Galahad

"......The good thing is that with banks now borrowing more and housing being more affordable than previously more people will be able to get on the ladder......." .....And - is that actually what you meant to say ?

Gee - I don't know where you live HB - but I think it must be just off Junction (cloud) 9, up Yellow Brick Road, in the sister village of Midsomer, called Misnomer...... This rarefied village is elevated & sits comfortably at the highest point of a plateau & looks over the surrounding countryside through a thick mist - under which the rest of England creaks & grinds & gets rained upon relentlessly..... Meanwhile renting residents of Misnomer are romping into Real Estate Agents with no deposit & buying dream homes with obligatory roses around the door......& The Bank of Misnomer - it say 'Yes' !!!!

"....Yes it is expensive and people say you could buy 6 new dogs for the cost of shipping him...." People who say this just don't get it do they Sue & Ian ? I'm taking my three furries back after bringing them over to the UK three years ago..... expense - oh yeah baby ! I've lived on meagre rations for months (they haven't !) "...I am selling off stuff in the house to go towards his bills!!...." I'm with you on that one Sadie Star ! I've sold nearly everything on eBay to help pay for their flights - but don't regret a single penny..... I once had a boyfriend who questioned (in the days I had multiple horses) why did I bother to transport five horses from NSW to Queensland when I could just buy 'new ones' there..... (deep breaths needed here....) That relationship didn't last long !!!

".....Unless you love the beach or think that watching ball games played in 30degrees or having a beer with the tinkle of the pokies in the background is heaven then there isn't a lot going here....." Wow - and that's your accumulated perception of Australia after 8 long years ? I'm astounded ! You and I have been living in a totally different country !!!!!

Errrrr - 'he' wants you to go now because he 'can't handle the emotion' !!!!!! Good Heavens - is that what you want in a 'life-partner' ? I would be out of there before you could say 'See yer later alligator'..... C'mon - square those shoulders & raise that chin & disappear to the nearest backpacker hotel in town - ANY town ! I agree with the advice to make the most of your WHV while you have the opportunity - do the regional bit - make some friends who value you....whether you are sad or happy ! Even if you do decide to leave later, I'm damned if I'd let him see you go with your heart in your boots ! He didn't put you on his visa - so go out & enjoy the opportunities - & the freedom - of yours !

So terribly sorry..... I once rescued a starving pup & then lost him to a speeding car when he escaped from the garden - felt so devastated...... animals are all family... Hugs for your children & for you.... And know where you are coming from re. responses - strange isn't it ? Lots of love - from the UK.... :hug:

I've had three..... One 'Tonka Toy' bright yellow hard top 1 litre 4-wheel-drive which everyone laughed at because by the time I had two bags of chaff & the Rottie in the back it was pushing its power capacity ( ! ) going up Tamborine Mountain.... ( very big Rottie ! ) Having said that when my friend's big powerful ute got bogged at the bottom of the paddock fully loaded ( I told him, I told him ! ) I offered to pull him out ( he laughed ) but my Tonka revved & spluttered & spinned & pulled his big beefy ute right out of the mud..... My Suzuki was no longer yellow, but bright red - those of you who know it up there will know what I mean ! The red soil of Devon ain't nothin' on Tamborine......my greys & palominos had pink tails for eight years..... But I digress...... Next I had a bright red soft top 1.3 litre - also 4-wheel-drive ( won't do that again - horses can undo canopy poppers before you can say 'chaff within' ) & the Australian sun does the plastic no favours if you leave the car in the open.... The 1.3 rapidly got down-graded to a 'topless' Suzuki 'feed-up-fun' car with feed buckets & children bouncing about in the back, squealing with delight as we hit bumps in the ground.....or shrieking as we dodged flying fragments of pony-poo from the wake of the clattering chain-link harrow.... Later I bought a very old ( 1984 ) fawn Suzuki hatchback as I knew it was going to be sold before I came to England...... It was only meant to be for 'pootling around' the Bay area, but ended up doing four or five trips to Stanthorpe & back without putting a puff of power wrong.... I once heard the little Suzuki models described as " A superb small car whose performance continues to give more than can reasonably be expected for longer than can reasonably be expected " And yes - I would happily buy another Suzuki in a heartbeat....& the little ones really do run 'on the smell of an oily rag' ( which I think is the whole saying ) & meant to imply that the car will run on the residue of fuel or oil left on the rag.... :yes:

Hi, I'm sure Bob will be along in a while to clarify the finer points....but in the meantime can I ask which way you are going ? Your location info. says 'WA from South Yorks back to South Yorks' so of course if you're coming back to South Yorks there's no quarantine at all this way...but if you're going the other way (to Australia) there is.... If you're just starting the process now I think it's possible that your furry family will not be 'flight ready' until after the 10 day quarantine kicks in - IF it comes in around July 2013..... (a seven month run-in from the start of the year.....according to Bob - & he knows what he's talking about....) You need to find a vet who is Government approved for dealing with international flights - and again Bob will have more info re. that..... At any rate a vet who knows what they are doing is a comfort ! Finding a good 'animal-shipper' is the first step....so Bob can take you forward step by step.... They won't be given anything in flight, but they just sleep.....it's instinct.... Sadly my three reprobates will be flying back to Australia too early to benefit from the shorter quarantine....but as I plan to spend a couple of weeks with my son & his wife in South Korea on the way over, to say nothing of having to find a rental & buy a car etc. etc. I think I'm going to need the 30 days anyway ! All the best....& try not to worry.....easier said than done I know..... :yes:

Happy Australia Day everyone..... Well it's all over for those of you in Australia and no-one 'does it' where I am....but it's marked in red texter on my Australian calendar in the kitchen....and the house is getting emptier by the week... Six more boxes to the storage unit today....... Wishing I was back in country Queensland today......saddling up my boy & going for a ride in the evening..... :daydreaming:

Queensland country lifestyle...... :yes:

Oh James I feel for you - I really do....but don't go down the road of ultimatums & 'what ifs'.... In a way, she has been quite honest & even mature in saying she is simply not ready or willing to give up the 'family back-up' yet & 'may feel different in 10 years' (!!!) Or may-be not.... In your first post you said that when you went to the seminar she was '20 soon to be 23' (!) Yep - happens to us all - one day you're 20 & the next you're 60-something - (on the outside at least!) You've read these forum posts - some people leave Australia disillusioned after a short time - some people grab hold of it with both hands & love it with a passion which has no logic, regarding it as 'home' from day one....with just about every emotion in between those two parameters.... You're 29 soon to be 59 (!) don't waste time arguing....you need to do what feels right for you as every day you are paying for your decisions with the currency of your life.... As someone has already said - if there were children it would be different - you would need to put your family first...but there are not - yet.... Respect your girlfriend's decision as being from someone who has time on their side - but you don't. 10 years of your life 'waiting' is not an option - honestly..... Concentrate on which visa gives you the most stability & the most long term security - you have worked hard towards it already it seems....

James - your girlfriend is not going to go....she has horse/s & dogs....& her life here - however subsidized by her family it may appear.... It 'works' for her.....& young though she is - she knows it. Are you prepared to move her horse/s & dogs to Australia ? Of course you can't..... She has actually (having thought about 'her reality' & 'practicalities') made up her mind....she has made the 'right' decision for her needs at the moment & I don't see that changing any time soon.... I would take the advice that others have given & start your own preparations to make your dream your 'practical reality'.... If, later you find that you want to be with her more than the reality of living in Australia - so be it - but at least you'll know.... Or if she meets someone else who 'fits' into her life without disrupting it - then you'll know that too.... It's a tough call - but the decision is yours & yours alone - she's made hers....no point in wasting time attempting to alter that or waiting for a 'change of heart'.... All the best with your plans - whatever you decide to do....

I can only echo what others have said....I have lost so many of my 'special friends' over the years - nearly all of them have drifted away in my arms - both horses & dogs....they are family & I have grieved as you are grieving now.... Your little man was in your arms went he went over - it would have been his chosen place - and right after a lovely walk on the beach..... He looks beautiful....& how wonderful that you never considered him 'too old' to emigrate with you.... All our thoughts are with you..... :hug: :hug: :hug: I love Rainbow Bridge ! How beautiful !

.....One thing I would add is that even dogs who are frightened of large trucks (my Abby) (although it would be fairer to say she's frightened of truck drivers......past experience from her life before me) seem to cope with the huge conglomeration of large vehicles from inside a crate - it gives a feeling of safety.... Also - the 'movement' factor is different on a plane - as you'll know yourself from flying.....it feels as though you're static most of the time, apart from take-off & landing..... I think animals cope better than us to be honest as they go to sleep for much of the journey - they have the ability to sort of 'shut down'..... How often I've wished for that same ability on a long-haul night flight !!! Your baby will be fine - and you'll be there for him for the rest of his life, which is what's really important to him..... Incidentally, Abby's much better than she used to be as I have systematically introduced her to as many huge* truck drivers as possible - who (IMHO) are some of the nicest people ever..... * I mean the trucks, not the drivers !

Hi, I brought my two dogs & cat back to the UK three years ago with Dogtainers - honestly can't fault them.... Flying pets is 'big business' now - they are treated like Royalty.....mine were anyway.... The 'dog-shippers' & the people at the pick-up centre at Heathrow are all wonderful 'animal' people who called my dogs & cat by their names.... My larger dog's crate was the size of a small weatherboard house & all my animals were in great spirits on arrival - if a little indignant that they had to 'wee' on the little lawned area at Heathrow in this cold white stuff which they had never seen in Queensland ! Make sure you put very old blankets in the crate with your dog so that it has something familiar.....not your 'best doggie blanket' as you won't get it back - it won't be allowed through .... I used an old 'throw' on my bed for a few days before we left (my lot sleep on my bed) & then I cut it into three large 'crate blankets' on the day they left.... 'No quarantine' coming this way helps, of course - we're preparing to go the other way now with the 30 day quarantine.... Not looking forward to it, but to be honest I'm going to need those 30 days to get organised on my return.....especially after spending a week in South Korea with my son & his wife.... All the best - your baby will be fine - honest !

Many of us seem to have walked the same streets ! I went to Art School in Newport for four years - I loved Newport.....those were the days the Art School was opposite the 'Isca' on the bridge.....& a Sunday afternoon outing was a trip on the transporter bridge.... My department (sculpture) was 'down the dock end' in an old school in Bolt street - I wonder if it is still there ? My first boyfriend lived in Merthyr....& eventually both my children were born in a tiny cottage hospital in Cefn Ila....I well remember the midnight dashes over a bumpy road..... Both children were born really quickly so it was obviously all part of the plan ! Now when I walk through the park in Paignton, there's a footbridge which proudly proclaims 'Made in Newport, Monmouthshire'....long before it became 'Gwent'.... I always think - yes - I know exactly where you come from boyo ! I was there !

Oh, now M2M, you're just resorting to blatant torture !!!!!!!!! Waaaaaaaaaa !!!!!!!!!!! :arghh::arghh:

Hi Wayne, if you're receiving a state pension from Centrelink, they will put you in touch with the International Pensions people in Hobart who are very helpful & very easy to talk to....they deal with it all the time... Fizzybangs - I'm in Paignton at the moment - if I can be of any help to you before I go the other way, let me know - I'll PM you.....

".....So I defer. I am sure that it was not intentional neglect, or even something that the average person may have picked up (unless a vet was expecting to see these kinds of issues and looked for them)......." With due deference to more diligent dog walkers & given that the OP has already stated that the poor boy couldn't walk without pain - this IS neglect however you 'downplay' its cause ! And to infer that vets only see what they're 'expecting' to see is ridiculous ! I don't want 'average' people looking after my girls in Quarantine - I want qualified, super-caring, animal-loving people like Bob, the OP's vet & the girl who called the OP with her concerns from Dogtainers ! That this poor dogs separation anxiety suffering 'slipped through the net of care & communication' means that SOMEONE wasn't doing the job they were paid to do, properly.... Not good enough. I'm sure - as JoanandJon & I can testify, that this is not the usual standard of care given....but one doggie-walker needs the sack - pronto !

Hi Rebecca, Thank you for your reply to my PM..... It's great that you now have Bob 'in your corner' - his name has clout in quarantine matters & I hope Buster's pain eventually results in 'weaker links' or 'sloppy practices' to be weeded out in the jigsaw that is 'quarantine station & dog-walkers'..... We have to put our complete trust in the system, as for many of us moving our precious animals is not only the most expensive part of moving, but the most emotionally harrowing...we are putting the care of 'our furry family' into the care of people neither we, or they know - possibly for the first time.... So the trust element has to be a 100% - carved in stone.... I do hope your beautiful boy is recovering well - my 'girls' send their nose rubs to Buster..... :yes:

As M2M says - talk to Bob at PetAir - there ARE other carriers (apart from Golden Arrow) .....but I'm sure PetAir will be able to help you... ......By the time your dog is ready to fly it will be a little cooler.... My larger dog is part Staffie & she flew from Australia to the UK three years ago via Singapore & was perfectly OK....in December.... She was vet-checked at Singapore airport & was absolutely fine.... Don't take 'no' for an answer !

"....Insurers are moving my dad home they have been great. Loads to sort out. Just want him home....." One day at a time - be gentle with yourself.... All our thoughts are with you, lots of PIO support for you to fall back on if you need it.... Just :hug::hug:

Hi - I don't think you will have a problem.....if you've had the Rabies jabs done in July you should be OK to get the 'pre-flight' stuff done 30 days before the flight somewhere around March/April....but Bob will advise you more accurately..... I'm taking a 12/13 year old cat back to Australia along with two slightly (but only slightly) younger dogs.....& wouldn't dream of leaving the cat behind - she's part of my furry family.... Good luck !

I saw the incident on the news last night...so utterly tragic.... It's always tragic when something like this happens, It's usually 'somebody else' but this time it's the family of one of our own PIO family....& I hope - as you are giving your support to your family Salma, you can feel the collective love & support from all of us.... Safe journey.....

Thanks Rubyslippers... And to you & all my Poms-in-Ozzer-Poster-Friends - Have a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year..... :xmas3: Have to confess I'm not feeling great - sneezing, coughing & spluttering my way up to Christmas Day - but it's times like this when you feel lousy, that you're just grateful to have a home, a warm sofa, a comfy bed & in my case nurses Abby & Skippy :animal-dog::animal-dog: to snuggle up & Purdy :animal-cat: to remind me when it's time for supper..... Not going out much as the way I look at present would frighten the best of horses !!! :ssign4: