Feeling Broken-hearted
 

[F]Hi there, well house is up for sale and we hope to be living our dream January 2010, which we are really looking forward to; however, I have one reservation which are my dogs......basically I have two westies they are actually half-sisters, one is 10 the other is 5, they idolise each other, the thing is the 10 year old the vet has said because of her health issues (she has Atopy - a skin condition) she is on steroids , they would not advise us to take her with us. So a big dilemma, I dont want to split them up.....so I have to rehome them :( Hubby says we cannot put our life on hold because of the dogs, which I understand, but they are my babies. I feel sick to the pit of my stomach when I think about leaving them. None of our family want to be burden with them.

Is or has anyone been in the same situation?[/FONT]

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

Hubby is right, one of many painful sacrifices i'm afraid.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

We put our lives on hold for our dogs for years. Then a couple of years ago our male died at 15. Our female (his mum) was still alive at 17 when we decided to come to Dubai last year. We thought the chanced of her surviving the flight were next to nil. We made a really nice flyer with a photo of her and sent it to all and sundry. Our really close and long time friends (who have an elderly dog of their own and love animals) took her in. My friends dad also lived there and he doted on the dogs. She survived five months without us. We got a call early one morning from our friends saying they were at the vets and that it looked like the dog had some type of brain inflammation and the vet wanted to know whether to start treatment or let her go. We decided at 17 and a half it was her time to go. The kids cried for a whole day, was very sad. But in some ways the decision was made easier by not physically being there.

Your dogs could live to be oldies like ours so you have to weigh that up before you put your move on hold.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

I do sympathise with your husbands point of view a lot. But that does not mean you are being silly about a couple of dogs. I have two cats, when we were contemplating whether to go to Bermuda it was a big factor - if they couldn't go for any reason, neither would we. It will be the same for Australia. I took them for life is how I saw it and thankfully so does my husband.

If my pets went to family I could possibly cope with it, but I couldn't take them to Battersea dog / cat home.

Anyway I am wondering is it worth getting a second opinion on the older dog being fit to travel. I think animals are tougher than we think.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

I dont quite understand why she cant go to australia, thousands of dogs here have atopy and are treated for it, including steroids. Or does the vet mean she would not cope with the journey?

Finding a home for the 10 year old isnt going to be easy, if you feel that strongly about the dogs, tell husband they are going with you! They can get the same care in brisbane as you get them in the UK.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

I don't really understand the problem. If the Atopy is controlled with oral steroids and is managed successfully with those, just fly into the same city as the quarantine center and then you can hand over the medication to the quarantine staff. They are very very good.

Its a 25 hour journey on a plane. As a dog owner I was in panic about it all, but more so than my dog who took it in his stride. Its not a nice thing to have to do, but I think we all over dramatise the shipping of them.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

We too put our lives on hold til our beloved pooches died - 13 and 19. However I would have taken them had they been 10 . At least then I could look back and say I tried.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

Morning,
thought id throw my 10 cents worth into the ring.....
I work in an animal refuge here in Queensland and we have many animals that are surrendered from 1 month up to about 8 or 9 years. I get calls from owners who for whatever reason have to surrender there older animals all the time. It is very difficult to re home older animals as said before.
In my opinion, if I had an older dog which for what ever reason couldn't be brought with us I would have it euthanasied. Some dogs which are separated from their owners pine terribly, we see it day in and day out here. Sometimes you need to be cruel to be kind.
Good luck with your decision.

Angela

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

Hi

I feel for you, as we left behind our 2 year old cocker when we came out here 16 months ago. My husband was adamant she was not coming and we had friends who were very keen to have her, I don't think I could have left her at a dog's home, however I did have to leave my horse at an animal sanctuary and that was heart breaking. We keep in touch with friends who have the dog and she has a wonderful life with them and they adore her and I am able to get 6 monthly updates on my old horse.

I have to admit that it is my biggest regret that we didn't bring the dog, I know she is happy now in her new home but it hurt so much for a long time. Probably not what you want to hear....

Maybe get a second opinion about your dog's health, to really make sure you have covered everything. Good luck x

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

We brought 4 dogs aged between 2 and 13 years - the 10 year old has had major skin issues since she was 6 months and has Atopy she came over with no problems, the Sydney quarantine carried on her medication, you get a mobile number for the kennel maid that is looking after your dog and when I rang she always knew all the dogs weights and how they were doing, I was very impressed with them including when we visited a week after they arrived. The two dogs can go in with each other and the staff are wonderful.

I worked in rescue for my breed in the UK and unlike here it was fairly easy to find homes for the 'oldies' in the UK you will have a breed rescue or several for Westies, just search on google for 'west breed rescue' to find your local one, and maybe ring your local co-ordinator for a chat on the plus side you have time on your side most breed rescues work on the basis of rehoming from home to home - so this means the dogs stay with you until a home is found for them, ie less stress for the dogs and no kennel expenses for the rescue. I have rehomed dogs for people that were emigrating and heard every reason under the sun, 'sometimes' it is in the dogs own interest, but mostly it wasn't and the main reason was the cost of taking the dog or people simply didn't want them, in this case they were better off coming through us. There is also www.oldies.org.uk website who just co-ordinate the rehoming of oldies, a lovely organisation

My old boy aged 15 years I left behind with my best friend but he was unsteady on his feet and didn't like car travel amongst other things. My 13 year old girl (now 14) is quite the opposite, very fit.

I would go back to your vet and tell them you want to take both dogs and that's that. There is no reason that your dog can't go, one days travel and maybe a skin flare up at the other end, but it'll be controlled after arriving at quarantine. We used www.overhills.co.uk as our pet shipper cannot speak highly enough of them, will use them again when I import a puppy from UK in next few months..

Least with all of above you can make an informed decision what is right for you and your dogs.

There is also a relocation company just outside Brisbane (Jimboomba) that excepts pets in rentals until you rent/buy a home. We used them for several weeks and had 4 dogs with us.

Take care

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

If you see them as your babies, don't leave them. You'll always wonder if you did the right thing. :(

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

Agree with Angela about leaving your dog at a rescue especially some breeds who stand very little chance, stay the statuary time stressed out and then leave this world with a very caring person by their side albeit kind it's still a stranger doing the dirty work........ but there are other options if a GOOD family or friend home isn't possible, in UK especially there are breed rescues for every breed that work on home to home basis and/or have foster homes so there are more options. Oz has breed rescues as well but with the vast distances logistics is harder.

Failing that if there is no 'valid reason' why they can't come stand your ground and make your other half aware of this.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

If you are considering re-homing, please get in touch with WHWT rescue. I can guarantee (having run the Scottish branch before) that you will be able to re-home both together and the health issues won't be an issue.

There are waiting lists for Westies so please have a think if that is what you decide to do.

PM me if you want local branch information for Rescue in the UK.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

If you feel heart broken now, just think how you will feel when you leave them. I would try and bring them with you, cant be any worse than splitting them up and not knowing where they end up.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

I know each persons circumstances are different, but I simply couldn't even consider leaving my dog behind. I would be a mess knowing that she's sitting back in the UK wondering where I've gone.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

I think keeping pets at home is akin to keeping slaves at home. I know it brings a lot of pleasure but for a moment think if you would like to be in the pet's shoe..imprisoned and always under a master. Animals need to be free. This is the conclusion I came to when I was 14 and had to go through the pain of losing the family pet due to an illness. I promised myself never again. Similarly, I hope you will not try to get a new pet once in Australia. As for your present predicament, I would get a second opinion and try to bring the dog to Australia. Cheers

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

I do feel sorry for pets.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

That sounds a little odd...:huh: Why can't you take your dog just because it has a skin condition?:confused:

I'd get a second opinion, unless there are live cargo rules which don't allow you to take her because of her condition, or there's a likelihood she will die in transit, I'd take her if I were you. I feel the same as you, my dog is my baby and there's no-way I'm leaving my beloved dog behind, not for anything if I can help it...unless I'm told point blank by authorities that he's definitely not allowed in, he's coming (to Canada) with me, no matter what condition he's in.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

Your 'conclusion' is far too simplistic.

Where would you like to see domesticated dogs be free? These are animals that have become domesticated over thousands of years, and simply could not cope in the 'wild'.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

I'd get a second opinon about your dog travelling. The skin condition doesn't seem reason enough to not have him travel. His age maybe. I couldn't bear to leave my westie x behind anywhere, even dropping him off at the Kennel this thurs for a long weekend upsets me! I'm a softie...

Try really hard to see if you can bring him as you know you won't settle here so well and you will be constantly worrying about him. He's your baby!

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

Yes, indeed it was supposed to be simplistic. I would like to see less and less of domesticated animals. If we break the habitat (aka "domesticated home") , we would one day see domesticated animals die out like the the other non-demestic animals that have become extinct (or in the process of becoming extinct) due to loss of habitat. I doubt we could ever destroy this habitat because humans are basically selfish and we need instant gratification. However, If we all play a part, we can see this exploitation reduced. Afterall, we made the smokers a threatened species in some countries due to public education! I never thought that could be achieved either.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

Wow! I suspect that's given OP a lot of support, guidance and tips for the future!

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

To OP ... when we started application process we had three dogs.

The eldest (cocker spaniel) wasn't very well at the time, going off his back legs just one of the concerns. He had never been in kennels (so the thought of flight and quarantine filled me with dread) and my husbands family immediately wanted to re-home him with them .... we may have their grandchildren 12,000 miles away but they were infinitely consoled by having our dog! (Grandpa thinks he's no 1 grand child I think!:p)

Dog #2 (springer spaniel) was only 2 yrs old at the time but professionally trained as a working gun dog. We made the hard decision to re-home him in an environment where he could continue to do the things he loved most. I interviewed prospective owners at length :blink: and he's with a lovely couple and we share yearly updates on his progress and happiness.

Dog #3 was only 6 mths old and a hilarious mutley mix of mainly Jack Russell come ratter! We re-homed him with friends of friends and he's fab with them.

Now all the detail is building up to the fact that we left them all behind. I miss all of them but Dog #1 every day. He's got over whatever was causing the dodgy legs, sickness, lack of eating etc (maybe it was the packing!) but I wish he was here! At the age that he is I doubt he'd have enjoyed the heat and the grass seeds where we live is a life threatening issue to spaniels so I maintain it was the right choice to leave him for his sake - just not mine.

We went back to UK for visit 9 months after leaving (I add at this point that we chat to Dog #1 on webcam!!) and he mooched up to us when we arrived and hopped straight into the passenger footwell of the car as if to say right you've had a long holiday, lets go home! That broke my heart all over again! We are planning to go back to UK again next July which will be 3 years since we last saw him and I'm just hanging out for him to still be around! (He will be ancient by then!) It makes me blub far more than missing my mum or mates!

Consider everything, twice if not more! xxx

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

I've only had my dog for 2 and a half months, and I wouldn't dream of leaving her! If we fail to get PR (we are on a temp visa just now) she will come back with us. Should something happen to my husband and I, she will go back to live with my mum, with our 2 boys.

I would take both dogs with you, the absolute worst that can happen is that the eldest dies, but if you leave her, she could quite possibly die of a broken heart!

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

I don't think it's even the same thing to compare smoking to pets. Dogs are naturally a companion to humans, it's not just that they're domesticated, we go together in a special pet/human relationship. Some animals are never going to be domesticated no matter what, they're always wild but dogs are a mans best friend. Even cats (although more independant) have loving companion relationships with human beings.

You are proposing a life without pets and that is a sad life for a human being (and I would wager for a dog too, they couldn't survive on their own and would just revert to being scavengers)...As humans, we love animals and we were meant to be friends with dogs and other domesticated pets, it's like a family feeling...

My response has probably been more simplistic than yours but I dunno how complicated it has to be to understand how special these pet/human relationships are...

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

Sorry folks but I find all this bizarre. I have a dog and two cats and if it came to making a decision about the family as momentous as migrating then the cats and dog would be the least of my worries. Still, each to their own.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

Agreed. It is a dog.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

Some of us consider that when we take in a cat or a dog that we take them for the rest of their natural life, not just for our convenience.

I did not move to Bermuda because I thought it would be nice for my cats to live somewhere sunny, the decision to go was not about them. However they were a factor and if they had not been able to go then that would have been the end of that conversation.

As somebody else has said, most people (not suggesting the OP) don't bother taking their pets because of the expense and some minor inconvenience.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

Fair enough. Some people make their choices based on a dog/cat. I wouldn't.
You should bear in mind that the animal doesn't care less, as long as they are fed and watered.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

Don't get me wrong... If I were to be going back to the UK then I would certainly look at taking my cats and dog back as well... but if, for some reason, we couldn't go because of the animals, then I'm sorry, the animals would be staying in Australia....

As Kporte has already said the animals don't care as much as we like to think they do. I adopted my dog as a four year old, because his owners couldn't handle him anymore as they had two small children.
Did he fret about the move?? Well not that I noticed.. a couple of meals of chicken and lamb necks, a run round the park, and you would have thought he lived with us since being a puppy.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

true enough, but some people love their pets and feel attached to them beyond just feeding and watering them, there's the whole companionship aspect.

The OP describes herself as "Broken Hearted" -- so clearly for her this is a very upsetting matter, and she doesn't feel that her pet is just an animal to feed and water. I would feel the same way...I raised my dog from a tiny puppy, it's not easy to just think of ditching him in a "I'm off to another country and you'll have to fend for yourself" kind of way. Not saying that he would influence such a life decision, but he is part of my life wherever it may be and whatever country I might be in, so it's not easy...

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

Well said.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

Isn't it time people took the view that a dog is for life, not just until you want to bugger off somewhere else, where it might cause a few problems to take your pet?

People should give much more thought about whether to have one in the first place, then there would be much less need for rescue centres, puppy farms would die out, dogs wouldn't be left to fend for themselves when they're booted out and animals would have a happier life.

And come to that, maybe people should give the same degree of thought about whether they should have kids or not. Then the world might be a better place to live in. :(

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

I have a dog. I love my dog. We got her here, now we are certain we are settled. If for any reason we had to go back and couldn't take her, I would be gutted but it wouldn't stop me. It's a dog. We would rehouse her and she would be as happy as Larry. This is in no way cruel, just realistic and sensible. People seem to talk as if dogs had human emotions. They don't. I have great sympathy for the OP but you can't put your life on hold for a dog.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

There aren't usually many reasons these days where you can't take your pet with you when you move around the world. I don't think I was suggesting that it is always cruel to leave them behind, although often it is. I just think more people should give more thought to the whole idea of getting pets. They're not toys. Too many people get them just as a 5 minute wonder is all I'm saying.

I had two dogs. One lived to 19 years, the other 18 years. I chose to give them the commitment that I felt they deserved, having made the decision to have them in the first place.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

Totally agree. I have wanted another dog for years but have held off until I feel I can provide a steady home. This is another issue to the OP's situation though.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

I'm afraid I'm not brave enough to have another pet. I just act as a sitter now and then when asked.
It also begs the question, if it doesn't work out for the OP when they emigrate, what happens to any acquired pets then? Do they get "rehomed" as well?

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

Did exactly the same. Came on a 457 so never had any real certainty about staying.. once that converted to PR we adopted our dog, as I had promised my son we would.

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

What are you doing Wednesday - Tuesday? We are off to Bali.....

Re: Feeling Broken-hearted
 

Send me the ticket, and I'm there! :thumbsup: