keep to the topic rather than attack the person. I am sure that Liam at Large has loads of admirable personal qualities and would not assume he was an all round lousy person because I felt so strongly about his opinion on this.


hi there - and welcome to the Forum. 
I've made a couple of small changes to your original post, to keep it within forum rules. But it's great to have the discussion, as leaving or taking loved pets is a huge decision for many people. And as we can see, it also tends to polarise people's opinions!


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## nicned

Thank you for all of your replies. 

Topcat, thank you for your understanding, it really has been about what is best for our dog, not us! We have since decided to bring her with us. After speaking to our vet and doing a bit of research, we think (and hope) that she will be ok. I have ordered her some natural remedies that are supposed to help with stress and anxiety.  

Kiwigser, my husband is from NZ, although he has lived in the Uk for the last 13 years! We know the area we are moving to well, and also will be living on a dairy farm, so we should be fine for walking her off the lead, but thank you for your advice.

[email protected], thank you for your thoughts on this. My main issues were with my dogs welfare and wellbeing. We were perfectly prepared to bring her, and she is now booked onto a flight. I know that she will be very happy once she is settled, but the impact that it was going to have on her was a huge worry. I think it was made harder by the fact that we had family and friends that were all prepared to have her.

Thank you all once again.


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## eireannsand33

Hi , we are moving in Aug, & will be bringing our 2 bichons, there is no way I could leave them behind. It will be stressful and i will be worried sick but they have eachother and I will be there to pick them up. we are making this move as a family and they are a huge part of ours. do it they will be a little distressed as we probably will be ourselves leaving home. ;-)


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## hopers7

nicned said:


> Thank you for all of your replies.
> 
> Topcat, thank you for your understanding, it really has been about what is best for our dog, not us! We have since decided to bring her with us. After speaking to our vet and doing a bit of research, we think (and hope) that she will be ok. I have ordered her some natural remedies that are supposed to help with stress and anxiety.
> 
> Kiwigser, my husband is from NZ, although he has lived in the Uk for the last 13 years! We know the area we are moving to well, and also will be living on a dairy farm, so we should be fine for walking her off the lead, but thank you for your advice.
> 
> [email protected], thank you for your thoughts on this. My main issues were with my dogs welfare and wellbeing. We were perfectly prepared to bring her, and she is now booked onto a flight. I know that she will be very happy once she is settled, but the impact that it was going to have on her was a huge worry. I think it was made harder by the fact that we had family and friends that were all prepared to have her.
> 
> Thank you all once again.


Hiya! 

Bet you feel a bit better now you have made a decision. 
We moved over to NZ in Oct and brought our dog, though he travelled in Dec, partly coz we had to wait for rabies jab but even if we didn't we would have booked him to come over after us so we ad time to sort housing etc out first. We were however very lucky as our dog stayed in UK with family. 

I am not going to lie, bringing over was hard to handle, anxiety, questioning whether we were doing the right thinking, worried if he would be okay and how he would cope etc. for me i worried until i saw him, however, EVERYTHING was fine! The company that shipped him emailed us every day in the lead up - he had to be in their kennels 3 days prior to flying - letting us know how he was, what was happening all the way up to him going on the plane. When he arrived this end we received an email from the quarantine kennels to let us know e was perfectly fine, had eaten, been to the toilet etc - all good signs.

We then had the decision of whether to visit him in quarantine...our decision was made trickier as he arrived just before Xmas and the kennel was closing over that period, opening again after the 10 days....which we didn't know at the time we booked...so we would only have seen him once then not again for 13 days...thankfully though we got in touch with the kennel and arranged to see him a bit more and managed to arrange to pick him up after 10 days and not waiting the 13 due to them being closed!

When we saw him he was soooo happy as we were. Any it was very reassuring to be able to see for ourselves he was okay and had totally taken it all in his stride....3 months on he is LOVING it. There are constraints during daylight savings of taking him too the beach but to be honest, between 10 and 6.30, it has been way to hot to taken him anyway as the sand is so so hot for their poor pads!! There are also constraints on travelling around, however we have found loads of options that allow use to take our dog, including camping and renting bachs that allow dogs....overall the constraints are no different to the UK IMHO and I definitely wouldn't be without him here!


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## DPETRIE

How did the move go - did you take your dog?

We are due to come over sept this year and have decided to bring our 2 dogs, as we couldn't possibly leave them! Were thinking of settling in the Whangarei area - how are restrictions with dogs there?


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## nicned

Hopers7, Thank you SO much for your reply. You have just described in detail everything we feel. We know deep down it is the right thing, but I really feel more nervous about her journey, than the whole of our move put together!!
It is great to hear that all is well and happy and we look forward to all being settled over there now.


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## teignqueen

Hi, I understand everything you have said, and totally appreciate your concerns. We moved over and brought our 3 dogs. It truly was the most stressful part of the whole relocation process, and was seriously concerned about the potential selfishness of putting them through the whole process. I particularly have one dog who is my shadow, and is soooo attached to me, it almost put me off the whole idea of moving. However we bit the bullet and shipped them over, and although it was obviously a difficult trip for them, and the quarantine was difficult, we have no regrets at all. it is soon a distant memory, and in the grand scheme of things only a small time out of their lives. They are the most healthy, happy dogs now ( more so than back in the uk, as the environment is better for them) Good luck with the trip.


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## eireannsand33

Hi teignqueen 
We are moving our 2bichons and I have similar situation where the oldest dog is very clingy however we are still going to ship them. You mentioned quarantine I thought dogs from ire & uk didn't have to be put in quarantine ? Just to be kept at home for 30days? They are getting passports and rabies vacs tomorrow, I just want to make sure all my info is correct. So happy they have settled in for you. Its a big worry alright.


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## nicned

eireannsand33 said:


> Hi teignqueen
> We are moving our 2bichons and I have similar situation where the oldest dog is very clingy however we are still going to ship them. You mentioned quarantine I thought dogs from ire & uk didn't have to be put in quarantine ? Just to be kept at home for 30days? They are getting passports and rabies vacs tomorrow, I just want to make sure all my info is correct. So happy they have settled in for you. Its a big worry alright.




Hi there,

As far as I am aware, all dogs will need 10 days of quarantine in NZ. I think that this was introduced in January 2012! Our dog is booked into Canterbury Quarantine services, which is the only quarantine place in the South Island. I think that there are several in the North Island.

Hope that this helps.


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## eireannsand33

nicned said:


> Hi there,
> 
> As far as I am aware, all dogs will need 10 days of quarantine in NZ. I think that this was introduced in January 2012! Our dog is booked into Canterbury Quarantine services, which is the only quarantine place in the South Island. I think that there are several in the North Island.
> 
> Hope that this helps.


Thank you 
Will check it out


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## teignqueen

eireannsand33 said:


> Hi teignqueen
> We are moving our 2bichons and I have similar situation where the oldest dog is very clingy however we are still going to ship them. You mentioned quarantine I thought dogs from ire & uk didn't have to be put in quarantine ? Just to be kept at home for 30days? They are getting passports and rabies vacs tomorrow, I just want to make sure all my info is correct. So happy they have settled in for you. Its a big worry alright.


it was the case that there was no quarantine for dogs from UK, but that changed around march 2011 when they introduced the 10 days of quarantine ( so be sure to budget for that) when ours came over they did nt need the rabies vaccine. They introduced that in jan 2012 as the UK were relaxing their rules for bringing in animals to the country, the knock on effect of this is that NZ now treat uk the same as other countries. I am sure you know ,as your dogs are booked in for the shot, that that needs to be done 6 months in advance. Oh and don t forget the kennel cough treatment, I nearly did, which would have been disastrous as the quarantine facility would nt have accepted them. The saving grace for us is the pet shippers we used, they were brilliant and took us through the process a step at a time.....life savers! Good luck, and as I said before it was well worth the stress to have them with us and happy.
re previous posts....Not one to get too involved, but I have to say anyone who considers their animals welfare over their own personal desires has to be admired whether you agree with them or not.


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