Sending a dog from Ireland to Australia

GalKiefer wrote: »

I've written this as a kind of mini-guide based on my experience, hope its of help to someone.

To start off you should begin at the following page and read the pages relevant to you:
http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/cat-dogs

In order to get quotes for your dog you need to take measurements of him/her. You need to measure his/her:

A. Length in cm = Nose to root of tail - tail excluded
B. Height in cm = Floor to top of head while standing
C. Width in cm = At the widest point


The reasons for this is that the crate for your dog needs to meet certain size standards (for example wide enough so that the dog can turn around or stand up comfortably). You are paying for the space your dog will take up on the plane not the weight of the dog. The bigger the dog the more expensive shipping will be.

I emailed a few different animal transport companies both here and in the UK and decided to go with Airpets Ltd (http://www.airpets.com) based just outside Heathrow airport. It worked out cheaper for me to drive over to them with my dog in my van than to send him from Dublin but in hindsight I would have sent him from Dublin to save myself the hassle and the long lonely drive back after handing him over.

In the Australian government’s eyes Ireland and the UK are considered low-risk contries for rabies so animals coming from Ireland or the UK only require 30 days in quarantine, as opposed to 6 months if coming from central/eastern Europe etc. Other places are banned outright (I believe South Africa is one). Conditions of entry are constantly changing so keep an eye out on the Daff website.

Basically all the info you need is on the Daff website but the pet cargo companies are very friendly and helpful too. I selected Airpets then got the ball rolling by picking a date and paying a small deposit (£50) plus the Oz Gov import fee (I think it was £150). Any animal coming into the country must be microchipped so get that done if you haven’t, vaccinations up to date obviously and kennel cough vaccination before (s)he goes is a good idea too. You will be given a date, based on your dog’s transport date, to take him/her to your vet for blood samples to be taken – it’s roughly 3-4 weeks beforehand. These samples then have to be sent to an Australian approved lab in the UK, not your vets one, for testing for rabies etc. The one I had my vet send his sample to was "The Central Veterinary Laboratory", Weybridge, Surrey, UK. The cargo company will tell you all that and send you the forms you need to give your vet etc.

Upon handing over your dog to the transport company (s)he will be inspected by an approved vet and they will sign paperwork to state (s)he is in good physical condition and suitable for travel. Once your dog goes (s)he will be on the same flight for the entire trip (to avoid getting bitten by a tick and infected while switching planes in Singapore for example) and when (s)he arrives will be greeted by Quarantine staff who will bring him to the centre you have selected (there's one in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth – contact details are below). Anything (s)he travelled with (bedding for example) will be destroyed. The crate the cargo company have supplied is yours and will be put into storage for you to collect when taking your dog. You will have no access to your dog on arrival at the airport or for the first three days and after that only at certain times depending on the centre:
(http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/cat-dogs/accom)

Once (s)he's ready to be collected you need to pay the quarantine centre directly, it's not included in the shipping quote. As it currently stands its $1,400 per dog which seemed awful expensive to me until I saw the facilities there and the care my guy was being given. The staff in the Sydney centre were amazing and everything has been thought of – for example the water bowls in each run automatically refill themselves when drank out of so there’s never a risk of your dog becoming dehydrated in the heat.
While your dog is there exercise is important for him/her. If you cannot get to the centre yourself you can email the centre staff and add a person to your dog’s list of authorized visitors. Everyone who goes to see him/her must produce ID at reception. If you can’t make it and you have nobody near the centre who can then there are several professional dog walking companies you can pay to exercise your dog for you.

Once you have returned to where you live with your dog you need to register him/her with the local council. Just go in and fill out the form and they will give you a tag the dog must wear on his/her collar at all times. The annual licence for a neutered and microchipped dog is $10 here in Queensland.

There's a fair amount of paperwork and planning involved overall and the cost is astronomical but for me anyway it's been worth it all. I hope this is of help to anybody thinking of relocating and wanted to bring their hairy friend.

Diego in an exercise yard:


Diego in his run, the indoor section at the back was where he slept at night on a raised basket:


Happy and free now on a beach near here:


AUSTRALIAN QUARANTINE STATIONS:
SYDNEY:
The Animal Quarantine Station
Wallgrove Road
Eastern Creek, NSW 2760
Tel: +61 2 8805 1020 or 9 625 4566
Fax: +61 2 9832 1532
MELBOURNE:
Melbourne Quarantine Station
Craig Street
Spotswood, Vic 3015
Tel: +61 3 9391 1627 or 3 9339 3344
Fax: +61 3 9391 0860
PERTH:
Perth Quarantine Station
Nettleton Road
Byford, WA 6201
Tel: +61 8 9525 1763
Fax: +61 8 8956 2199

Visiting times Sydney:-
Tuesday & Thursday 1.30pm - 3.30pm
No visiting weekends or public holidays
EMail: EasternCreek.AQS@aqis.gov.au
Visiting times Melbourne:-
Monday, Thursday & Friday 10.30am - 12noon or
1pm - 4pm; Tuesday 1pm - 4pm only
No visiting Wednesday, weekends or public
holidays
EMail: Spotswood.Quarantine@aqis.gov.au
Visiting times Perth:-
Monday - Friday 11.30am - 12.30pm
No visiting weekends or public holidays
EMail: ByfordQ@aqis.gov.au

GUIDANCE NOTES FOR DOGS AND CATS TO AUSTRALIA
NB: The quarantine stations at Perth & Melbourne have limited space.
Please provide as much notice as possible to ensure space can be reserved for you.
Notable requirements for dogs & cats are as follows:-
1. Import permit required from Australia, valid for 9 months.
2. Permanent micro chip identification.
3. DOGS ONLY: Blood test for Leptospirosis, Brucella Canis, Ehrlichia and
Leishmaniasis within 30 days of export. NB. Your dog will need to have treatment with a
long acting Acaricide within 24 hours of sampling and written poof of this must be supplied
by your vet. All blood extractions will be done with your own vet and then sent to "The
Central Veterinary Laboratory", Weybridge, Surrey for testing. Please note that all costs for
the blood tests are payable direct to your own vet.
4. Vaccination:
Dogs: Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvo Virus, Para Influenza and Bordatella (kennel cough)
Do not vaccinate for Leptospirosis as it could affect the blood test results. Vaccinations
must be given at least 14 days and not more than 12 months prior to export.
Cats: Feline Flu and Enteritus. Vaccinations must be given at least 14 days and not more
than 12 months prior to export.
5. Treatment against Internal and External Parasites.
6. Ministry of Agriculture Export Health Certificate signed within 48 hours of export.