zummerzet_lou

Hiya,

My husband has asked me to make a terrible decision .. I think I know what I'm going to decide, but thought I'd asked here first.

We are the owners of a beautiful 1 year old golden retriever, whom our 2 children adore.

Trouble is, will having her make it impossible to find a rental property? I realise that we're not going to get the choice, but surely there are a few dog friendly rentals? We think we are likely to settle in or around Wellington .. and probably will buy our own place after approx 6-12 months.

Also, is the license, dog walking areas etc something that you do just get used to?

I'd appreciate your experiences ... as I really don't want to rehome her.

Lou

julieh

Hi this is the first time ive answered a question so here goes we are leaving uk next tuesday to settle in north shore auckland and i wouldnt be going if i couldnt take our chocolate labrador who is 4. We found a rental that takes dogs it took a few months to find but we secured it by paying rent for a few weeks before arriving. The best place to look i found was www.trademe.co.nz
hope it goes well

Happy Wanderer

Hi There Lou

I don't envy you your position at all, but I know there are some dog owners on here who will probably reply with some practical info. If you can meet the expense of shipping and find a way to cope with the added difficulty in the shorter term - then we would say bring her.

Our position wasn't quite the same, we came out to Asia 20 months ago and made the decision to re-home our two cats before we left UK. If we had our time over again, we would have brought them with us. We're hoping the person who took them on (has since had a baby) will want us to take them back.

We've moved several times over the years and having pets about the place makes it feel like home very quickly. My oldest son misses them terribly and still gets upset now and again He especially missed the comfort of them when he was finding it hard to make new friends and the world was a horrible place.

We're in touch with the people who now own them and we do get e-mails and photo updates which help, but we still miss them and if we could go back in time it's one of the things we would do differently.

Thinking positively though, if you did have to re-home her - you would probably find a nice home quite quickly since they're such beautiful dogs and they have a lovely nature.

Good luck! I really hope it all works out for you.

weejie

We have a 10year old Border Collie who we love to bits,the problem is he has really bad hips (hip dysplasia in both) and we don't think it would be kind to have him in a crate in the hold of a plane for all that time. On the other hand we do not want to leave him,so are in a total quandary as to what to do.My parents have a dog of their own who he gets on with so they may take him otherwise I don't know what will happen. I think he may be too old to get re-homed. The main ( and only ) thing in our list against going to NZ at the moment.

Happy Wanderer

Oh lord that's so sad, I'm really sorry! Is there a sedative that the vet could give him so that he would sleep for the journey, then take some steroids or pain killers at the other end when he's up and mobile? (I don't know very much about dogs and certainly not the illness he has - sorry) Maybe there are handlers or vets that specialize in preparing animals for such long journeys, and also vets that are experienced in dealing with them as soon as they land.

I know people (very rich people!) ship horses. So, if highly strung 1/2 ton beasts can make it, then surely your little dog can!

Perhaps also, a vet could check him during the stop over? I know not all countries on the route are good with animal welfare - but perhaps the airline/airport could recommend someone and it would give you piece of mind.

Hopefully someone on the boards will be able to give you some practical advice, it sounds like you really love him and it must be heart breaking. Good luck

weejie

Thanks for your kind words and suggestions. Will go speak to our vet and ask his advice. The boys (7 and 5 ) are obviously upset at the thought of leaving him behind. My eldest has made me promise he won't be put to sleep and to be honest,it was a thought that crossed our minds fleetingly but my hubbie and I both agreed this was not an option.

dlmckay

zummerset_lou - I say bring the dog if you can afford it. Many people here have rented with dogs and I'm sure one of the things they'll mention is paying a slightly higher bond to the Tenancy Agency to cover any damage done (though in my opinion, children cause more wear and tear than dogs!).

Worst case scenario is you kennel the dog whilst you're renting - it's only for the short term and if it's nearby, you can visit.

Weeji - unfortunately you won't be able to sedate your dog for the flight. It's not allowed because it disguises any illness the dog may be experiencing. I would suggest a well padded bottom on the crate for a dog with sore hips. They're not let out of their crates during stopover either, so pick a direct flight with the shortest flight time.

I didn't bring one of my dogs because of the dog laws they had brought in in 2003. It lead me to believe that having dogs was hard in NZ, if they approached anyone they could be put down, it was too hard to have two dogs because of the licencing restrictions and you know what? I regret not bring both dogs because it's not that bad here at all.

In Waitakere, there are only three places they are allowed off lead - Bethells, Piha and Cornwallis beaches - but we have started agility, obedience and flygility and spend more time at the dog club training than we ever did at home walking.

The registration is a bit of a drag, but you do get used to it - pay early to get a discount, get a Preferred Dog Owner card and get a further reduction, spay/neuter your dog and get another...

mcuddy1

Hi
We brought our Border Collie, 2500k a price well worth paying. He was a 14 when he was shipped and was recovering from cruciate ligament surgery.
Do not under estimate how much you will miss your pet, when we picked him up from the Airport it was like one of the family returning. They soon recover from the trip.

They do not sedate animals for shipping but you can specify the size of crate if you want to give them more room.

We are in CHC and found a rental without any problem, the agent knew which property owners arms could be twisted to accept a dog.

Good luck

jjthefridge

Hi,
Sorry i can't advice you about nz, as we're still in the uk. I know £2500 to bailey the chocky brown lab is alot of money, although he can be a pain sometimes I would't be without him. I know it different situation but when i got divorced although I'd loved to of kept my dog, but I thought my son then 4, was going through enough without losing his dog.

I'd say take the dog with you, I'm sure If you asked the landlord, providing he/she doesn't wreck things I could't imagine there'd be a problem. Providing you're happy cleaning carpets, or are there any houses you could rent first and then buy the house six months later, I'm sure your dog would love to be in nz as well.

Good luck hope it all works out ok.

j.j.

Am Loolah

It cost us more to ship 2 dobermans than fly a family of 6, and even though they're a pain in the proverbial, they are part of our made, unruly family!

We managed to find a fully furnished and equipped holiday rental for the first 8 weeks, it was quite expensive, but it was worth it. We found it on www.bookabatch.co.nz even when they say "no pets" it is worth getting into email correspondance with them, as we found a few were negotiable.

Good luck.

Maz1

We are in a rental that says no dogs, then decided we wanted one. She is a year old now and the rental management dont even know we have her. I've been told that even though it says no pets you can negotiate and they may raise the bond to cover any damage done. But if your dog is well behaved and you explain your issue you might fall lucky. If in doubt - dont tell.

happynz

I can't agree with that.

The tenants that lived next door got a dog even though their rental contract specifically stated no dogs. They got evicted. You may be lucky and nobody will be fussed, but then again...

It is better to be up front.

stuartlittle

As a landlord and a dog owner I would say bring the dog. I allow dogs but I like to meet the dog first and charge a one weeks rent dog bond. Which is standard.
As long as you have the dog on the leash where specified it's not so bad. Plus there are always designated dog areas for off the leash stuff...it's fun finding them and we've made friends from the other dog walkers who use the same places.
In the winter for example dogs are allowed off leash on almost all beaches (except protected wildlife areas) and in the summer usually off leash from 19.00-0700.
Things have a way of working out and you'll find a way to accomodate ALL your family in your plans!

Kiwiprincess

Couple of tips: Take photos with you of your house at home and pictures of the dogs (ie showing that they are part of the family). A friend owned a rottweiler and she had a picture of it dressed in a baby costume (bottle, bib, nappies, hat) and showed it to a potential landlord. After they stopped laughing they let her have the dog. Oh, and that was done at the end of the conversation. It might be a bit annoying and you may feel like you are wasting time, but view the house etc. Don’t say to the landlord straight away “oh, I have a dog”. Cos they wont get a chance to know you and potentially agree to the dog

Bond – offer to pay the full amount allowable by law for bond. The maximum is 4 weeks bond so there is really only so much you can offer (without it falling into the realm of a bribe!!!). However, there is nothing stopping you putting something into your tenancy agreement agreeing to a professional clean.

annbee

Hi, if you can bring your dog over. We made the decision to not bring ours when we came over last october and it is still very hard not to have him. the girls cried more when we got here because they missed "Jaspa" than missing family and friends. We left him with my parents so we know that he is well cared for and we see him on the webcam but its not the same. We felt so lost without a dog that in january we got a puppy "Woody" and he is keeping us very busy and the girls are so much happier.

good look with your journey you wont regret it.

Annx