Redd & Chloe’s Move to New Zealand

While our arrival in New Zealand occurred back in February, it took another four months before our beloved Dachshunds Redd & Chloe would arrive. Here is the story of their journey.

Perhaps the most complicated part of our move (and the most expensive) was moving Redd and Chloe. New Zealand has eradicated rabies and there is no heartworm here so much of the paperwork involves extensive testing to ensure any dogs coming into the country are not carriers of either of these diseases. The testing follows a specific schedule starting 180 days prior to their export (part of the reason they arrived 4 months later) and there are specific tests that have to be run by a specific lab designated by the New Zealand Ministry of Public Industries.

The paperwork is overwhelming. Even after navigating the visa process for us humans we were overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork. Thankfully we discovered Continental Pet Relocation. I cannot say enough about how helpful Heather and her team were in coordinating appointments, gathering the paperwork, and keeping us informed every step of the way.

Wednesday, February 15th, We say goodbye to Redd & Chloe and leave them in the capable hands of our family and friends.

Wednesday, May 24th, Redd & Chloe begin the first part of their four-part journey to New Zealand. This day starts early with an appointment at the vet to get their medical certificates. Then they headed off to the airport where they were met by Heather from Continental Pet Relocation.

In Charlotte, they board a plane to Houston where they catch a connecting flight to Los Angeles. They spend the night in Los Angeles. Their accommodation for the night was all arranged by Continental Pet Relocation and they stayed at a dog boarding facility. When I first learned they would have to spend the night in Los Angeles, I had visions of them sitting in their crates overnight in baggage claim. Thankfully, that was not the case. They were well cared for with food and attention.

Thursday, May 25th, Redd and Chloe go through their final inspection where the USDA validates all of their paperwork and seals their crates. This is the part that felt a bit tough, they go through inspection sometime before 11 am but their flight won’t leave until 10 pm that evening. That is a long time in their crates. Then they board their flight to Auckland, New Zealand which in general is 13 hours of flight time.

Saturday, May 27th (Friday gets lost because of the time change), Redd & Chloe land in Auckland around 8 am.  They are not allowed out of their crates until they arrive at their final location which translates to no potty break. From Auckland, they board another flight to Christchurch which arrives here around 11 am. Unfortunately, due to quarantine requirements, we are not allowed to meet them at the airport. Canterbury Quarantine, however, was at the airport ready and waiting.

Redd & Chloe are brought to the quarantine facility where they are examined by a New Zealand vet. Then they are given baths and fed. While we were allowed to go visit them during quarantine we decided to not to because we figured it would be hard for them to see us after four months, only to have us leave again. We opted instead to bring them fresh blankets and bags of food. They would be in quarantine for ten days.

Wednesday, May 31st, A potential delay, when the paperwork is examined by the veterinarian from NZ Ministry of Primary Industries, they discovered that the heartworm test done for their paperwork was not the heartworm test approved by NZ. So, they inform us that a new test would need to be run but they don’t know how long the test would take so Redd & Chloe may have to stay in quarantine longer than expected. They were particularly concerned about this because June 5th is a public holiday in NZ.

Friday, June 2nd, The test results are back and we learn Redd & Chloe will come home as expected.

Tuesday, June 6th, The day we have been waiting for…Redd and Chloe come home. I woke up bright and early in anticipation for the big event. What a happy reunion!!! They were beyond excited to see us, running circles around us, and I could not believe this moment was really happening.

Their first outing in New Zealand was to Hagley Park where they sniffed everything. Once at our house, they spent the afternoon checking out their new home and their yard space. For the first time in their lives, they have a yard (albeit small) they can freely roam.

We are very grateful to our family who generously opened up their homes to Redd and Chloe. We are also very grateful to our friends at Social Pet Hotel, where Redd and Chloe spend the last six weeks before beginning their journey to New Zealand.

In their journey, Redd & Chloe saw 5 airports, traveled 8,593 miles for a total flying time of 21 hours. That is a long way for those tiny little legs and they are now seasoned travelers.

We are so grateful to everyone that helped them along their journey. Stay tuned for more posts as Redd & Chloe explore their new home.