unzippy Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 Has anyone taken their cat/dog recently - within the last 6 month? Would you again, did you use the kennels etc? I've left sorting cat boarding too late and is now fully booked over Christmas do we're looking at taking Big Arnie with us.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 I know a few people who have brought their dogs with them to Tasmania. They weren't very happy about the cages/kennels that are supplied. I don't know about cats but dogs have died on the trip. Friends who go back and forward to the mainland quite often always take their little dog with them but it does the journey in their caravan. Sixteen polo ponies died after being transported on the Spirit of Tasmania nearly 2 years ago. The court case is still going on. Nobody is accepting responsibility. Bloody disgusting. I hate the thought of anything horrid happening to your Big Arnie. Could a friend look after him? https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-02/dog-owner-devastated-after-pet-dies-on-spirt-of-tasmania/10773614 There should be an experienced person on board the ferry specifically to care for the animals but there isn't. Shameful really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 (edited) "If travelling with a pet, it is a requirement that your pet travels in a Spirit of Tasmania kennel. Our kennels are located on ventilated decks. Regular checks are performed and fresh water is supplied throughout the sailing. We recommend owners provide bedding and comfort items to make the journey as pleasant as possible for their pet. One kennel must be booked per pet unless the animal is a mother with pups or kittens. It is not possible to reserve particular kennels for your animal. Our kennels vary in size. As a guide, the approximate measurements are: 700mm wide x 800mm high x 900mm deep." Looking at this photo, I dare say Big Arnie would be put in the smaller 'kennel' on the right - top one. I know the noise from barking dogs is pretty bad. We live on the other side and nearer the mouth of the river but I have heard loud barking from the ferry as it slowly comes down the river toward the sea and the barking continues while taking off into the Bass Strait. Would be a bit scary for the smaller dogs and especially cats but mostly it's pretty quiet. Edited November 10, 2019 by Toots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unzippy Posted November 11, 2019 Author Share Posted November 11, 2019 Thanks @Toots. We'll be away for 2 weeks or so, It feels unfair to ask people to disrupt their Christmas in order to drop in on her every day, or even every other day. I've since done a fair bit of research, there's no way she's going to be happy in a cage surround by a load of barking dogs - who would!? She can stay in the car, with her blankets, bed, toys and water, with the windows cracked. She will be lot happier. Then I'll take her hunting Thylacines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 (edited) Just be careful @unzippy If travelling with a pet, it is a requirement your pet travels in a Spirit of Tasmania kennel. Our kennels are located on ventilated decks. Fresh water is supplied and regular checks are performed on pets throughout the sailing. Bedding is not provided. Edited November 11, 2019 by Toots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unzippy Posted November 11, 2019 Author Share Posted November 11, 2019 32 minutes ago, Toots said: Just be careful @unzippy If travelling with a pet, it is a requirement your pet travels in a Spirit of Tasmania kennel. Our kennels are located on ventilated decks. Fresh water is supplied and regular checks are performed on pets throughout the sailing. Bedding is not provided. From my research I've found these: https://www.vancatmeow.com/boarding-pets-spirit-tasmania-horrible/ https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowUserReviews-g504292-d1467645-r456850894-Spirit_of_Tasmania-Devonport_Tasmania.html https://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/267987-spirit-of-tasmania-dog-traveling/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 If I took my dog to the mainland via the ferry I would leave him in the car I think. Apparently you can sign a waiver if you do so. The car deck isn't very nice though - all those car/truck fumes when they are loading. Yes dogs have died but many make the trip with no problem. I went to Devonport court last week to listen to what was happening about the 16 polo ponies that died. I didn't like the owner. None of the ponies was individually secured in the large horse transporter/truck. As far as I'm concerned, if you can't look after your horses properly don't bother having them. Those ponies probably panicked and kicked each other causing really bad injuries. Anyway it's back in court next March - I'll be going along to hear what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unzippy Posted November 11, 2019 Author Share Posted November 11, 2019 2 minutes ago, Toots said: If I took my dog to the mainland via the ferry I would leave him in the car I think. Apparently you can sign a waiver if you do so. The car deck isn't very nice though - all those car/truck fumes when they are loading. Yes dogs have died but many make the trip with no problem. I think the top tip is that you buy/rent the kennel in advance and that gets you a tag to stick on the rear view mirror. That tag allows you to park on the "ventilated" deck where the kennels are and then you sign the waiver and the animal stays in the car. Best of both worlds 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 @unzippy how did Big Arnie cope with the ferry trip? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unzippy Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 HNY Toots! On 03/01/2020 at 19:05, Toots said: @unzippy how did Big Arnie cope with the ferry trip? A lot better than her minions We packed up the car and her in her box and headed down to the port. We queued in the hot sun longer than I would have like before boarding, I could feel the (black) car heating up despite the air con running. Got directed to the ventilated deck with the kennels and parked up. We repacked the car so she had a bit of space to stretch her legs, reach her litter tray, food/water bowls and bed. I disabled the alarm, cracked the windows open, locked the car and left her to it. I was pretty worried about the car heating up due to the sun earlier but we were now in the shade and once the boat got moving it should be ok... As we walked up stairs we passed the kennels - we definitely made the right decision - dogs were already barking away. Crossing was dead calm and pretty boring. $20 got me access to the wifi for the duration so I worked away saving me a days leave. We headed back down as soon as we could (dogs were still barking) she had hopped up on the parcel shelf to see what all the humans were up to was going on - she was great! She got back in her box and re packed the car for travelling. Sat nav said 3.5hrs to Kingston, turned out the roads were pretty empty apart from the bugs so I managed to knock 50mins off that estimate. She settled in just fine at the in-laws. Obviously there was a fair amount of exploring, checking the decorations were up to scratch. She didn't have the patience for fishing, on land or the boat. Bit she was interested in the garden. We stopped to stretch her legs before getting on the boat but it was pretty windy so she didn't want to get out the car. Night crossing back. Same drill with the car, a little re arranging so she could move about and then we retired to the cabin. Dead flat again, or at least if it was rough, it wasn't rough enough to wake me. She was asleep when we go down there at 0515H - all good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 ^.^.^ ^ ^ ^ Awww she's lovely! Glad she enjoyed the trip - look like she had a great holiday too. Thanks for the update @unzippy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 Ester the dog has gone missing during a trip on the Spirit of Tasmania. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-27/dog-missing-after-spirit-of-tasmania-ferry-ride/13093908 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unzippy Posted January 27, 2021 Author Share Posted January 27, 2021 That's terrible, poor lady and dog. We went again for Christmas 2020, same drill as before and left her in the car with the windows cracked with food and water. No issues at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennyrose Shields Posted June 2, 2021 Share Posted June 2, 2021 Thanks for your sharing the trip to Taz. Answered lots of questions 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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