[NAGDU] Bringing a brand-new guide dog into New Zealand, or elsewhere

[Tracy Carcione]

Hi Bonnie.
That's neat that TSE arranged for testing for a few dogs, so there was some
choice in matching.
And it's great your dog handles long plane flights with ease.
Tracy


-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bonnie Mosen via
NAGDU
Sent: Thursday, June 13, 2019 4:02 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: Bonnie Mosen
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Bringing a brand-new guide dog into New Zealand, or
elsewhere

HI Tracy.
New Zealand is one of the hardest--if not the hardest countries to bring an
animal into.
We have a strong agrarian economy, so we take biosecurity very seriously. 
We don't have rabies.
When I moved to NZ, I started preparing Lizzie six months before I left. She
needed tests, shots, and tons and tons of paperwork.
The frustrating part is you are dealing with two governments with regs and
policies that change quite frequently. You have to have a USDA certified vet
for the whole process, and it is outlined on NZ's biosecurity site.
Coming into the US from NZ when I travel is fairly easy, but I have to have
a permit to return. 
When I knew I was retiring Lizzie, I filled out the application and gave a
potential date if a match was found.
They started looking and selected a few dogs to point for that class and
started the testing.
This was so they would have a pool of dogs if something went wrong.
Eclipse was their first choice and was held back from the august 2018 class
so is a bit older than her counterparts in the Feb class. 
She still had treatments while in class and after and had to be signed off
in LA before I left.
I stayed in Morristown with friends for a few weeks after class to give us
more time to bond.
There is a quarantine of ten days in NZ where I was initially led to believe
you couldn't work your dog; however, thankfully I have found out this isn't
the case. Your dog ccan't come in contact with other dogs and you have to
dispose of solid waste down the toilet, so it won't pollute the soil. 
A vet greets you at the airport and checks all the paperwork and comes back
ten days later to make sure the dog isn't sick. 
Yes, it's a long flight, and Air New Zealand is wonderful about giving you
an entire row if possible.
Because all my family and friends live on the East Coast I break the trip up
and overnight in LA.
Eclipse was a rock star on the journey and slept the whole way. She seems to
love flying. After we got off the 13 hour flight, I still had another hour
flight to Wellington.
She trotted up the jetway wagging her tail. I was ready to quit flying by
that point. Smile 
I carry a toilet pad just in case and park her before we take off. I still
feed the normal schedule but give less water, and it's worked out well.
Cheers
Bonnie 


-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione via NAGDU
Sent: Friday, 14 June 2019 3:04 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net>
Subject: [NAGDU] Bringing a brand-new guide dog into New Zealand, or
elsewhere

Hi Bonnie.

That's really interesting that you were able to come back to the US, get a
new guide dog, and bring it back to NZ.  How did that work?  I'm assuming NZ
has quarantine and animal import regulations similar to Australia.  Even if
quarantine regs allow for the import of a dog with the proper chip, shots,
and paperwork, I know getting all that done takes some time.  So did TSE
select your dog beforehand, start the whole process, and then everyone hopes
nothing goes wrong with the match during class?  

And, isn't it a *really long flight?  

Just very curious how it all was managed.  

Some days, I think about emigrating after I retire, if I can find a country
I like that would have me, so I'd like to know how it all works.

Tracy

 

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