Moving my pet Staffie to Oz

[Guest rachaeljennifer]

Me and my partner are very interested in moving to Australia in the next couple of years, the only problem is my beloved dog. I love my pet so much and I do not want to put her under any unnecessary stress. I would like to know what a move to Oz entails for a dog, I have many questions;

What is the hold like for pets in the plane? Is it noisy or soundproofed?

Can they fly on the same flight as you?

Is there a vet present at all times with the animals on the plane during the flight?

How stressful is the flight?

How often can you visit your pet while in quarantine?

What are the quarantine facilities like and which is the best one in Australia?

 

I know I am seeming super overprotective, and I may well be, but she is such a soft dog; always wanting cuddles and attention and I am not sure how she will cope without us for such a long time. If anyone knows any rough prices that would be helpful too, although this is not very important as I will pay anything to ensure that the trip is as least stressful as it possibly can be for her.

 

Thanks in advance for everyone's replies!

 

Rach x

[Guest juliemtaylor]

We used Petair to fly our 2 13 year old cats here and they were absolutely fine, not bothered by the flight or quarantine - thy just wanted to know when the next meal was coming..

 

You do know certain breeds of dog are not allowed into Australia? Please check if a staffy is allowed?

 

Julie x

[BuddysMum]

I think the hold is a bit noisy, about the same as the rest of the plane to be honest.

 

No, they are not allowed to fly on the same plane as you as far as I know. There would be no benefit anyway as you would not be able to meet up with your pet after take-off (until after the first few days in quarantine, I think).

 

No, no-one is with them for the journey - no need. They are examined pre-flight and during any stop over. And they usually just sleep through the flight apparently.

 

All three of the quarantine facilities are great but busy. I think you can visit about 4 times per week - to walk them in the field twice and to sit in the pen with them for two visits but be aware that they are only in Sydney, Perth and (??Melbourne I think). It was too far for us so we paid a dog walker to go in and visit. The best thing we could have done; they were fantastic and sent us loads of photos. Dog Walking, Dog Care and Dog Treats in Australian Quarantine

 

Buddy was very stressed when we met him here in Gladstone. Partly because we had nowhere secure to let him out of the crate until we got home. But honestly it didn't take him long to settle (and he is a real sook) and I would do it all again, even though it cost more to bring him over than the three of us humans!!! He, like your dog, is very clingy and people focussed. But he coped. They do. They are not humans (even if they seem like it sometimes) and they really do adapt.

 

 

Oh, edited to add: We used petair UK. Brilliant.

[Guest rachaeljennifer]

Thank you so much for your replies :biggrin:

Yeah, I was worried that Staffordshire Bull Terriers were on the banned list for Australia but I have checked and they are not, so that is great.

I feel much better after reading the reply about Buddy, it was very detailed and made me feel easier about making the decision. One more worry I have is abut the bugs and snakes, obviously dogs are naturally curious and I'm worried she might get a hold of something dangerous. I know that we'll just have to keep a closer eye on her until she learns not to pick up things, but do you by any chance know the best places to stay with dogs? places with the least snakes and poisonous things for example haha.

Also, how did Buddy adapt to the chance in temperature?

Again, I apologize for the excess of stupid questions, but as it is a big decision I would just feel one thousand percent better about it having looked at all the possible problems.

Thanks again!

x

[BuddysMum]

Not stupid at all, we love our pets and they become part of the family.

 

Buddy is a cocker spaniel so has lots f hair. That is a bit of an issue so we have kept him clipped short. Not really the look but his comfort is more important.

 

No bugs or snakes so far. The garden in our first rental was very overgrown (it was the house of a friend of a friend sort of thing) and when we had it all cut back they found about 5 snake holes up the bank, but we never saw anything and Buddy didn't meet up with anything. But he is a bit dim to be honest!

 

One thing I do miss here is the lack of off-lead parks. There are a lot of restrictions here. Many places where dogs are banned and then a few places where they can be walked on lead and very few where they can be allowed to run free "if under control". It's something which is gradually coming in in UK so I don't feel too bad about it, and we have found that with the heat up here in Central Queensland he doesn't want too much exercise anyway (then we get the weight issues too!).

 

On the plus side - everyone seems to have dogs - sadly they also sell them in markets, shows and pet shops which I find distasteful.

 

Buddy is loving the off-lead park here - it's all kitted out with agility equipment, taps and bowls of water, and shade and creek and loads of space. Then about 20 minutes away we have a lovely off-lead beach which we all enjoy.

 

Hope that helps even if it is a bit garbled.

[Guest rachaeljennifer]

that's all really helpful thank you. we were wanting to move up to Queensland too so it was great thanks!

[Guest BeverleyR]

Hi Rachel

 

If you're interested we just had a quote from Petair UK to move our scottie - we've just lost our westie a month ago and have been concerned how he would cope not just without her but without us as well for the quarantine period.

 

Apparently Petair do two levels of service - Silver and Gold - the difference being that with gold they do all the vet tests at home and fill in all the paperwork rather than you doing it yourself with the local vet.

 

The quote doesnt include the cost of quarantine which has to be paid locally, but for everything from start to finish silver was £950 and for gold was £1900.

 

They also apparently hand make the container and spray it with a pherome which is supposed to relax the dog and make it feel secure.

 

We're a bit worried Fergie wont pass his tests as he is 11 but there's no way we can leave him behind!

 

Hope it helps

[Guest angiestaff]

hi

 

we moved our 2 staffies (ronnie n reggie) over to adelaide last year, they were both 8 when they flew.

i had the same concerns and 'daft' questions that you've asked! lol so don't worry ask away!

as far as i know they both coped fine with the flights, they arrived in one piece that was the main thing lol

my 2 had never been in kennels either b4 quarantine so that was another huge worry but they both did fine apart from some weight loss (which the girl, ronnie did need anyway!). the kennels in sydney were great, we could speak to the kennel maid each week (she 'complained' that her block was extra noisy at that time as she had 8 different staffies to look after!:arghh:)

i used a company to organise everything, they faxed the forms to the local vets and sorted the rest out so that was a huge weight off my shoulders!

once they arrived it was like they had never been any-where else, bless 'em

 

ange x

[Guest danyallface]

I am heading over in Feb 2011 with my two staffies as well! My girl Tallulah is prob won't care, with all the new noises and smells she'll be quite happy! My boy Errol however is not going to be happy, he is a real Mummys boy! I am sure he'll get over it though!

 

AngieStaff

 

Mine will be in Sydneys kennels, you say they are nice? Did you visit your two much? Did yours share a kennel? I want my two to share but would need them to be watched or seperated a dinner time...do you know if this is something they can do? They don't fight over food, Tallulah just eats 100x faster and finishes of Errols if i'm not watching!

 

Also did you rent or buy when you arrived? As you know Staffs have a reputation of being chewers (which mine aren't....anymore anyway!!) and I am concerned that having two dogs, let alone staffies will put people off.

[Guest angiestaff]

I am heading over in Feb 2011 with my two staffies as well! My girl Tallulah is prob won't care, with all the new noises and smells she'll be quite happy! My boy Errol however is not going to be happy, he is a real Mummys boy! I am sure he'll get over it though!

 

AngieStaff

 

Mine will be in Sydneys kennels, you say they are nice? Did you visit your two much? Did yours share a kennel? I want my two to share but would need them to be watched or seperated a dinner time...do you know if this is something they can do? They don't fight over food, Tallulah just eats 100x faster and finishes of Errols if i'm not watching!

 

Also did you rent or buy when you arrived? As you know Staffs have a reputation of being chewers (which mine aren't....anymore anyway!!) and I am concerned that having two dogs, let alone staffies will put people off.

 

Hi ,

 

we're in adelaide so didn't visit the dogs in quarantine, to be honest i don't think i'd have coped very well with leaving them each time we visited!, glad we didn't have the choice....perhaps it would have been too confusing for them too?, yeah they shared a kennel (works out slightly cheaper for the 2nd dog if they do share)

the kennel maid that we spoke to was lovely, really sounded like she cared for the dogs so that put my mind at ease.

re: the food....my 2 were exactly the same, ronnie (the girl) ate at a 100 mile an hour and then pushed reggie out of the way to get at his food...or at least did do until they went into the kennels.....maybe reggie learnt that he needed to eat quicker! lol

 

we're currently renting, our landlords had 3 dogs so we didn't have too much of an issue when we applied for this house (very lucky!), reggie had periods of chewing our kitchen in england (ronnie didn't as we crated her)...when we viewed the house in adelaide we were dismayed to see the same kitchen that reggie liked the flavour of!... but when we leave them alone we've fitted a baby gate so they can't get to the kitchen (just incase) anyway as far as the real estate agent's concerned the dogs are ourdoor dogs lol

 

ange x

[Guest danyallface]

Hi ,

 

we're in adelaide so didn't visit the dogs in quarantine, to be honest i don't think i'd have coped very well with leaving them each time we visited!, glad we didn't have the choice....perhaps it would have been too confusing for them too?, yeah they shared a kennel (works out slightly cheaper for the 2nd dog if they do share)

the kennel maid that we spoke to was lovely, really sounded like she cared for the dogs so that put my mind at ease.

re: the food....my 2 were exactly the same, ronnie (the girl) ate at a 100 mile an hour and then pushed reggie out of the way to get at his food...or at least did do until they went into the kennels.....maybe reggie learnt that he needed to eat quicker! lol

 

we're currently renting, our landlords had 3 dogs so we didn't have too much of an issue when we applied for this house (very lucky!), reggie had periods of chewing our kitchen in england (ronnie didn't as we crated her)...when we viewed the house in adelaide we were dismayed to see the same kitchen that reggie liked the flavour of!... but when we leave them alone we've fitted a baby gate so they can't get to the kitchen (just incase) anyway as far as the real estate agent's concerned the dogs are ourdoor dogs lol

 

ange x

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

I am also in two minds on whether I should visit them because like you said I don't think i'd be able to cope leaving them each time nor do I want to get their hopes up. I would only be able to get there at weekends anyway.

 

As for renting I prob will leave them outside in the day when I am not there anyway so saying they are "outdoor dogs" won't be too far from the truth. They have always had access to the garden via a dog door so although toilet trained they have never had to hold it for any lengthy period of time. My otherhalf is a carpenter so he will build them a nice waterproof kennel for them to use in the day but we'll keep them open so they can have run of the garden aswell. When home we'll have them indoors though...they like to sleep in our bed!

[Guest angiestaff]

Thanks for your reply.

 

I am also in two minds on whether I should visit them because like you said I don't think i'd be able to cope leaving them each time nor do I want to get their hopes up. I would only be able to get there at weekends anyway.

 

As for renting I prob will leave them outside in the day when I am not there anyway so saying they are "outdoor dogs" won't be too far from the truth. They have always had access to the garden via a dog door so although toilet trained they have never had to hold it for any lengthy period of time. My otherhalf is a carpenter so he will build them a nice waterproof kennel for them to use in the day but we'll keep them open so they can have run of the garden aswell. When home we'll have them indoors though...they like to sleep in our bed!

 

what is it with staffies and hogging the bed!, my 2 sleep all night with my husband and then when i come home from work i throw him out and then they jump back in the bed with me! :laugh:....admittedly it is nice to have 2 hot water bottles in this cold weather, not as fun when the temp reaches 40deg!!

my worry in leaving my 2 out when we're not there is that ronnie loves the sunshine and has absolutely no common sense to sit in the shade and because she's white n red she has a higher risk of skin cancer.......she seeks the sunshine in the garden to the point that one day she was leaning on the window sill to get the last rays of the day!

 

i know what u mean about visiting them in quarantine.....i really don't think i'd have been able to cope with walking away from them again(.....we left them with my parents for 2 weeks when we emigrated and walking out of the house then nearly killed me (i'm at work typing this and feel teary thinking about it! lol)

 

ange x