Importing pets

[martin/dee]

hi all just wondering if any of you have shipped your pets over to new zealand?
If and when everything goes through i have 3 dogs i am wanting to bring with us i no that they have to be rabies checked and a rabies blood test i think its £200 per dog which gives them the passport too, does anyone no how much it is for them to go on the plane? or how i will find out , and do they go on the same plane as you etc? and how long before or after do they go if its not right away

Cheers Denise

[lockstock]

From the UK to NZ is non-rabies to non-rabies so there's no quarantine although there are a few tests and checks that have to be done. The EU Pet Passport scheme is not the right one for NZ although it's worth keeping up the rabies jabs over here in case you need to go back to the UK.

Golden Arrow are without doubt one of the best pet transporters. Our two medium/large dogs cost in the region of £5000 to bring with us. We left them with GA for a week after we flew out so we could get ourselves settled in first. Finding a rental which takes dogs is quite tricky so it's worth buying yourselves a bit of time.

[IanW99]

hi all just wondering if any of you have shipped your pets over to new zealand?
If and when everything goes through i have 3 dogs i am wanting to bring with us i no that they have to be rabies checked and a rabies blood test i think its £200 per dog which gives them the passport too, does anyone no how much it is for them to go on the plane? or how i will find out , and do they go on the same plane as you etc? and how long before or after do they go if its not right away

Cheers Denise

There are loads of people on the forum who have shipped over their pets.

The costs vary depending on the size/weight of your pets, expect to pay £750+ for the smallest dog / cat and upwards.

Your best option would be to talk to one of the pet shippers such as Golden Arrow mentioned previously. They will be able to talk you through all the options, vet procedures etc.

It is possible for them to fly on the same plane (they will be kept in the hold) but the shippers will use their normal carriers and you will likely pick an airline that gives you the best options e.g. fares etc. So most likely is that the pet will fly after you and you will go and pick them up when they arrive.

Golden Arrow phone number: 01588 680240 (if it hasn't changed?)

Ian

[clairelouise]

Originally we were going to bring our Japanese Akita, and our cat. We have since been lucky enough to find wonderful homes here in the UK for them both but I think Airpets quoted us just over £5000 for the two, not including vet fees, and jabs obviously.

We also found it quite tough finding rentals willing to take a dog, although I do know plenty of people from this forum have been able to manage it.

[martin/dee]

thanks guys for your replies, i phoned golden arrow the other night and they said to measure the dogs and they will give me a quote didnt really speak to her much but she said you can do it t2 ways either send the dogs to them they take to heathrow, then board them on the plane and get them the other end of keep the dogs with them for a while then send them out when were settled hes going to send m,e some info out tommorow

[clairelouise]

thanks guys for your replies, i phoned golden arrow the other night and they said to measure the dogs and they will give me a quote didnt really speak to her much but she said you can do it t2 ways either send the dogs to them they take to heathrow, then board them on the plane and get them the other end of keep the dogs with them for a while then send them out when were settled hes going to send m,e some info out tommorow

Thats great! Hopefully you will get the answer you're looking for! Do Golden Arrow take care of the jabs and everything too inclusive of boarding them?

[kanatakiwi]

Keep in mind you will find it a bit difficult to rent with 3 dogs, so you might want to leave them with friends for a few months until you get that sorted on this end. Dogs here are very much considered "outdoor" animals", but nevertheless tenants do not find it esy to find a rental that takes animals, and 3 dogs would be even more difficult.

[pipnix]

Hi,
Im in the same boat as you at the moment, waiting to move to NZ and I have a very large dog and 2 cats to move over. At the moment I have had quotes from £7777.00 down to £5300.00 talk about jaw dropping prices. The company that I have been most impressed by is jets4pets.
Also you have to get in touch with your local animal authority for the health certificates, if you havn't already. you can find them on the DEFRA web site. I was also told that your pets will more than likely not travel on the same flight as it depends on where you are flying from and to. As only certain uk airports have the right qualified staff to deal with exporting animals.
I hope this was some help! Good luck!

[Kerry and David]

Thats great! Hopefully you will get the answer you're looking for! Do Golden Arrow take care of the jabs and everything too inclusive of boarding them?

If your dog is with them for a week or so before they fly they will arrange the last lot of tests. For the other tests they send a letter to show your vets and then an envelope to post the bloods off.

I can't sing Golden Arrow shippers praises enough, I actually made the journey from Southampton to Shropshire to see the kennels and meet them before the took my dog and I was really impressed.
In my opinion they have the pets best interests at heart and are genuine animal lovers.
They only use Air New Zealand to fly the pets and although it was alot of money it was great having them arrange everything for us. I also liked the fact that thet build the crate to your dogs measurements.

Our dog arrived in NZ happy and healthy.

[LesleyS]

Same here... my dog is my baby and was totally impressed with the love and care that GA took with her.
Worth bearing in mind the advice about being dog free for a little while until you have got a rental - it's one less thing to worry about at a stressful but exciting time!