Just want to share some of our experiences in importing our tiny dog (6 lbs).
The step-by-step procedure can be found at <b>www.daff.gov.au/aqis/cat-dogs</b>. It looks daunting at first. Kelangan lang basahin ng paulit ulit at gawan ng checklist/timeline para mas madaling sundan.
6 months and required quarantine period after rabies vaccination. At least one month dapat nasa AUS quarantine facility (AQIS). In our case, 5 months outside AUS living a normal life and then 30 days sa kulungan ng AQIS Eastern Creek outside Sydney.
Masyadong pihikan sa pagkain ang dog namin kaya nahirapan sya. She lost almost 30% of her body weight. Sa tingin namin, di masyadong tinutukan ng head caretaker ang aso. Siguro dahil aso na ang kaharap nya palagi. Buti na lang may mga batang assistant caretakers sya na kahit papano binigyan ng special attention ang dog namin. Dapat sana, different levels of observation and care yung ginagawa ng AQIS kasi iba iba naman ang needs ng mga aso.
Regular visiting times sa AQIS Eastern Creek: Tue and Thu from 1:30-3:30 pm.
Special visits can be arranged -- total of 1 hour per week (on top of the regular visiting hours). So pwedeng dalwang 30mins on Mon, Wed, or Fri.
Note: AQIS can be flexible on special visits kapag di maganda ang condition ng dog/cat. In our case, since nagstart mag-lose ng weight, pinayagan ako bumisita ng 30mins on Mon, Wed and Fri. Since kakarating ko lang nman sa Sydney early this month at naghahanap pa lang ng work, ok lang na mabisita ko sya as frequent as everyday. Pero sobrang layo nang facility. Nagko-commute lang ako kaya inaabot ako ng 6 hours from leaving the apartment in the morning until coming home late afternoon. Tapos medyo malayo pa ang lalakarin from bus stop. May segment ng side walk na hindi sementado kaya medyo maputik pag umuulan.
Grooming and exercise sessions can be arranged in place of special visits mentioned above.
AQIS provides dry food. Kasama yun sa boarding fee na binabayaran ($39 per day!). Since wet food and kinakain ng aso nmain, nagdadala ako ng supply. Kelangan din magdala ng treats para pantawid gutom. This was especially crucial in our case. Sabi ng caretaker, minsan pag ayaw kumain ng aso binibigyan nya na lang ng chicken tender treats para lang may makain.
Sobrang haba ng 30 days para hintayin makalabas ang baby namin. On top of that, concerned din kami sa condition nya kasi di masyadong kumakain. Tapos malamig at maulan-ulan pa kaya siguradong di kumportable ang maliit na dog. Buti at nakasurvive naman.
...Going back to the original topic, medyo nahirapan nga kami nkahanap ng apartment na pwede ang dog. Kahit walang nakasulat na "pets not allowed" sa ad, kelangan pa rin iconfirm sa agents. In some cases, di alam ng agents kaya tinatanong pa rin nila sa property mgmt. In almost all cases, hindi allowed ang dogs sa apartment buildings in Sydney.