Emigrating Dogs

jujuB

Hi All,

I need some help. I suppose I should start from the very beginning! Myself and my ex boyfriend share two dogs and he has emigrated to Australia and I took them full time from September. They are two big dogs, one is a Rottweiler and the other a sheepdog/lab cross. They are my entire life and I absolutely adore them. My situation at the moment financially is absolutely all over the place, I got dropped to part time and my boyfriend lost his job. Basically we are almost homeless! We are currently looking around for an apartment (as they are much cheaper in my area) so in other words we can't have 2 large dogs. I am totally heartbroken and devestated, I have cared for them both since they were tiny puppies, they are like my babies. This has been the toughest descision of my life, I could never understand why people would give up their beloved pets but now I understand. It is what is best for them, as where we are at the moment there is very little space and I can see they're unhappy. I mailed my ex in Australia yesterday to tell him that I cannot continue to care for them anymore I just wanted his advice on what he would like to do i.e Look for new homes/give them to a mutual friend to care for. There is nobody I know and trust enough to allow them to care for my two dogs. The problem is also they CANNOT be seperated, they would both die without each other. My ex has absolutely no desire to ever come back to Ireland and he said he would be delighted to take them over to him permentely. I am so delighted and relieved to hear this because they know and love him dearly, I wouldn't have to worry for the rest of my life they weren't being looked after etc. The only problem is now how I go about it?! He has a permanent address in Sydney so he is totally set up. I rang a place that runs from Dublin airport and im currently waiting for someone to get back to me, Im just wondering has anyone got any advice on where to start or what the paperwork entails etc? What are the requirements? Guy's I would really appreciate if anyone has any helpful advice. Im so devestated I have to do this but It really is for the best.

kazza90210

Hi your ex boyfriend will need to apply for an import licence from DAFF, there website has loads of info www.daff.gov.au/aqis/cat-dogs

Then you will need to get your dogs microchipped(if there not already) make sure their vaccs and up to date and get them vacc'd and tested for rabies. The rabies test is done 6 months after the vacc.

Before you booked their flight ensure there is room in the quarrantine place in sydney as they book out quickly.

anniehoo

I have a friend in NZ who brought her dog with her. Ill contact her and get some info and get back to you. It will cost a fair bit and there will a lot of paperwork and logistics to sort out but it is possible.

Rehoming in ireland is obviously a less stressful option for the dogs, but if its definitely what you both want then cool. Be careful though and do your research. Airlines and freight companies can vary WILDLY with their prices so shop around!

jujuB

anniehoo wrote: »

I have a friend in NZ who brought her dog with her. Ill contact her and get some info and get back to you.QUOTE]
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. I'm definitely going to look into it and see what the process will be like for my doggies, if it's going to pan out being too stressful on them I will probably look into rehoming here Today has been the worst day ever for me

anniehoo

Hi finally got a reply from my friend in Oz. Im just going to copy and paste her reply. You:

"will have to check the Australian import website (MAF in New Zealand) as they will have their own requirements. It is very expensive, I got a relatively cheap carrier (IATA approved cargo pet carrier) over from the UK online - was cheaper than Irish pet shops. THe company I used in Dublin for quotes and flight bookings was MultiCargo Ltd, best I could find at the time and they did a good job. Email from the person is rosaleenmc@multicargo.ie If the dogs have the travel passport already it takes about 1.5 month to prepare the samples etc they will need (should be on Aussie MAF site), it's quite complicated. The vet they currently have should be able to do it!"

The Sweeper

jujuB, google a company called Dogtainers. They ship a lot of animals from Australia to the UK and Ireland - I'm not sure if they do 'return' shipping, but they may be able to put you in touch with a local agent. I've heard a lot of good things about them including a story in the last week of a girl who shipped her cat in the midst of the icelandic volcano grounding resurgence and was trying to get the cat to Belfast from Australia - Dogtainers were on the ball apparently, lots of reassurance and update phonecalls.

It's three years since my mother in law shipped her two dogs, but the process for her was vaccinations, and working with the vet for assignment of a 'pet passport', I think they had to have a rabies test six months after the vaccs and the rabies jab, then dogs shipped, then one month in quarantine at the Aussie end.