German Shepherd

[Cadairgirl]

Hello
My husband and I are currently researching all that is involved in our move to NZ. Needless to say, the main source of stress for me is making sure the dog will be ok when he is crated across (never mind about not seeing family again!). He is a 6 year old, long haired GSD, and has never been apart from us. He is a real wimp, the kind that would just not eat if we were to leave him in kennels... we live really close to a shipping company that I understand are highly recommended (I think they're called Golden Arrow? Based in Craven Arms, Shropshire) but... I just wondered if anyone has any 'calming' thoughts for me and also, what's the deal with the 'dogs from UK don't get quarantined but must remain in the same property for one month' - how have people coped with this rule and is it really that difficult to rent a property if you have a pet?
Sorry for all the questions (I'm not really this neurotic!!)
Many thanks
xxx

[Toonster]

Hiya!

No worries on the questions - and hopefully someone will be able to answer the animal specific ones (we didn't have a pet to transport)

We aren't allowed to recommend specific companies, I'm afraid - otherwise we get spammers asking for and then giving their recommendations (under different names) and getting free advertising!

With regards to the pets, yes, a lot of rental places seem to have a no pets clause, but not all of them (ours is "will consider" - we have to prove that we are good tenants and can look after it, and then the landlady will let us have a cat ), so you should be able to find somewhere which will accept your German Shepherd.

However, be warned - from what I have seen, there are a lot of costs associated with shipping an animal - it's not quite so bad with coming from the UK (as the UK is as neurotic about rabies as NZ!), but you will still have to shell out a lot!

And we have also seen quite a few notices around - because possums are a bit pest here, poison is put down for them, and if your dog eats a dead possum, they are also likely to be poisoned, so you will need to know that he will behave when off the lead. (You do have notices around, so it's not as though it would be a danger every time you go out, but you do need to be aware of it!)

[Cadairgirl]

Hi Toonster
Many thanks for your reply. Sorry for saying that company name, will watch I don't do it again! Yes, you're so right, the costs involved in shipping a pet are horribly high, but it was the first thing I checked out when we initially looked at moving country and basically, we can say goodbye to near enough 2000 pounds... I did nearly die when I learnt that but I've had lots of time to get used to it now so I just have kind of resigned myself to the cost... sigh.
That's interesting about the possums, didn't know they are a pest over there. To be honest, we have continual problems with rats on the farm where we keep our horses, and poison is put down by the farmer, but it's never been a problem for our dog - he is the kind of dog who needs encouragement to eat steak, he wouldn't dream of eating, or even going near anything remotely dead... Such is my big brave dog!
But good to know anyway...
xxx

[Toonster]

That's good to hear (I love German Shepherds - always the big softies unless some b*gger has trained them not to be...)

Yes, possums are a major pest over here - they were introduced from Australia because some s*ds wanted something to shoot. Unfortunately, because of the lack of predators, the possums (along with other mammals, particularly rats) have devastated bird populations, (though the humans have helped - too many tasty birds that see man as a curiosity, not a threat!), attacking chicks and eggs. So it is our civic duty to turn any possum we see whilst out driving into roadkill (when we get a car!!)

[NewtoNZ12]

Can I ask how you got on?
We are moving out later this year and our dog is also a wimp, again it is our biggest worry! How did you find the company you used? Any help advice much appreciated.

[Cadairgirl]

Sadly we are still in the UK, once the value of the pound dropped we were stuck over here... sigh. I am so excited for you though, good luck with the move! I did a lot of research on pet shipping companies and the one which had glowing reviews was one based in Craven Arms, Shropshire (but I'm not allowed to say the company name on here) if you google the above and pet shipping you should find it.
The animals were definitely my biggest worry, we have our dog but also our two horses, who are basically all our substitute (furry) children so it was vital to us that this part of the move would go smoothly... please would you let me know how you get on?
xxx

[NewtoNZ12]

Hi

Thanks Cadairgirl for your reply. I know what you mean about the drop in the £ - we have fingers crossed it picks up soon! I know exactly which company you are talking about, they are quite far from us though and I am not sure how our dog would cope with staying somewhere she doesn't know for several days. Just out of interest did you hear any reports about a company in Wimborne St Giles
Dorset?

[Cadairgirl]

I know what you mean, our dog has never been kennelled in his life and that was another huge worry for me, but the company in Craven Arms said they would send the crate to me weeks or even months before our departure, so I could get my dog used to it and then my plan was to take my dog up there the same day as they were going to send him out because I knew he wouldn't cope with three days in a kennel - luckily for me though Craven Arms is only a haf an hour drive away from my house, so it wouldn't have been such a problem. Alternatively, if they had really insisted, I could have taken him up beforehand several times to get him used to everyone, because I did worry that he may have gone into 'vet mode' and got a little aggressive - basically because he would have been frightened being handled by strangers. I'm sorry I don't recall that company you mention, best thing to do is type in the company name on google and then reviews or forum, and usually you get lots of feedback that way. Sorry if you already did that
How old is your dog?