Ok, so I had to move back home because of an injury I had at work.  Lovely.  Anyways, I had to give up that apartment and now I am looking for a new one.  But I am TIRED of Canada.  Part of me wants to move somewhere that i have always liked (England, Scotland, area) but I am also a bit nervous.  LOL 

Now before I even look at the UK (kinda pretty, especially what I see in books,and on the ads on Kijiji UK.) I am confused. 

First, what does PW mean beside the price, and what does PCW mean beside the price???  I know conversion is about 3x Canadian dollars to equal 1 pound. 

But I am really not gonna make any decisions about leaving to the UK until I know this.  Will I have to place my dogs I have now into another home because of their cropped ears and docked tails? I understand I can not show them, and that is fine with me.  But I definately dont want to have to place my Reba and Cher into homes just to move to somewhere that looks pretty.  Will I be allowed to bring them even with these procedures done?  To a country that has banned cropping forever, and has passed a law against docking some time ago. 

(I am not pro cropping, or anti-cropping.  I happen to own two cropped and docked dogs.  Hopefully by now, my length of time spent on this board, that the cropping issues between the two countries can be put aside.  Our country has banned the procedures in two provinces already, and more and more dogs are being shown natural.) 

PW = per week.
PCM = per calendar month.

No you are not banned from owning cropped or docked dogs but you can't show them. And be aware of many stares as cropping ears has been illegal here for over 100 years :)

I figure if someone stares at me, just saying something might help.  My accent is truely Canadian LOL but thank you for your answer

> if someone stares at me, just saying something might help

I had a stall at a local school summer fete last year and noticed a guy walking round with a cropped dobermann, we have 2 big USAF bases fairly close and when he opened his mouth to speak to one of the stall holder it just confirmed where he was from. I watched 'off & on' as he went round and dont think most of 'joe public' who were there even noticed the difference!
Chris

I was just so nervous.  I wouldnt want to have to give up my babies, because lately they are basically the only thing that has kept me sane LOL. 

I dont know how much of this is wishful thinking, because I havent looked into how much it would cost, and once I leave Ontario I would have nothing.  No job, no nothing. 

But you know when you just wanna move so bad, to somewhere so different?  To somewhere you can start over? 

No ive got dear dear friends that emigrated to Florida. I have family in NZ and maybe, years ago I had the wonderlust as well.

Uk is great Ive never really wanted to live anywhere else but it is full, you will not find many vast open spaces as you do in Canada. our towns and villages have tiny gardens and the only really open areas are found in Scotland, Wales and Cornwall ( pardon who I have missed) and in the main employment opportunities there are limited.

NZ is like the UK about 30 years ago, same things are copmmon, road signs, pelican crossings half day closing. The opportunities we had are long gone for our youngsters and I keep trying to get my two to emigrate.

I think you should prehaps come visit with dogs before you jump ship in Canada. It can be tough and our tax system is only really fair if you are in the 40% bracket earners.

What do others think?

Whistler, thank you for giving me the true UK.  All I see here, is photos.  And every photo it is either lots of land with green grass, or beautiful old style houses. 

You are completely right.  I should come and see before I completly leave Canada.  Sometimes Canada just seems so well, boring.  But I guess the grass is always greener on the other side.  I was going to come over last summer, had money saved and everything, but then Reba broke her leg.  So there went the trip. 

No problem if you do come you have a bed in Winchester with dogs when needed. My plesure!!

If you want to see the REAL Britain - Google is your friend.  Most areas are now on the street thingy (no idea what it's called)   Ours is also there :(

I live 5-10 minutes from a National Park.  People come to visit from Maryland in autumn   as it can be so pretty, but the town I live in is post industrial and one of the most deprived in Britain, very few green areas left, the council are promoting building everywhere.  Even so house prices are through the roof - especially new builds, and jobs are few and far between, unless you have specific qualifications that firms are looking for it can be very difficult - even then the pay is often ludicrously low.   Daughter went for 30 interviews last year, most of those had 300 applicants!

My house is a traditional Welsh terraced cottage with a 30 foot by 15 foot garden half of which is OH's workshop, thankfully we bought it before house prices became silly.  Rents are very expensive here for what you get, daughter lived in some VERY expensive dives before her and OH bought a cottage - now at least their very high mortgage is paying for their own home.

One thing to take into account is the cost of living, wages can seem higher than they really are until you take into account council tax, living expenses, taxation etc. ;)

Definaitely come over for a holiday first, that way you can get some idea of the cost of living, house prices/rents etc.  and the job situation for where you would like to live ;)

Wales is very beautiful on the whole, and no matter where you are, you can be in the countryside in minutes if you drive and have access to a car :)

Dill is right - you should come for a visit first - I thought you had a holiday planned some while ago - you didn't make it then?  My sister and brother-in-law would love to go to Canada - they think everything is better there - my b-i-l is Canadian.  However my sister wouldn't go because of my mother - she might have done 10 years ago - they thought long and hard about it but he was part of a business that he has only just got out of.  It is a really big step to think of moving lock stock and barrel - travel is fun but it is always great to get back home - that is my motto.
Sorry you have to give up your flat - hope things work out for you. 

My best friend emigrated to Canada 14 years ago - Kelowna in British Columbia - and wouldn't want to return to the UK to live now. As others have suggested I would visit here first before making such a huge life changing decision. For my friend it was a decision made because her parents and other siblings had emigrated to Canada many years before.

> and once I leave Ontario I would have nothing.No job, no nothing

Stop and think !
At the moment you have family ( i assume ) and a roof over yours and your dogs head , why would you come over to nothing ?

You definately need to visit first .

What is it about Canada that you are tired of Kory?  Is it because you are going through a bad patch at the moment.  Try to think through what are the negative things about where you live and then write down all the good things - hopefully there will be a good few things in that list too.

Just a thought - I had my hair cut by a friendly Canadian girl a few times.  She came over here to work - was in a relationship but her work permit was finishing and she didn't know if she could stay - I was surprised but our EU countries have far more freedom of moving around and working then our commonwealth countries. 

Not trying to put you off coming here though :-) = just trying to make sure you have thought it through properly.

You know the times when you wake up, and wish you could go somewhere different?  Remake yourself?  I have a computer desktop them of the UK, and every 15 minutes it changes pictures.  It shows rolling hills, rivers, and a lovely street with really pretty homes.  It shows fall photos, of lovely colours.  It looks so peaceful, that you could melt into the background, and just be in peace. 

Where I live, it does have green grass, and trees.  But it is also very run down.  The houses are old, which can be pretty if they are taken care of, but thats not the case.  There is no where that you can go to escape.  Escape into a scene, where you can just be. 

And when you want to go out, there is nothing but run down, horrible bars.  Bars that you get drugged at.  Its almost a given to have something slipped into your drink.

I do think a lot of it is because of what has gone on recently,  I got hurt at work, and then had to give up my place.  I had independance and then it was taken away.  Thats been really hard on me. 

You are all very right, when saying I should come visit first.  I did have a trip planned to come over for the Scotland Kennel Club dog show, the end of august last year.  I had everything saved up, priced out, etc.  Travel, accomidations, everything was taken care of.  All I had to do was book the plane ticket.  Then Reba broke her leg.  Of course I am not blaming her for me having to cancel my trip.  Reba is a very special dog.  Love her to bits, and would go broke for her again.  But it did eat up what I had saved and I still owe on the vet bills from her broken leg. 

So I think from here on in, I am just gonna day dream until I can save up enough to come visit the UK for a couple weeks.  See what it is all like.  See if I can even get used to it LOL. 

Thanks CD!  <3

I know what you mean my wish was always that the world would stop, I could get off, sort my head out, get back on and carry on.

I had the wonderlust and went across the sahara desert on a motorbike, Ive been to Antartica and the Artic and NZ ect. But home is here with my family and what I know.

But travel is a good good thing I have always encouraged anyone that asked,  to travel, some find a partner and do not come home, it does broaden the mind but it also makes the wide world your oyster (as we say). I would never wish my son's to make their world so small that they stay around where they were born. Whilst Im alive they can always come home.

Come visit Kory, we're friends you just havent met yet!! and your welcome to visit anytime, during Crufys week would be good!!! Imagine it dogs wall to wall.

Love
Viv

Hi Crespin,

Your exchange rate calculation is way out. It is roughly $1.5 CD to £1Uk..   That is the strongest the CD has been against the £ in a long time or the weakest the £ has been :-D     Last time I was in Canada I was getting $2.4CD to my £1.   

Dogs would need the petpassport to come into the UK.

Could you not come for a months "holiday" to get a feel for things.

Depending on where you are in Canada I would still say the cost of living is far better in Canada that the UK. I was born out there and still have family in Edmonton so keep up with what is going on.

PS just noticed you are in Ontario ( where I was born)     Where about are you?

Unemployment is not as bad as some places in and around Edinburgh but it depends on where you would fancy.  It would be a big uproot.

Would you do it on your own?

Yes, if I was to travel, or move it would be on my own.  Try to get some independance back.  LOL

I live just outside Toronto, well about an hour away, but Toronto is the biggest city closest to me.  I live in Southern Ontario.

I am going to start saving, to try and come over during crufts.  It would be cool.  And it would be interesting to see what another country considers ideal.  I have noticed with a lot of breeds, just that people own on here, that what Canada thinks is ideal, and what the UK thinks is ideal, is completely opposite.  I would love to see what the UK version of "my loved breeds" are.  And it would be interesting to see them with tails!  When I saw a rotti with a tail, it was beautiful, but I didnt know it was a rotti right away.  There was also a rare breed show (a show for dogs not recognized yet by the CKC) and I thought at first it could be one of those breeds. 

ETA:  I used a conversion calculator on google to do the calculations between the CAD and the Pound.  LOL Google is way off, or at least the one I did!  LOL

Things will be half the price you thought now with the correct exchange rate :-)

You are only giving 1.5 of your dollars now for every £ now instead of the 3 that you thought :-D

It is certainly the time to holiday in the UK with the £ so weak.

I was born in St Catherines and lived there as a child , came to the UK, then as a young teenager went back and lived in Hamilton, Ontario for a while on the mountain.

hahaha I spend a lot of time in the St Catherines area, Smitville/Vineland.  A lot of time in Hamilton too!  I live in Brant County. 

You would have to get them Pet passported.  They would need to be microchipped with an ISO (International Standards Organisation) microchip PRIOR to being vaccinated for Rabies.

A months after this vaccination of the microchipped dog a blood sample has to be taken and sent of for testing to an PETS travel scheme approved laboratory.  If the result shows the antibody titre level as sufficient the dog may enter the UK 6 months after the date the blood sample was taken.

Prior to leaving for the UK the dog has to be treated for ticks and Tapeworms with specific chemicals.

The only way a dog can be brought into the UK is on an approved route and carrier.

The cost by air is very high, and has to be Cargo, and there are additional high charges for customs clearance and the Quarantine facilities and DEFRA charges at heathrow.

It would be much cheaper to fly into France or Holland where the dog can go as checked baggage (small ones with some airlines can go in pet holdalls in the cabin with some airlines).  You could then come into UK by Car via one of the approved routes.

Obviously costs are different depending on size, but for me to bring one of mien from New York to Heathrow would cost $1500 US dollars and then £275 charges this end.  By coming into Amsterdam accompanied using KLM it is E200 (two hundred Euros) for the dog.

Even with cost of fuel and Ferry it works out a lot cheaper, but of course more travelling.

You may not find it easy to Rent with pets though.

I've always had wanderlust. I left Germany after uni, went to the States (first NYC and then Montana), and then moved back to Europe, Ireland to be precise.

I had visited Ireland twice beforehand and got all that romantic stuff out of my system or so I thought. I moved to Ireland with the firm intention of helping stray dogs/animals and here I am 13 years later and over 1200 animals taken in an rehomed. However, the reality is WAY different to the dream each of us has when moving to a different country. It's not glamorous, it's tough and the long hours are gruelling to the extreme in the winter. But I love what I am doing and wouldn't have it any other way. And now I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. Despite its many negative points (especially non existing animal welfare legislation and the ignorance of alot of people) I will not leave Ireland ever again.

I arrived here with no friends, no family - nobody. It IS possible to make it work but by doG you have to work hard and don't mind loneliness or isolation, especially at first.