Thoughts on taking dogs
 

Hi thoughts and experiences about taking dogs to oz would be greatly appreciated.

We have a 2ish year old dog, so not old, and i would love to take him with us. But i wondering if i am being selfish, the reason for this is that he does not travel well. I am wondering what the journey and quarantine would do to him i just don't think he would handle it well. Hes not keen on people other than us even though we have tried to socialise him etc. and hes had sessions with a dog pshychologist to try and get him to like other people but nothing has seemed to work. The dilemma for me is if we take him he will struggle and if we try to re home him he will struggle, just don't know what would be best for him.

I have also got concerns that if we do take him he won't settle into the new environment. We would need a pet friendly rental and i have been told that they like to keep dogs outside, theres no way he would stay outside and be ok, he would just lie in the sun all day and frazzle! Hes a very lazy dog that does not like walks etc. does not like rain, getting wet or dirty and just likes to lie down and chill out. He does not suffer from fleas so that is a bonus but i'm sure that there are other things out there that he could get bitten by or make him sick. I might sound abit ott its just that i don't want to regret leaving him behind and i don't want to regret taking him, so whats the best thing to do for him?

Thanks, Becx

Re: Thoughts on taking dogs
 

Young dog... Could be the making of him.... If you settle he will settle, coz after all he is your boy... Not liking the rain? Likes to laze around? He'll love australia.... And you'll never have to wonder whatever happened to him.... So no guilt factor...

Re: Thoughts on taking dogs
 

Bet the dog would prefer some moments of uncomfortable travel to be reunited with the only family it's known. Not to take him is the selfish thing to do.

Many of us, myself included, have taken dogs from the UK. We've fretted over them, humanised them and tried to apply human emotions and logic to them.

It all works out in the end. Nobody said having a dog was easy, but you shouldn't over think it. We got a rental, as did others and the dog was fine indoors.

Dogs adapt to surroundings, but your the pack.

Re: Thoughts on taking dogs
 

We had to leave our dalmation in the uk... She was 10 ... She lived with my parents and our two cats after we left, so stayed with some pack members... But it broke my heart...... She however assumed a lifestyle we never offered her.. Slept on my parents bed, went EVERY where with them.. Always had the last mouthful of any meal, spoilt bloody rotten in her twilight years...

The cats had to wait 3 years before we managed to bring them over... Due to various circumstances... Including a co dependence on The dog... They slept together, ate together, went for walks across the fields together... When she went and the parents decided they Were selling up e family home we were in a position to bring them over... And they are awesome boys, They sulked like crazy in quarentine... But immediately recognised their bros and sisters when I took them home... And appear to be loving life here..

Sorry, they are cats so may be irrelevant...

Re: Thoughts on taking dogs
 

Thanks guys you've confirmed what i really want, and i hope he will adapt. I know that you can visit quarantine and they are experienced with dogs and i'm sure that if there were problems they would let us know. Its just that ive never known another dog quite as funny as him, he wont eat food that someone else gives him, he won't let people touch him (other than us), he needs a weekly bath that only we could do etc. now i'm thinking about it i'm worrying more about him than my children! And god how will he cope with the sun, he loves it, he will do anything to get out into it, i just know its going to make him ill. Here in summer we have to limit his sunbathing time but its a nightmare trying to get him to stay happily indoors.

In summer As the sun goes down throughout the day he follows it around the room and lies wherever the sun is shining through the window until all that is left is the tiniest triangle of sun and no matter when that triangle of sun is, even if its the most uncomfortable place he will find it and lie in it, i've never known anything like it!

Re: Thoughts on taking dogs
 

We brought our dogs over and it the best thing that we did!

They have an amazing quality of life over here - every weekend we all go to the beach and swim. The little one loves the sun also - but you can get doggie sunscreen which will put your mind at rest :)

I worried they would struggle with the heat but have adapted very quickly - we also rent and have pets does limit your rental oppotunites but our dogs are allowed inside although we leave them outside most of the time (it gets too hot inside). We have a covered patio area and they enjoy lazing on there in the shade :thumbsup:

Re: Thoughts on taking dogs
 

Is this a special dog sunscreen? I've never seen it in the uk, but normally use a factor 50 sensitive one on him (normal human variety!), this is good to know because it does clog his pores abit and can get abit yucky, especially when i've just applied it and he decides to come inside and roll it all over my best rug!

Re: Thoughts on taking dogs
 

We're in a similar position. We have two yorkies, one is very laid back and relaxed the other is more highly strung and anxious. shakes all the time even when we're there with him - vet said it's just his nature. My mum and dad often have them if we go on holiday or away for the night and they're very familiar to our family so if we have to leave them we'll leave them there. We want Melbourne but we want to live towards the centre, we couldn't leave them outside in a rental because they've never experienced this, they're also yappers (short angry dog syndrome) and the anxious one particularly doesn't like other animals, humans he loves but not other dogs or cats other than the ones he knows.

We'd love to take them both but we just think with settling and finding jobs and the journey and the quarantine and then a new house, Elvis could take it but Marley probably wouldn't, especially if we're all up in the air at the same time.

As a compromise we've decided to make no hard and fast decisions. We will go over and find a pet friendly landlord and then try and get them to come over. We'll miss them terribly but we have to remember what we're going for and what's ultimately better for the dogs rather than what's appealing to us.

Re: Thoughts on taking dogs
 

I know exactly what you mean maybe if we had two i would feel slightly better as he wouldn't be on his own. Ours is a shaky dog and very aggressive towards men in particular (other than ones he knows), we have never been able to leave him at kennels etc. last year we went away for the weekend and left him with my mil & fil, after one day she called us to come back as she couldn't get near him, without him trying to rip off her hand, he growled at her everytime she looked at him, he wouldn't eat the food she had put out for him, she couldn't get him outside for toilet etc. and it ruined our weekend as we had to come back and pick him up. When we had him castrated he was supposed to stay at the vets for a while after to recover but we got a call asking for us to come asap as he was causing havoc and they could not cope.

The thing is with us he the perfect dog and very relaxed and happy and loves his home and family and is very well behaved (perfect lap dog), hes got no hair whatsover, totally bald, and can be prone to bad/sore skin if its not looked after properly, so on top of his temperament i'm worrying about him getting ill with his skin, and skin cancer from too much exposure to the sun.

I really do want to take him and at the moment in my mind we ARE taking him, but i do question if he will suffer both mentally and physically, if only he could talk!

Good luck with whatever decision you decide to make.:)

Re: Thoughts on taking dogs
 

Do you know who you are going to use to transfer the dogs? We will be taking our cat, we rescued her and are in love with her - so no doubt at all that she must come with us. She doesn't travel well at all - 5 minutes in a car and she's ill but we do find feliway helps. Sorry - I know you're talking about dogs here . . .

At the end of the day the dogs are young, they'll be in a bit of discomfort for the flight and in quarantine, however, for the rest of their lives they'll be with you. And I bet they'll love their new lives, as someone said above, could be the making of them if they don't like the outdoors now.

An alternate to leaving the dogs outside all day (which is not the case for everyone by the way - Aussie love dogs too!) is to leave them in the laundry (with the door shut between the laundry and the main house) with a doggie door to the outside. They can come in and get out of the heat and have a long drink of water/something to eat. Quite a few Aussie houses have laundries so hopefully you'll find somewhere with one.

Re: Thoughts on taking dogs
 

This is a good idea, it's what we do now more or less so I'd be up for doing it in Aus provided we found a landlord who let us have poochies. We found a transfer company that would let us have them both in the same cage during the trip so that would definitely help us in our decision. Crown I think they were called.

Re: Thoughts on taking dogs
 

Yup - you can buy it online or in most of the pet shops over here. Its probably about $11 for a tube but its made for doggies. When you take you dog out you will find quite a few dogs with a zinc strip across their nose to protect them from the sun. Its pretty commen - the aussies are pretty good at protecting their doggies from the sun! :thumbsup:

Re: Thoughts on taking dogs
 

Take the dog, he’s part of your family. A lot of kids don’t travel well, but you wouldn’t leave them behind would you?

The dog might not enjoy the few days of travel, but will probably be better than living the rest of his life without his little family.

Re: Thoughts on taking dogs
 

yeah your right, although the travel does worry me, it was more him not being suited to the climate. Don't get me wrong roasting sun is his favourite type of weather but these dogs will not seek shade its just not in their nature, he gets burned easily in this country with sunscreen on so i dread to think what he'll be like in a hotter climate. His skin is so delicate that even if he licks himself a few times he will get sore, then he licks the soreness a few more times, then he bleeds. But then you have to be careful how you handle his skin as it can become very dry in summer, in winter he is very pale/ white but in summer turns black from the sun. Hes originally from Africa so thats probably why he loves heat so much its a shame his skin doesn't handle it as well.

Re: Thoughts on taking dogs
 

we have two minature jack russell sisters back in the Uk, only 15 months old living with our parents, I am saving like mad to bring them both over, at a cost of $5000, we have been here 2 months and i miss them like crazy, there is no way we will leave them in the Uk, they areour family and we love them xx So hope in 2 months max we will start the process!! living on beans on toast ( only joking ) x