‘EX-PETS’ BEATING THEIR EXPAT OWNERS HOME IN RECORD NUMBERS

While expat Kiwis have had their wings clipped, it’s business as usual for their pets who are making it back in record numbers from the United Kingdom.

UK-based Transfuranimals has experienced significant demand from New Zealanders wanting to move their pets home with them.

Pet relocation manager Lisa Harding said before the Covid-19 pandemic, Kiwis made up just 5 per cent of its business, but that has increased dramatically to 85 per cent.

This was because of difficulties in obtaining pet visas for Australia and the high number of residents returning home due to the pandemic, she said.

Quarantine facilities had been operating as normal throughout the pandemic, with the only delays due to New Zealand-bound dogs having to have their blood tested in Australia.

The cost of moving a pet to New Zealand could range from $5000 to $10,000 depending on which country they were coming from. Harding said prices had risen because of additional health and security checks, and because airport handling agents needed extra PPE.

New Zealand’s requirements for importing dogs were among the strictest in the world, featuring lab tests, vaccinations, an official veterinarian declaration offshore, onshore documentation, and the cost of quarantining for 10 days.

Sophie Fearn spent six months trying to relocate her treasured dog, Phoebe, from Canada to Christchurch.

The blue heeler had been Fearn’s constant companion and emotional support following a divorce and the stress of working with high-risk youth in Alberta during the pandemic.

Fearn said the idea of coming home without Fearn was incomprehensible, but it was not easy.

First, Canada decided to close its land borders, then airlines refused to take pets. Fearn had to fly to Los Angeles where Phoebe had a guaranteed flight, but she could not get her there. She then made the difficult decision to leave Phoebe at a friend’s place until enough of the restrictions lifted.

A breakthrough came when a fellow expat advised Fearn to apply for Phoebe to be her emotional support dog in the cabin of the aeroplane, which was accepted.

“I actually started crying on the phone because I was so happy.”

A free upgrade meant Pheobe got to travel in business class, then she spent 20 days in LA and 10 days in a Christchurch quarantine facility before being reunited with Fearn.

Fearn said the $15,000 bill to bring Phoebe back was worth it.

“She loves it here and loves the beach. Mum feeds her roast dinners and whitebait patties, so now she won’t eat dog biscuits.”

But not all New Zealanders and their pets had found a happy ending.

Southlander Alice Jarvis was due to return home from Ireland in August after a three-year farming exchange. She was working two jobs to make enough money for the trip, but the hardest part had been coming to terms with leaving her pet rabbits behind.

The rabbits had helped her cope with depression, but MPI only allowed rabbits from Australia.

“I’m working on rehoming them, but the SPCA is closed [in Ireland].”

For other Kiwis, the thought of leaving without their pets has delayed their trip home.

Linda Knight has two cats in Egypt that would not be allowed to come to New Zealand under MPI rules.

“I just don’t have thousands of dollars to try and do it through different countries. I’m so devastated, and it’s one of the reasons I’m still in Egypt,” she said.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) says overall, pet relocations are similar to pre Covid-19 levels, despite major international travel disruptions.

The number of pets arriving back in New Zealand decreased markedly during last year’s six-week lockdown – dropping from 388 cats and dogs in March 2020 to just seven in April 2020 – but resumed to normal levels once restrictions were lifted.

An MPI spokesperson said Covid-19 had not changed the main requirements for pets to enter New Zealand, but they had put in measures to help pet owners deal with travel disruptions and delays.

The measures included extending the validity period of an import permit from 10 days to six months, applying a 10-day extension for the tests and treatments required for import, and allowing cats and dogs to reside in more than one approved country prior to import.