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Old 15-12-2016, 09:33   #1
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Sailing dogs in South Pacific

Anyone have first hand experience with sailing to South Pacific with a dog?
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Old 15-12-2016, 10:13   #2
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Re: Sailing dogs in South Pacific

I don't have first hand experience in those parts, but I know it is one of the more difficult areas to cruise with the pooch.. You will not legally be able to take him/her ashore in most countries..

Cruising the South Pacific with Pets on board - hassle in Fiji —
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Old 15-12-2016, 10:47   #3
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Re: Sailing dogs in South Pacific

I have not sailed with a pet in the South Pacific but I do know that the cost of arriving with one in New Zealand is about US$6,000 and requires a significant amount of time with the animal in quarantine ashore.

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Old 15-12-2016, 12:29   #4
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Re: Sailing dogs in South Pacific

Vino the Dog,

Check the quarantine regulations for where you plan to go. It's a lot of work, but the situation changes often, so you really want to find out in advance. We know some folks with rescue dogs from Hawaii (which used to have and may still have quarantine for entering pets), and since HI is a non rabies island, they were able to import those dogs to New Zealand with a shortened quarantine time there, and said dogs have been, following the NZ quarantine, welcome in Australia.

If you're going to bring your dog cruising with you, you need to find out the real hoops you and your dog will have to jump through to do it. In my way of thinking, there's a big difference between coastal cruising with your dog and risking its life on long ocean passages, when it might be too dangerous for you to go back for it if it went overboard. Many pets have made safe passages, we only knew one family who felt they had to leave the dog to drown, and it was a decision that still haunted the woman when I met her about a year later......

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Old 15-12-2016, 12:44   #5
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Re: Sailing dogs in South Pacific

I used to sail a dog. Now I have a cat.
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Old 18-08-2017, 19:49   #6
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Re: Sailing dogs in South Pacific

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Originally Posted by Vino the Dog View Post
Anyone have first hand experience with sailing to South Pacific with a dog?
Ten years or so back, we crossed from Oz to NZ with a dog, cost around Au$1,000 for all the vet checks and documents back then. No cost at all, if I remember correctly, going from NZ to Oz. [He went overboard in a knock-down mid-Tasman but was soon back aboard due to a good harness (helo lifting harness) and tether that he wore any time on deck.]

Now I'm searching the forum for information on cruising the Pacific islands with a dog, while departing from and returning to NZ. I've read all the import documents/guides I can find but it's not clear to me what is involved in returning with a dog, back to home port, as it were, especially since she won't be allowed ashore anywhere (I think) during the trip - I believe we must always anchor off. I've asked NZ MAF for clarification but nothing yet. Does anyone know the answer?

FYI, this is very much a one-man-dog (well, bitch really) - I have worked her all her working life so she gets separation anxiety even when left behind with my wife. She wouldn't survive quarantine without going crazy, so I could never inflict that on her.
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Old 19-08-2017, 18:34   #7
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Re: Sailing dogs in South Pacific

NevisDog,

I believe if she doesn't leave the boat, she would be okay without quarantine on re-entry, but I do not know for sure. Try and get it in writing from MAF, even if you don't get offshore this year, because--well, you know, because you've asked the question.

Wherever you plan to go in the SP, find out from their quarantine service, too, also in writing.

Good luck with it.
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Old 20-08-2017, 12:45   #8
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Re: Sailing dogs in South Pacific

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...Wherever you plan to go in the SP, find out from their quarantine service, too, also in writing.
I'll persist with NZ MAF (now called MPI or whatever) - may have to phone them to prompt a reply but will ask for written confirm. Where we go will depend on their specific rules for pets but mostly their rules seem clear enough - Fj$1,000 bond on arrival to ensure dog is not allowed ashore, etc.
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Old 29-08-2017, 19:56   #9
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Re: Sailing dogs in South Pacific

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...I believe if she doesn't leave the boat, she would be okay without quarantine on re-entry, but I do not know for sure. Try and get it in writing ...
This likely is of very limited interest but here's an update in case someone else plans anything similar.

MPI say they are researching the answer and will reply eventually. Meantime I spoke with the local rep, who said the stumbling block would likely be providing evidence the dog remained aboard while visiting other Pacific Island nations. Neither of us could think of what evidence might satisfy.

Since then I've thought of how security guards prove they have not pocketed any of the takings from the bank vault: first they are on camera; second they secure the money bags with specially numbered and recorded plastic "cable ties" (that can't be undone without breaking the seal). So, maybe shackle her collar to a light wire shackled to a permanent location on the boat (say, around the mast, passing under a welded winch mount or two on the mainmast), with both shackles secured with numbered tags to prove they have not been undone? So the only way to get her ashore without breaking the seals would be to take the mast along too!

All this to avoid quarantine on our return. That's the best/only evidence I can come up with - any other ideas out there?

Darn, would have been cheaper taking a mistress!
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Old 06-09-2017, 18:56   #10
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Re: Sailing dogs in South Pacific

Update: so I waited three weeks for a written response to my question about RETURNING to NZ with a dog after visiting any Pacific island where the animal would not be allowed ashore. The response is a copy of the import regulations for importing a dog to NZ from Tonga. I can read all that on line without asking anyone so I give up - those guys have no reason to try to be helpful, so I don't expect treatment any different from any other animal arriving here in NZ, which is pretty strict.
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Old 10-09-2017, 18:01   #11
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Re: Sailing dogs in South Pacific

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I believe if she doesn't leave the boat, she would be okay without quarantine on re-entry, but I do not know for sure. Try and get it in writing ...
Well, it's official, from NZ MPI:
"This is irrelevant of whether your pet has left the yacht when travelling. We check the shipping log or equivalent to help determine this."

Not entirely clear from this short clip but what they are saying is they don't care whether the animal remained aboard when visiting overseas countries or not - it makes no difference to quarantine requirements on return to NZ, as they only check which countries were visited. Thanks Ann, just for being helpful.
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