Just thought I'd let anyone considering bringing a pet to OZ know how we got on with our dog.
After a month in quarenteen we picked up Bonny our 3yr old lab cross. She was in poor condition and after three weeks with us can still not bark!
Our main problem was finding a rental which accepted pets. It took 6 weeks to find one and then we had to pay 6 months upfront (ouch!) so please take this into consideration if your going to bring your pet.
Also cats are'nt popular with locals (they eat local wildlife). Dogs are'nt popular either, must be on a lead nearly everywhere.
What do others think? :dancing dog:

That's awful. We have a cross breed hound that is so nervous, he has improved loads with living with us but he's is still very nervous of strangers. We got him when he was 6 months old and he wouldn't come near us but after a couple of years he is the most loyal dog going and is wonderful company for me during the day.

That said we have decided not to bring him which is breaking my heart as he is my dog but I know that the move would totally kill him. I was hoping my friend will have him as he knows her so it won't be so bad for him. I know after having to leave him in the vets overnight previously that he can't cope being away from us so for a month would be just terrible for him.

I hope Bonny starts to settle down again soon.

Sasha :)

As people have probably gathered this is a subject I am having to do a lot of research for as we are bringing 2 lge dogs and a cat.
I am not worried from the quarantine side as they are used to kennels.
It's the settling in once we get there and not only finding a rental property, but also finding the right one with adequate fencing etc.

I am already having nightmares about it. :medium smiley3:

My heart goes out to you Sasha as it must be very hard for you leaving your dog behind but I can understand why. :(

Our situation is that our dogs are not only part of our lives but also our hobby as we show/breed them and it is something I would like to carry on doing in oz if at all possible so I know we will make things work somehow it's just not going to be made easy for us.
The cat is another story. He is something I have wanted since as far back as I can remember and I finally got my wish 3yrs ago. It may sound silly to some of you but thats the way it is.

Best wishes to you all'

Terri.xxx :dancing dog:

p.s. I would be interested to hear how Bonny settles in her new home keep us updated. Hope all goes well. :)

tell me about it. I spoke to the Canine Defence League early just to see how they would deal with him in case my dog doesn't get on with my friends dog. I ended up balling my eyes out on the phone to the woman. He knows something is up and is just following me everywhere with a sorry look in his eye - huge guilt trip. :(

Sasha

:unsure:
Hi

I am now getting concerned about taking our dog with us she is an 8 year old Great Dane and can be nervous with strangers although she does stay in kenels for a couple of weeks a year, i don't think she has really got use to that! so bringing her all that way and leaving her for a month will break my heart.
I don't know how she is going to cope with it, maybe it would be best for us to find her a loving home here in the u.k. but that is easier said than done.

Are you allowed to visit your pets whilst they are in quarantine? or could this be a problem?.
I understand they quarantine in the Melbourne area we are hoping to stay with relatives in this area for a month or so before we move on to Adelaide.

Rose

We brought our English springer Spaniel over with us 13 years ago. he arrived the day b4 us after 36 hours on the flight in his small kennel and when we arrived at the airport we asked customs about him. They said his tail, what bit he had, hadn't stopped wagging as soon as they opened the cargo door. He was in great shape.

In those days quarantine was in Adelaide and we were allowed to spend a couple of hours every 2 weeks in the areas play compound, also then it was 8 weeks in there. Glad we put him and ourselves through that................... you bet, he's just turned 16 and still loves his trip to the beach for his swim and sandcastle building.

Since his first day of arrival he has been on heartworm tablets, something you don't have in the UK, one a month for life, $50 for 6 months supply.

Steve and Lynsie :spin:

Hi Steve and Lynsie,

Can I just ask your feelings on how the whole dog fraternity (ooh thats a long word, not sure if it's the right word but looks good :D ) is in Australia is there a shortage of places to let them off for a good run or is it all very restricted?

Thanks Terri.xxx :dancing dog:

I guess its the same everywhere in any country these days, the bad owners give the good ones a bad name. Anyway the beach is a no go between end of October and end of March. But after a certain time on these dates you can go on with a dog depending in the council, like after 6pm, some say "under the effective control" others say on a leash.Outside these dates all day is okay.

In the conservation parks or walking trails ok but must be on a lead. We went up through Mount Crawford Forest a couple of weeks ago, to be honest, hope a ranger is not looking, i let him off. They are very strong in protecting the native animals which is fair enough.

On the street, always on a leash, in local parks is the same. But if no one is around whos to know.

Steve and Lynsie

Thanks Steve and Lynsie,

You're so right about the bad owners giving responsible ones a bad name it really makes my blood boil when we are out and I always put our bitch on a lead if any other dogs are around as she won't pick a fight but won't stand any hassle either, so think it best to be on the safe side. I've lost count of the times people have seen me call her back and then just let their dogs come and have a go with no control at all. :angry:

It is the same with the beaches around us with time restrictions in the summer but to be honest we always walk them late evening because of the heat then anyway.

Our main worry I think is going to be getting a rental property to start with but will cross that one later. Something always turns up in the end.

Thanks for the info.

Terri.xxx :thumbs up:

Some rentals are okay with animals, just say that you will have the carpets cleaned on leaving, about $65 for three rooms and that the dog is better than kids. You'll be right.

Steve and Lynsie :dance:

Why was she in poor condition ? Did you ask why ? I know our friends brought out their chocolate lab to much expensive and she did take a few weeks to get back to her normal self but has settled well now.

It's very traumatic for us so you can expect pets to go through more because they don't know what's happening.

It's a hard decision making up your mind whether to leave pets behind but on the other hand there's really good pet shops here to choose a new one, once youv'e got over the loss that is.

Juls

Hi Juls

When we picked Bonny up she had lost a great deal of weight, which we kind of expected so we had fattened her up a bit beforehand, which was just as well.

She also had a number of sores/bald patches which we think could have been caused by rubbing on the crate, even though it was quite roomy (regulation size). She also had strange marks on both of her back ankles, which we couldn't explain.

She had obviously been barking a lot as she is only just getting her bark back after 4 weeks.

Having said that she forgave us immediately she saw us and has settled down really quickly. Where our girls go to school there is a lake/pond in the reserve behind the school and she goes for a swim each day and is in heaven.

We don't regret bringing her at all as she is one of the family and is a young dog, only 3 years old.

As for the rentals, most will say no pets. Don't necessarily be put off by this. Go to the agent and put your case and get them to approach the landlords. Offer to pay a pet bond or sign an agreement to say you will put right any damage. As was mentioned before, the children are more likely to do damage than the dog! You could also offer to pay rent in advance as we did, at the end of the day, the offer of a lump of cash may change the landlords minds.

Hope this helps, give us a shout if anyone wants any more info.

Louise :thumbs up:

Here's a website for all you cat lovers

www.cat-world.com.au

I hope it helps you :thumbs up:

Sasha :)

In case anyones interested I have just been on to the Ministry of Agriculture to find out when and what jabs etc we are going to need for the animals.
They were really helpful and are sending me all the info I will need in the post.
I am using my own vet as he is the nominated vet for our area anyway (Luckily, as he is rather gorgeous too :P ).

Their phone no. is 01189 596695 if anybody needs it. :dancing dog:

Terri.xxx

p.s. Hope hubby doesn't read this thread I'll never hear the end of it!! :clap:
Or my vet for that matter. :bouncing smiles:

Thumbs up to the ministry people all the info came in the post today with idiot proof notes to help with the filling in. (Probably very much needed :loopy: )


Terri.xxx