When I learned that in 12 months my partner and I, along with our two beautiful furry children (Parker the Pomeranian Chihuahua, and Fletcher the Italian Greyhound), would be enjoying all that the "Coolest little Capital in the World" had to offer, my immediate thought was... How are we going to move our pups halfway across the world to a country with some of the strictest biosecurity laws in the universe?
Being the planner that I am, I immediately began to stress about the move, unsure of where to begin. Fortunately, there is a little website called Google, and it saved my life.
I searched for a company that had experience shipping pets to New Zealand, and narrowed my search down to those with the best reviews. After weeks of research, I chose PetRelocation, and it was the best decision I have ever made.
I submitted my inquiry, and within 12 hours received a friendly message from Heather O'Donnell, which answered all of my questions and put me at ease. I like to stress, and the fact that Heather was able to calm me down after just a single email was reason enough to choose PetRelocation.
However, it doesn't stop there!! After working out a solid payment plan, we began the year long journey to get our pups to New Zealand with Brooke and Bethany.
From the start of the journey, Brooke was on top of everything and knew the answers to questions before I asked them. The level of experience and professionalism showed by the PetRelocation team solidified the fact that I made the right decision.
OH! I forgot to mention, this wasn't your typical move... The pups were in the United States while my partner and I were in Brazil, so not only was Brooke working with me, she was also coordinating vet appointments and validating paperwork with our friend, who had graciously offered to "dog-sit" while I was on a year and a half long assignment in Rio de Janeiro.
All my fears that this move would be stressful were put to rest, and for 11 months I was confident that Brooke would get our dogs to Wellington safely and easily. Even with a date mix up on our import paperwork, Brooke worked directly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade here in New Zealand to get an equivalency certificate for our dogs, and the move was only delayed by a few days (versus a few months).
Unfortunately, about a week before the dogs were scheduled to depart for New Zealand, Brooke left PetRelocation and I was TERRIFIED. Brooke had handled our case for almost a year, she knew the ends and outs of our situation and had developed a relationship with me that enabled us to work easily together. She introduced me to Bethany via email, and once again, my fears were put to rest. Bethany stepped up to the challenge of finishing a difficult case that was 95% complete, and she made the transition seamless for my partner and I.
The dogs arrived to our house about a week ago (after the 10 days of required quarantine here in Wellington) and we can tell they were taken good care of. They have never had a fenced in yard before (we have always lived in apartments) and they love having the freedom to run around!! It is cold and rainy here right now (hence the picture of them in their rain gear) but they are settling in nicely, and couldn't be happier.
My partner and I are so happy we decided to hire PetRelocation to handle this move and we will hire them again for any future moves! The team is professional, friendly, efficient, and are HUGE animal lovers. If you are on the fence about who to choose, take this as personal recommendation for PetRelocation!!
Davy, Eddie, Parker and Fletcher
Name: Davy
Pets' Names: Parker and Fletcher
From: Washington, D.C.
To: Wellington, New Zealand
Excellent story! Thanks to Davy for taking the time to share this update and for choosing us to assist with Parker and Fletcher's move. Need help organizing a pet relocation of your own? Please contact us for a pet travel consultation at your convenience.