Notice to all importing pets to Australia - NB!!!

[Dedrei]

Hi guys & gals

Just found this very important info and thought all of you should know, there is huge, and I mean HUGE backlog at quarantine stations at the moment. They are booked to capacity for the next FEW MONTHS! If you are brining pets over, you need to book at least 5 months in advance now. This is really serious and I believe Keringa is booked up as well. So best thing is to get your babies in quarantine ASAP.

This is the official notice on www.aqis.gov.au

AVAILABILITY OF SPACE FOR CATS AND DOGS AT

ANIMAL QUARANTINE STATIONS

The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) wishes to advise that

all Australian animal quarantine stations are at full capacity and all stations are fully booked for several months.

People wishing to have their pets accommodated at an Australian animal quarantine station should apply for an import permit at least 5 months in advance of anticipated departure.

An import permit does not guarantee a space at an animal quarantine station.

BOOKINGS MUST BE MADE FOR YOUR PET/S.

To book a space at an Australian animal quarantine station, a permit number is required. Once an import permit has been issued for your pet/s and you have a permit number, contact the relevant animal quarantine station to make a reservation. Please note the waiting time can be at least 5 months.

Provision of an airway bill number to the animal quarantine station will be required to confirm your pet/s reservation closer to the time of departure.

Hope this gives some insight to some not to leave this for the last minute.

Cheers

Dedrei

"Resident Quarantine Expert"

[Pippa]

Hi Dedrei,

Thanks so much. I’ve already booked my 2 “dog children” for September 2007 at Keringa. Do you think I should contact them to find out if they booked for Quarantine in Australia, or do they automatically book you pets into the Australian Quarantine?

I truly appreciate this information, as I want to ensure that my dogs get to Australia as soon as we do!

Ciao, Pippa!

[Dedrei]

Hi Pippa

To be able to book you babies in quarantine in Australia you need an import permit number. Keringa sends you a whole lot of document at the start to complete and one of them is the import permit application.

Maybe just contact Danuta at Keringa and hear if you can apply for permit already for end of next year?

Cheers

x

[Pippa]

Hi Everyone,

I contacted Keringa regarding the latest regulations and received the following response:

AQIS will from the 01/11/2006 have a new protocol in place for SA dogs. Your dogs will still have to do 7 months in total with a min. of 3 months in SA and a min. of 1 month in Australia. Months 4, 5, 6 quarantine can be spent at our quarantine station or the government quarantine station in Australia.

So if you choose 6 months with us and 1 in Australia we will be applying for an import permit and booking within the 1st month with us. If you still decide to go for 3 months quarantine here and 4 in Australia we apply for the intended departure date and should the date be delayed then it will mean more time in SA and less in Australia, as long as the above basic conditions are met.

Regards,

Pippa

[Dedrei]

mmmm, dis is really really interesting.

Now the big question everybody will be asking "ok how do costs compare?"

Just to give you an idea.... For our two beagles our total fees with Keringa came to about R27 000 (including fligts of R10 000 to Aus), quarantine bill in Aus came to just under $4000. So people can take costs in to account now and minimises their bill if they wish.

In Aus it costs you $33.33 per day for the two of them for the 4 months.

In SA it will cost you R188.89 per day for the two, excluding the flights.

So it seems if you convert the dollars to rands it comes to round about the same figure. (I'm just working this out as I'm typing this)

So the big question would be would you rather have your babies in SA for 6 months or 3 months. Probably depends where you live in SA en where you will be living in Aus. If you live close to the quarantine station in Joburg and will not be living close to any of Australia's quarantine stations, by all means, try and get them to stay there as long as possible. If you live in Melbourne, Sydney or Perth and close to the quaratine station there, might be better option doing the 4 month thing.

It's all personal choice in the end and how your visa timing would work.

Cheers

Dedrei

[Guest Noeks]

Gosh, I just get nervous reading all this - all over again... no dis, but thank God my baby Jack Russ is here and safe and tucked up under my "doona" at night, every night... sorry for ya'all that's still to go thru' with it - we had to keep her in kennels in the UK for two months because of "no space" in Perth and Sydney could only take her within 6 weeks of that period - so it was all very stressfull... its a hard one, guys, and on an emotional level, more than stressssssfull - julle moet net vasbyt and do your homework well before the time.... Hope it works out for ya'all xx

[Allie en Urs]

Ons honde gaan Dinsdag op na Keringa. Ons gaan hulle 6 maande daar hou en een in Aus. Dit lyk of dit vir ons so R10 000 goedkoper sal wees.

[The Parsons Family]

hey guys

I wonder did we do the right thing

we dropped our little ones off on the 1st November,

will they forgive us for the jail sentence ??

I really do hope the time flies for them .. and us

has anyone had a bad exerience with keringa?... please no one say yes

[Aneldari]

Hi daar!

Ek en my man is in ons begin fase van immigrasie (na Adelaide). Het nou die dag ons Skills Ass Appl weggestuur.

Ons het die 2 most adorable worshondjies en ons wil baie graag hul ook kan saamvat, maar finansieel is dit bietjie moeilik. Ons sal als in ons vermoë doen om hul saam met ons te hê in ons nuwe "beloofde" land.

Kan iemand my dalk help ivm met die kostes. Hoe betaal 'n mens? Kan jy bedrag afbetaal of moet als met een slag neergesit word?

Dankie vir enige bydrae!!

Groetnis

[Norm]

And in case any of you think YOU have it hard, the "official" instruction from the DeFacto wife/partner/girlfriend is...

The following animals WILL go across:

3 x Cats

3 x Large Dogs

2 x Small Dogs

1 x HORSE...!!!

Not open for negotion... They are the "children".

Wish someone in immigration would allow me to put them on "family immigration" then...

[Tracy]

I have had to take an early decision about my Labrador.

As much as we love her to bits, I can't justify locking her in kennels for 7 months.

It's not fair on the animal.

It's always a personal decision and sometimes not an easy one.

Tracy

[Dedrei]

It is definitely a personal choice. And my two babies are proof that quarantine ain't that bad at all, it's just one big holiday to them.

Norman, geez where you planning on keeping your little zoo once you arrive That bill is certainly going to be a hefty one.

Aneldari, oor die kostes, jong ja, jy betaal dit either direk in hulle rekening of betaal met die plastiek. So ja daar is geen afbetaal nie, tensy jy jou krediet kaart wil afbetaal. Ons het ons huis verkoop en SA en van daai geld gebruik om vir hulle te betaal, ons het ook nie met container gekom nie, net met onse tasse oorgekom.

[Norm]

Keringa are the only people authorised / allowed to do quarantine in South Africa (there may be another...? Certainly not as good as Keringa if they are still in business).

There are lots of companies that do the travel arrangements (Keringa also offer this as a service - supposedly more expensive though?!?) but only Keringa have the quarantine kennels.

What it means, as you can see in some of the other posts, is that they are flexible in terms of how many months they'll spend here in quarantine, or in Oz or even in the UK... All depends on what suits you best.

I don't have the latest pricing tho... but the last quote I got was in the region of R50,000 for our little zoo.

Norm

[Helena G]

Hi Norman,

I'm also a great horse lover! We have 2 dogs (not any horses) that we also want to bring over when we eventually go. I totally feel for you guys!!

I take it the horse is your wife's horse? How long must a horse stay in quarantine?

GOOD LUCK with everything!!!!! Will be thinking of you guys!

Helena G

[Aneldari]

Hi, weer ekke!

Ons 2 worshondjies, is nie enige honde nie - hulle is soos mense (kinders) . Hulle slaap saam ons innie bed, sit ook aan tafel op 'n stoel as ons eet (eet nou nie van die tafel af nie), wag vir ons by die deur as ons terugkom vannie werk, lê in my arms soos 'n regte babatjie . Hul is so afhanklik van ons liefde.

Ek moet sê hul was al vir so 'n naweek alleen. Hul kan self in en uit die huis deur 'n opening. Hulle het ook al paar keer by "ouma" gebly.

Ok, nou wil ek vir julle vra: Gaan ons 2 kindertjies dit oorleef in kwarantyn!?!??!?!?

Dit is 'n baie teer saak vir my en my man - daar was al klaar lang trane gehuil ; en ons het nog skaars begin met die proses.

Ons wil hulle so graag daarhê, maar nie ten koste van hul welstand nie.

Ek sal regtig enige insette waardeer.

Groete

Aneldari

[Dedrei]

Hallo jong, gaan vir jou PM stuur

[Allie en Urs]

And in case any of you think YOU have it hard, the "official" instruction from the DeFacto wife/partner/girlfriend is...

The following animals WILL go across:

3 x Cats

3 x Large Dogs

2 x Small Dogs

1 x HORSE...!!!

Not open for negotion... They are the "children".

Wish someone in immigration would allow me to put them on "family immigration" then...

Hi, Norm I feel for you, When we started our planning about a year back there was 9, lucky for ME, nature help, as some of them was near the end. Through some tough negotiations, we managed to get it down to 3. They are now all in Keringa. 7 Months and a small forture later will see them with us again.

[Ninaricci46]

Hi there

I see on the website regarding importing pets, there are only 3 stations. Does anyone have any info regarding a quarantine station closer to Canberra.

This seems so inhumane. 3 months in jail in the RSA, then 4 months in jail over here, will your baby still know you? How does it feel visiting your baby in "jail" how do you tell the poor animal that you will be back?

I just do not have the heart to do it. Besides the cost, that is the last thing on my mind. In my case, I have Persian Cats, and they are so frail and sensitive and soooo attached to one person. I have left them with a relative (also a cat person - but now she has 13 cats) and I have to think about their future too.

Not only do we have problems as SAffers to get permission to stay here, our poor "children" are subjected to 7 months of "jail" sentence before we can meet up with them again. Not to mention the costs.

But in the end, I am sure its all worth it.

[aniena]

Hi julle

Wat ek nou gaan vra klink vir my 'n bietjie snaaks, maar ek sal graag wil weet of daar enige waarheid daarin steek. Nou die dag ontmoet ek 'n vrou wat se haar suster bly in Auz - Brisban en dat die quarentyn mense vir hulle gese het dat dit glad nie 'n goeie idee is om jou honde oor te bring nie, want daar is 'n vliegie (so iets) wat ons honde kan steek in Auz wat binne 'n bestek van dae jou hond kan laat dood gaan. Die vliegie se larwe tas blykbaar die hond se hart aan. Sy se dat die quarentyn mense se, as jy 'n volbloed hond het wat jy nou moet oorbring doen dit maar, maar ons honde is nie immuun daarteen soos die auz honde nie, en dat ons die kans staan om honderde duisende rande uit te gee en dan geen hond het om dit te regverdig nie.

Ons is baie, baie lief vir ons twee honde en wil hulle bitter graag saam bring, maar soos my dogter se sy wil hulle lewendig en gesond hou.

Is daar enige waarheid daarin? Of is daar net 'n manier hoe ons ons honde kan beskerm ?

Groete

Aniena

[Dedrei]

Daar is bietjie waarheid daarin, MAAR sodra jou kinders land in oz dan kan jy hulle die inspuiting laat kry teen die Heartworm of die pilletjie elke maand gegee. My kinders is nou al by my van Oktober af en is heeltemal piekfyn. Ek het twee beagles. Moenie laat sulke negatiewe mense jou afsit nie, hulle sal enige iets sê sodat jy nie jou kinders bring nie, vriende en familie gaan dit ook afkeur. Ek is 'n perfect example, en daar is duisende ander wat die kwarentyn al gedoen het, jou kinders sal kwarentyn survive en dit verander hulle glad nie op enige manier nie.

As hullle uit kwarentyn kom moet jy nog steeds aanhou met die of maandelikse tablet of die jaarlikse inspuiting. So daar is preventative measures vir dit.

Laat weet as jy nog vrae het.

Groete

[kangaroo]

Ag, dankie Dedrei, jy laat my sommer beter voel (was vir oomblik bekommerd!)

Gaan Lola, my Yorkshire terrier, ook verseker oorbring...kan nie my lewe sonder haar indink nie - sy's soos 'n familielid!

[aniena]

Hi Dedrei

Ag, vreeslik dankie ! , nou kan ek met 'n geruste hart voortgaan met die reelings. Dit sal tog te wonderlik wees as die hele familie herenig kan wees in Auz.

Groete

Aniena

[valkie]

hey guys

I wonder did we do the right thing

we dropped our little ones off on the 1st November,

will they forgive us for the jail sentence ??

I really do hope the time flies for them .. and us

has anyone had a bad exerience with keringa?... please no one say yes

"Babies" arrive on 16th Feb 2007 !!!!!!!!

Flight SAA 280

Hi

I am an ex-SAcan sitting in Canada and will be making the move to Oz in the not too distant future and I just noticed that the Parsons Family "babies" arrived just yesterday on flight SAA 280.......... I hope they are in good spirits.........

Could someone please give me any/all contact information of pet travel companies in Australia, more specifically Sydney-area as I will be bringing in a little guy from here.

Valkie

[The Parsons Family]

Our babies did arrive on Friday and they are very happy and very healthy. They have even put on a few "holiday" kilograms.

I have no idea about pet travel companies.... Maybe try the AQIS website, that's the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service they might be able to help. AQIS

Good Luck

Gaille

[JayNBee]

I nearly fainted with shock today. The quote came from the South African quarantine kennels for my 4 Staffordshire Bull Terriers:

To spend 6 months in quarantine at Keringa, all paperwork and permits, and the airfare after that to Australia - - - Total = R94,182.63

On top of that, we would still have to pay for the 1 month quarantine in Australia.

I am now going to investigate sending to a friend of mine in the USA (no quarantine between SA and the USA) for 6 months. From there they can fly to Australia and have only 1 month's quarantine.

What kills me is that the kennel fees work out at R86.50 per day per dog. Where do they get off with that charge????? I know what it costs to feed and look after a dog as I have been breeding and showing Staffords for 23 years, and it isn't close to that figure, even if you do take labour into account. This is a complete, utter and total rip-off.

I will definitely go the USA route as I refuse to ripped off yet again in this country.

Boiling with anger

Bye for now,

Juanita