2 dogs UK- NZ

[Raeven]

ROFL, Veronica,

ENZ has been so good and so patient, has deleted your duplicate post and even restored the banana... really, you must put him out of his misery re the Galaxy chocolate!!! The suspense is killing me!!!

Is there anything else you want from him before you give it up?



Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! - Rae

[Dave & Sandra]

My cat, Moxie, is no worse for his travelling experience. It's keeping him in for the 30 days that is proving difficult - poor little mite. He can see and hear and smell all of these exciting new things and can't get at them

Dave said when he arrived he peed for ever and then ate 2 pouches of cat food. He normally manages half when he's fed. He was purring when Dave eventually let him out and he recognised Dave's voice and stopped yowling.

I felt heartbroken when I left him at Golden Arrow - he was full stretch up to the wire of his run staring after me as if to say 'Why are you leaving me here?' Golden Arrow make the cages that the animals travel in and it was really sturdy with his name and our name and the destination stencilled on them. The water pot is a small food can screwed to the cage with a funnel for putting the water in and they have put newspaper, then an old towel and then shredded up newspaper in the cage. Wire mesh at one end so that they can see whats going on and big air holes down either side. Also they gave me his collar to keep so that he wouldn't get caught up on the wire mesh with it. GA were brilliant and everything went very smoothly (apart from my post 'My cat problem', which you may have seen.) The only thing I had to do was collect his 2 faecal samples and send them off and then deliver him to GA three nights before he left. They dealt with everything else.

Cost GBP832 and worth every penny. I would have hated to leave him behind. He's only 2 so I'm sure he coped OK with everything.

[ENZ]

No reply from Veronica yet Rae, I think she must be holding out for a major concession.

Maybe I should just PM her but.......maybe it's more fun this way. :angel

Veronica - pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaase tell us where you get the Galaxy chocolate. <<on bended knees emoticon>>

[veronica]

dogs first chocolate second.

We have picked them up and both seem ok. We did do things the wrong way round as when we had a phone call a month ago The guy we spoke to gave us the consignment no. and told us to go to customs to get them cleared. We went to the airport 1st and were told to go to customs house in orchard road. (this is obviously the procedure for Chch, can't answer for Auckland). the Lady we saw there very kindly managed to poduce the documents we needed from our meagre information but told us we should have gone to the freight people first really and got the paperwork.
We then went to air NZ cargo which was just round the block from there and after a lot of computoring and paying $22.50 he took us through to get the dogs. They are very different characters. the older clever one heard us straight away and was whining to get to us and the little one (well he is a rottweiler cross) was so scared that he growled at us and huddled in the back of the cage. Pete sat and fussed him and talked to him for a few minutes till he regained his composure and by that time I had got the other one harnessed up and on a lead. That gave chip a boost of confidence and he decided it was safe enough to get out of the cage. Chip has had both back knees replaced in the last couple of years and he was a bit stiff but he is moving freely now (1 1/2 hours later)
They were both terribley thirsty and drank over half of a bucket of water between them. (which chip promptly threw up, they have definately arrived) If I did it again I would give them a cupful at a time instead of letting them drink their fill. They have had a run round the yard, small bowl of food and have now decided that as I am being boring its time to go to sleep. I am very relieved and have been so nervous about it all that I have felt mildly sick since they got on the plane in the UK.

Umm I think thats all, will let you know how they are tomorrow.

[Raeven]

Hi, Veronica,

I'm delighted to hear the poochy family members arrived in reasonably good shape and none the worse for wear. I know how relieved you must be. Good advice on giving water and food in small doses.

ENZ, I have begun to despair for you. I think Veronica is having her fun!!! :mrgreen:

(And you're right; this is much more fun!!!)

Rae

[veronica]

OK we had a reasonable evening with two jet lagged canines, in all between us picking them up at noon and 9 pm they drank over a bucket of water between them. all went to bed early, having had 4 months off dog duty it was a shock to be woken at 4am by two wet cold dog noses in my face. then they both started the tea time act. Small uffs and very hopeful looks from one and subdued whines and very plaintiff looks from the other. I gave up at 5 and fed them breakfast sized portion. We have always fed them about 5 pm uk time and I had forgotten they were going to be on stomache time.

[veronica]

you know I keep thinking there was something I was going to tell you guys........

[veronica]

Well apart from a little confusion about meal times they have both settled in, Chippie is a bit unhappy in the car but considering the last few times he was in the car in the UK it was to go to the vets for blood tests or to the airport and that he probly equated the plane with a car it's not surprising. The older one Brin who we were most worried about has taken it all in his stride and is great. Our eldest daughter who, although she lives in Auckland, was in the UK with them for most of the summer arrived here yesterday for a visit and both of the dogs were really pleased to see her and this has I think helped them think of this as the 'pack centre'. Just got to get the other daughter here when she is ready and it will be. To the dogs, plane journey apart they have just moved, whats the big deal.

On the subject of Galaxy chocolate. Johnsons Grocery in Colombo Street, Chch. they don't post out but if you like (and are desparate) I will buy some and post it out. Its the 1st time in 20 years he has managed to get it and only has a few cases so be quick.

[mechidna]

I know this has probably already been covered somewhere, but how do you arrange all of this. I think it will be much worse for mine poor dog, coming from the middle of the US. I have already had her chipped and she gets shots almost as regularly as my daughter. I've also been told that I don't even get to see her until she gets to the quarantine facility. That will be tough. Do they have any yet in the Waikato region. The only ones I really know about are in Auckland and Wellington.

I don't suppose anyone knows if NZ is adopting the PETS policy?

[Moorf]

Veronica - we've been looking at getting a dog.. or possibly two.

However, I note from the Chch pound info that you have to have a certain amount of outside space and a special permit is needed to have two dogs... did you have to deal with this?

Moorf