Debbie2NZ

Fortunately our next door neighbour was only to keen to have our cat when we left. We gave our cat to him several months before we actually left so he could get used to living in their house. We suspected our neighbour had been quietly snaffling him anyway, i.e. making a big fuss of him when he visited. To the point that the neighbour felt the need to say, 'we haven't been feeding him' I thought hmmm, you've just given the game away there. Not least because the thought had not crossed my mind. Anyway all parties were satisfied with the outcome, however it was achieved.
I accept it's nothing like having to deal with a dog, either keeping it or giving it away or worse still having to put a very old very ill dog down.

bananalana

I wouldnt not move, or chose to postpone. I just make sure I take my whole family.

old dragon

There are two cats in Tauranga who need a home because the person looking after them is going to Oz.

Perhaps we can find someone in Uk who can't bring their pets - put them in touch with each other and they can 'swap' ??

I'd take the two here but my cats are cantankerous old gits and I wouldn't wish them on anything else. They're the epitome of grumpy old men and with me working all day - they would all kill each other if anything new came into the house.

The cats in need of a home are on trademe if anyone is interested - a 7 year old and 2 year old, both fully house trained & female.

BEVS

You don't have to get it but the answer is very simple. For true , deep love.

My beloved animals don't go with me to far flung NZ. I don't go to NZ. It wasn't pass the parcel.

We were lucky enough to have and had our pets for many years & my beloved cat wasn't a 'furkid' whatever that is.

billingham

I can only assume a 'furkid' is a fur kid i.e. child substitute. It is a shame that some people have never had that closeness to animals. They might learn something.

bananalana

Its not a substitute per say

I have one skin kid and 2 fur kids one might say, which just means I have one child and 2 pets...because they are like children except they have fur.

In our house, family decisions are made with the whole family in mind which includes 2 adults, 1 child and 2 dogs. When we look for cars there must be room for everyone. when we look at houses they must be suitable for everyone (fenced for the dogs). Grocery shopping is done with everyone in mind. Holidays are planned with eeryones needs met (that doesnt mean we take the dogs necessarily, though we have, but that they are catered for whilst away). Budgets are done with everyones needs in mind etc etc.

I agree, it is an absolute shame some people dont get to experience the beautiful relationship that can develop between a human and their pet. I grew up with pets and I cannot imagine my daughter having grown up without them, nor my life without a pet.

We recently got a small dog (well a couple of years ago) and I used to hate handbag dogs....well I think I have actually found my soul mate in my wee dog (for dogs anyway lol).

Anyway, I could go on and on and on but the relationship I have with my pets is just about as important as th eone I have with my family, and much more important than the ones I have with people outside my family.

Kija

I would postpone the move for my dogs if they were still alive, we had been planning on taking them to a rabies controlled country for 6 months so we could take them to NZ. Fortunately my OH was supportive because they are part of the family, unfortunately all 3 died during the 2 year process to get there.

VickyVN

Good suggestion! Could work for all sorts of things, not just pets - maybe even partners? Or is that a different website?

Seriously, good suggestion - people do it for house swapping, why not pets too, got to be better than leaving them to someone who doesn't appreciate the pain of giving up something you love.

P18PPS

Obviously I am missing out on something in life by not having a deep and meaningful relationship with an animal!

Isn't that illegal anyway?!?..

We had 2 cats and a dog, one cat died just before we left, the next-door neighbor who'd been trying to steal the cat for years anyway took in the surviving cat.

My mother took the dog - but that was after we got offers from 2 other families to take her too.

Me - no guilt whatsoever and currently animal free over here and intend to stay that way.

bourbon-biscuit

I'm glad that was your experience- it certainly wasn't mine. My kids have had to live in some dicey houses and deal with a lot of uncertainty due to renting with a dog- total nightmare and I'd recommend not having a dog for renting, especially if you have kids. Now we own our own little place it's s such a relief- she can dig up the garden all she likes

We left my dog with family in the UK. The flight would have killed her off as she was a rescue dog and got incredibly nervous even in a car and train let alone flying. She was also very arthritic and would have been seriously uncomfortable. She also thought she was a human and would have found a crate traumatic.

Our NZ mutt is a bomb and has done the Tasman twice- each time hopping out her crate with a smile, a tail wag and ready to explore. I'd fly her back to Britain without a hesitation- she'd think it was a laugh.

bourbon-biscuit

PS- when I first read the title of this thread I thought it was 2 commas missing not a letter .... thread looked to be a rip roaring read

BEVS

I've only just read the title properly.

shirl

I agree. Try and find something now with the quake in Christchurch and surrounds. Nothing worth having except rank houses, Devlins in Rangiora have suddenly stated on ALL their rentals NO PETS NOT NEGOTIABLE so unless you are prepared to live in a cold uninsulated house stuck in a time warp then don't bring your dog!!! My daughter is building again and has had to rent a house just like this. The kids are suffering cold and unsafe buildings that shake in the aftershocks all because they have a dog! Mental!

anniiee

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bananalana

I never noticed that "restriced where you can take them in simmer and winter" comment.

I never ever found that in NZ. You can take dogs pretty much anywhere....

You can take em to the park (and not just the dog park), you can take em to most beaches, you can take em to the river and even the bush.

Here in Oz, or Sydney at least, they can't go to the beach. You have to take em to the dog park and they are generally banned from the bush because alot of them are National Parks so no dogs allowed.

I always find it qite interestign the different perspectives. In 15 years of renting in NZ, I always had 2 or 3 dogs and never had trouble finding a house (yep sometimes the area left a little to be desired but I wasnt homeless).

With CHCH its a bit different at the moment I think. The rentals there would be short for ANYONE and will be for a while yet so its no surprise they are being non negotiable with pets