Quarantine Is Over!

Disclaimer, this is a really old post that I never finished and am just posting now :)

If you know us at all, you know we love our dog. That actually is an understatement, I am obsessed with Bone Crusher. But how could I not be, he is so handsome!

I mean look at that face! 

We've had him now for 6 weeks and I am so glad he is here. This week Chris started traveling for work, its nice to have someone to keep me company! We were so excited to get him from quarantine. Jules and Oscar were less excited to drive us there...at 8 am...on a Saturday....on Jules birthday. But they are the best, so they did! We didn't really take any pictures of the facility, honestly, I was just so excited to see him.

The fence driving up - its very serious!

Apparently people think they can buy these dogs - back off! 

Once we drove in we had to wait until exactly 9:30, about 20 minutes, for the doors to open. I could see them unloading the truck with all the dogs, there must have been 30 dogs in their respective crates in an open air holding room. There was a guy from a transport company there who I talked to for the 20 minutes of waiting. He was picking up 5 dogs that were flying again (poor puppy's) to their final destinations to see their owners. There were also 2 people that had driven all night from Melbourne (about 10 hours) to pick up their two dogs from Canada - they had not seen their dogs in 8 months! I can't imagine! They also did not have teeth. I also can't imagine that.

Once the doors opened, we headed in and they checked our paperwork and IDs. Once they verified everything, they lead us back to the holding room. It was just tons of crates full of all different types of dogs. They let Bone Crusher out and he just bolted for the 4 of us, he was one happy man. The rest of the dog went crazy, its was really, really loud.

He surprisingly was not as stinky as I thought he would be, don't get me wrong he smelled, but it wasn't that bad.

I feel like everything with moving him here aligned for us - they shorted the quarantine period from 3 months, to 30 days, to 10 days; we learned that day the Sydney quarantine facility is in the process of closing, the only facility will be in Melbourne. I don't know if we would have brought the little man if there were so many obstacles pilled up against us.

When we got home we also bought a couch that day. The couch came in 2 huge boxes, so clearly Chris built a fort for Bone Crusher. It was adorable! I am actually not sure who had more fun with the fort :)

Bone Crusher - Quarantine Must Be The Pitts

On our last day in the states we dropped Bone Crusher off at a kennel next to LAX until his flight - it was a Friday, he flew on Monday. Dogs are only transported from the states when both the Australian and American government are operating, in case there are any issues.

His quarantine really started on the 1st when we left - he was separated from other dogs, just in case, its not really a requirement, but its not worth the risk. They sent us some photos and I am just pretending in my head this is how much fun he is having now that he has been in Australia for a few days.

That is a seriously happy dude! 

He arrived on Wednesday the 6th - they sent us a quick email just letting us know he was received and healthy and to pick him up next Saturday at 9:30 am. He is either going to hate us or be really excited. We are curious to see if he will get anywhere near his travel crate again. He was really loving it before he spent 22 hours in it.

And since we don't make anything easy when it comes to our pup, we had an adventure on our second day here to source him suitable food while on "vacation." He was approved for a special diet while in quarantine - he is allergic to grain and looses his hair, gets super itchy, its not the end of the world, but he's not comfortable and we love him to death so he gets what he needs. We were going to ship his food from the states, but quickly realized that would be destroyed in customs (can't ship beef). So we would find suitable food Monday and ship it to him next day. Well, most pet stores here don't actually sell food, what?!?!?! We ventured about an hour away to find a huge dog food warehouse and got food there, but the selection was not awesome, there have got to be better places I just don't know about yet. Then there was a post office in the mall next door and Bones had his food. Crisis averted.

I seriously can't wait to see this little man!

I did read on the quarantine facilities website that they wash them, so hopefully he won't be too stinky. And Australians, love their dogs, there are dogs everywhere and they are so well behaved. My favorite so far was an Australian Bulldog - I think they are what bulldogs are supposed to look like prior to human breeding intervention.

For those of you who are interested, here is Bones Resume. IT looks a little wonky, but you get the idea. I think I have emailed this to over 30 people in the last 4 days. Oh and, Chris created this, he wants to make sure I don't get credit :)

Bone Crusher Heads to Arizona

Despite my mom rolling Bone Crusher's face up in the window on the way to the airport, I think he is in good hands.  But seriously, thanks Mom for taking the little wee-man to Arizona. She even bought him a little pool to keep cool :)

The trip to the airport was easy. He got though security easily and was just a clam happy boy - I was more nervous than he was!

Travel crate, not the biggest fan

Little dude waiting to board, he was so calm

There was a Mom with 6 kids and he was very interested in the crying infant 

Bone's first flight was on the Southwest Penguin flight....I know he is just a dog, I don't need to be reminded :)  

The flight was 4 hours and my mom said he didn't make a peep.  Thanks Mama!  And no Lisa, Wendy, Van and Garrett you can't keep this one!  

Bone Crusher – Boring Stuff (Vet and Food)

This is boring stuff…so unless you are moving your dog to Australia stop reading now.  I will do my best to update the blog on stuff I have already done, but for now I will write about what I am still doing, moving wise. 

Today I spent about 2 hours working on a few of the details for Bone Crusher’s 5 week stay in Tucson, AZ with my Mom and coordinating food, vet visits etc. during that time. Chris and I will be on a 5 week road trip visiting friends, family and sites after we leave Chicago. While I would love to travel with BC, it would add an additional layer of craziness that we really don’t want. Plus the thought of being in a car for 5,000+ miles with a dog is not really at the top of my list. I love the little dude, but we would not be happy and I don’t think he would be either. The other reason and maybe more important is he has to have tests and shots administered during this time (21 days out from export) to allow him to get to Australia and I don’t want to manage that from the road. I could see the tears (from me obviously) if our car broke down and I couldn't get BC to the pre-determined vet location on the correct date. 

So here is what I did and some random thoughts as I was doing it. 

Finding a vet in Tucson, AZ that I trust to administer his last tests/shots before getting to LA and then flying to Sydney. I called 3 vets, and on my third call I thought to myself, what the hell am I doing….I mean really, I’m interviewing vets over the phone about scanning a microchip and giving a shot, get a grip.  So I just went with my Mom’s vet.

Letting go is a big lesson in this process, you have to trust that it is going to work out and frankly a lot of it is out of your control. Yes, I am a crazy dog lady, I have embraced it.  

Locating a store in Tucson where my mom can get his brand of food for 5 week stay. This was surprisingly easy, the horse feed store down the street can order cases of his food. I set a reminder for myself to order this when it gets closer since its takes up space in the freezer.

Shipped treats, toys and freeze dried food to my mom’s house from my favorite website, wag.com. The freeze dried food is for after we leave AZ and head to LA and we will ship individual servings to the quarantine facility in Australia the week before we depart since he has allergies.   

It’s surprising how long this little stuff takes….I’m trying to do as much as I can now because I know as it gets closer I will be feeling the time crunch!  

Bone Crusher - Transport Crate

You just have to embrace that if you are moving your dog oversees they are traveling in the cargo hold of the plane and they will be in there crate for a LONG time, a very long time. No way around it, unless you are legally blind, glaucoma doesn’t count, I have it and I checked. No dice.

It took me a bit to get past this hurdle, but at the end of the day, there is nothing you can do about it just is what it is. On the advice of our pet transport company and just logic we purchased BCs travel crate 6 months out to start getting him used to it.

Selecting a crate – there are a lot out there. We went off the recommendation of our pet transporter and purchased a PetMate Sky Kennel (we found it on prime for $85, we are going to miss prime!). We measured Bone Crusher and they told us the crate size required by the airline based on his size and breed. Since he is a snub nosed breed, he needs a bigger crate.  This thing is not small, it takes up some serious real estate in our apartment! But when I think of him spending 20 hours in it, I realize how small it really is…

Anytime our apartment buzzer rings and a box arrives BC gets super excited. He loves the FedEx guy! 

T-Rex helping unpack the most recent soap.com order

The massive box with his crate arrived (it was almost as big as me) and I immediately assembled the crate. Mistake. All he wanted to do was stand on top of the crate. He does that when Gumbo visits, so I should have known better. 

Seriously, poor Gumbo!

So we disassembled the crate and now have the top with pillows in our room and the bottom with his blanket in the living room. For the last two weeks we have given him heaps (starting my Aussie speak already) of treats to “take it to the house.” He definitely likes the house and hangs out in there. 

 

Take it to the HOUSE

Next up adding to roof, then the door. As longs as there are treats I am sure he will still love it!

There are so many little things to plan for, I kind of look at it like a fun puzzle. Chris and I are taking a road trip and Bone Crusher will be in Arizona with my Mom. We have to get the travel crate to AZ since he is traveling in the cabin of the airline with her and the crate is too big for checked baggage. So I saved the massive box and will ship it to AZ. Hopefully planning for these little things will make it easier in the end, we shall see!  

Bone Crusher – Hiring the Expert

Post without pictures aren't very fun, sorry :)

Once I looked into the process of moving Bone Crusher to Australia, I quickly realized I was no expert and I needed one stat. There was no way I was going to feel comfortable doing this on my own. I'm worried enough about him being in the cargo hold of the plane, I don't want to worry about not checking the right box on a form or something completely stupid like that (which happens)! My worst fear was him getting to Australia and him getting sent him back, yikes. Deep breaths.

There are a ton of pet transporter companies out there. Do your research, I conversed with some strange people out there. I researched reviews/emailed about fifteen companies and did phone interviews with four. One of my front runners on paper turned out to be a total weirdo over the phone. I asked them all pretty standard questions. My decision makers boiled down to:

1. Overall trust and liking the person - Nathan @ Pacific Pet Transport is great! I noticed in most of my conversations there was a lot of trash talking other companies - not with PPT. That bothered me and turned me off, I wasn't calling to get an assessment of your competitors, I really just want to know what you do well. 
2. Experience shipping to Australia - I went with Pacific Pet Transport, they only ship to NZ and Australia and do it a lot so I felt very confident with them.  
3. Ownership of final paperwork and confirming/getting results from the Vet 
4. How they handled my strange question about what happens if, God forbid, Bone Crusher dies in the process. I know its rare and that it sounds really morbid and I hated asking/thinking about it, but what if it did happen? I needed to know it would be handled respectfully and what exactly would happen. One provider told me it wasn't possible. Well that's just not true...that they don't plan for it because it would never happen to their company. Really? Dummy, it could happen and not having a plan wouldn't prevent it. Needless to say I did not go with them. 

Anyway, use your head in selecting someone you feel comfortable with and has experience, but hire someone!

In my online searching there were a few things that made me smile that are different - the date, I keep writing the wrong date. I'll get used to dd/mm/yyyy soon. In the online system the US is also listed at the United States not United States. That made me laugh a little and think of all those annoying Ohio State fans that say THE Ohio State University.

Here are what some of the instruction screens on the process:

The online calculator gives you a timeline based on your county of origin and export date. 

It has a ton of details, but I think it still confusing...easy to miss something.

Furry Child

Bone Crusher, our Boston Terrier, is about to be an Australian puppy! Sydney isn’t going to know what hit ‘em. We are bringing the little guy with us. For me, there was really no other option. I have a hard time without him when we are gone for a week, so he is coming with! 

Last time in snow for a while!

Moving your animal to Australia is a time consuming process and it is not cheap - I think its actually more difficult than moving yourself. It is at best a six-month process, at worst an eight-month process. Thus far my estimate is about $4,000 for a dog of his size (20#). I am mostly completed with the process. He is endorsed by the USDA, has his import permit from the Australian government and his quarantine reservation. He has all of his shots up to date and his remaining vet appointments booked (only 3 more!). There are a lot of detailed steps you need to follow - the Australian agriculture department has a good online tool that spells it out for you. I would describe it more as time consuming and annoying than difficult. 

In early 2014 the Australian quarantine rules became less stringent; it was the best Christmas present EVER! The quarantine rules, once arriving to Australia, were previously 30 days; it has been reduced to 10. WAY more manageable. However, I hear you can't visit them as easily now, buts its only 10 days.  

My basic advice from the US:

START NOW - you want to get blood drawn at least 6 months prior to departure to test for rabies, but if your dog doesn't have a current rabies vaccination or micro-chip already you have to start sooner

Know the Australian regulations – all current regulations are on their website, the website was updated January 2014, its way more user friendly and quarantine was reduced from 30 to 10 days!!!!!

Hire a Pet Transport Company - It's already an expensive process and I realize this is yet another expense, but its not something I'm an expert at or willing to mess up! 

Have a Vet you trust
Purchase a travel crate - start training your dog to love this little place - he will be in it for about 20 hours.