This is a very difficult post for me to write.  Basically, after a long time thinking about it OH and i decided some months ago to start the ball rolling in our quest to emmigrate to Australia.  Things are ticking along nicely, I am taking a couple more exams in my chosen field of work to help when I get there, but it looks as if all things being well we should be able to be on our way towards the latter end of next year.  Now for the problem - the suberb where we are moving to only allows 4 dogs per household.  Quite understandable really, given the layout of the suberb, but no good for us with five dogs.  We therefore decided that we had to cut down on dogs - not an easy desision to make.  We agonised for ages, both of us have our favourites.  We ended up deciding it had to be last in first out, but as Elsa and Meg arrived together and we couldn't choose between them, they both had to go :(  We contacted Great Dane Rescue, who were marvelous, and they have been to collect the girls, who went off quite happily without a backward glance.  We got a phonecall the day after they went saying they had settled in really well and made lots of dane friends already.  They said it is nice to get two well socialised, fit and healthy girls, as invariably they get 'problem' dogs gifted to them.  When we had made our minds up that the girsl had to be rehomed we thought sooner was better than later as they are still only 10 months old.  I miss them so much though, the house is so quiet without them.  Has anyone else had to make a descision like this before?  I know they will go to a wonderful new home, but I am still so upset, so sorry if I am rambling...

What a heart wrenching decision, in your predicament you made the right decision with them only being 10 months old, you could not have chosen one over the other and going together is good company for them both and not so scary.

You seem to be happy with the rescue they have gone to, have you asked for them to go as a pair by any chance?

I guess the only thing I would have done differently, (but this is just me as I am a big sop) is to ask the rescue centre to kindly find good homes first, I would have allowed them to take the dogs for a few days or come to my home to assess them for a new home but then kept them with me until a suitable home/s was found, then asked to go along with them and also assess the new owners. A rescue once did this for a Springer of a friend of mine, when she was too ill to care for him any longer her conscience was clear afterwards as she met the new owner, and saw how happy her dog was with them, they continued to send her photo's and updates too for a while.

I guess that is why you are feeling so upset you have not yet seen the happy ending for them. I think it is something you need to know, so would make sure that the rescue will ask the new owner/s to write and send the odd photo if possible it will make you feel so much happier about this decision.

You have a wonderful new future ahead of you, but you will need to tie up those loose ends and know they are happy, a worry on the old heart strings and conscience can stay with you forever, once that is sorted you can relax and look forward to your fantastic new move.

That must have been really hard for you.  It's a decision I've never had to and hopefully never will have to make.  If you want to know what other people would have done, TBH I would have picked a different suburb or waited a few years until I had less dogs due to one or more of them dying and if that meant waiting 10 years to go to Oz then I would have waited.  It must have been a difficult decision to make and now you have the worries of getting them over safely to Australia.  Good luck.

i agree cheekychow, at risk of being jumped upon, didnt you know you may be going to oz before you got the pups as they are only 10 months old? i agree its better to part with them when they are young than the day before you left but i couldnt have done it. i cant even leave my unhappy marriage because of the fact that i couldnt rent and take my dogs. so im stuck.

sara1bee, if you e-mail some of the renting agencies with your price range and tell them you have dogs to also take with you, they will call you or e-mail you whenever a house comes up that will accept your pets, they do all the work for you and make sure the dogs will be accepted before contacting you.

I agree renting is difficult with animals but every now and again a nice property can come up, just get on every agents listings and hopefully something will turn up for you. :-)

They will be fine. Circumstances change. Such is life. At ten months they will find good homes and, as you say, they have no problems - make a nice change for the rescue :)

i think you're very brave having to make that decision. To be honest, i wouldn't have and would have either waited, or moved elsewhere, but i think sometimes you have to seize opportunities when they arrive. Just remember how many smiles they put on your face and how many smiles they'll put on their new owners faces. I'm sure they'll be fine :)

sara1bee, how horrible! I'm sure their are places to rent that will allow pets?  What an awful situation! 

I had to leave both my dogs behind when I split up with my ex.  He took them and wouldn't let me see them at all.  It broke my heart for 3 years until I was in a position to get another 2, hence Douggie and Daisy.  Aat least you, LouisChris1, were able to make the choice.  I think sening 2 away is better than one.  At least they know each other and that will give them comfort.  You have to remember that dogs don't have feelings as strong as we do.  As soon as they are homed with a lovely new family, then they will settle and be happy themselves. I hope you did request they go together?

Its hard to make this choice when it is not for the benefit of the dog, but you will get past it.  Try to remember them in a happy way and appreciate the doggies you kept with you.

out of interest, was that the only suburb that you could move to?  Do all suburbs have these requirements?

We have wanted to go to Australia for years but were unable to do so until I could get an employer to sponsor me, which they have now done.  Waiting till the dogs were old and had passed on wasn't an option as you have to be under 45 years old to emmigrate to Australia, so I only have 5 years before I can no longer go.  We are taking the other 3 with us, they will travel by boat then spend 30 days in quarantine.  In the city we are moving to all the suburbs have the same 4 dog rule.

Sarah it took us ages to find a house to rent that would take dogs but we did not impossible especially if you can talk to the landlord and explain how well behaved your dogs are.  Louise yes you have to sieze your chance I had to rehome a cav at the end of a relationship as I was homeless it was the hardest thing I ever did but you have to live your life and you have done your best they are young and will settle with a new family faster than older ones might.

I hope Australia works out for you as I know people who have thought it was a fresh start for them & they've ended coming back to Britain as it wasn't what they thought.  I loved it for a holiday, wouldn't live there though.

Has the rule changed re: emigrating?  Because my dad moved there and he was 46 going on 47 when he did.   He is now an Oz citizen but even he will tell you the downside of being in Oz is that you are just SO far away from your family.

Nothing to do with the cost of transporting a dane then? :rolleyes: i cant understand why you got them if that was in the pipeline? (they are still pups arent they?) couldnt you have took them back to the breeder?

I understand how you are feeling. Today my sis had to rehome 2 of her dogs & is not too good at all. At least you know the homes will be vetted & they will be loved. If the welfare has a website you can follow their progress or poss ask to receive updates.

The rules must have changed. My godfather emigrated to Oz when he was in his 60s, but that was about 15 years ago.

The limit on age for entering Australis may be because OPs move is being sponsored by an employer? Perhaps they want a few good working years from OP as they are financing her and her family.

I hope it all works out for you :)

I exported a bitch pup to Australia and they too can only have 4 dogs over 16 weeks of age.  This is fairly common and only in the country areas are they allowed more.  Makes life as a breeder and exhibitor pretty difficult when trying to have a breeding line.

to be perfectly honest with you I would have stayed put as I couldn't let any dogs go but thats just because I couldn't choose, not even a FIFO rule would help as I just couldn't let them go.  I would rather stay in the UK then go to anywhere in the world if I couldn't have my dogs.

It must have been a hard choice for you and at least you know they will have good homes and will settle in and be just as loved and spoiled!

Go and don't have any regrets whatever happens.  It's very sad about the dogs but they are young and no doubt will find very good homes. You only get one go at this life so you do what your instincts tell you.  You might not like Oz and eventually come back or you might not go and regret it all your life wondering what might have been. At least you are going to give it a good bash and I say good luck to you :)  I wish I'd had the guts to emigrate when my kids were small.

The rules have changed because I looked into emigration (not seriously, just curious) a couple of years ago and they are very strict about who they let in and I think the age limit then was 45.  Pity we aren't half as fussy about who we let in, eh?

My daughter got back from Oz 4 wks ago.  She'd been travelling around for a year backpacking although most of the time was spent on the east coast.  She had highs and lows but you know, after week being back here she said she felt homesick.  I think she will go back and perhaps she will stay there and who could blame her, certainly not me.  At 20 years old she has little chance of owning or renting a home of her own whereas renting in Oz is as cheap as chips and that's on the sea front where you can look out and see the sharks (ok not so good) and dolphins, Cockatiels sit on your windowsil and you can wander to the beach to eat your breakfast.  She went out an angry teenager and came back a chilled adult but 4 weeks back and she is starting to stress again.  She said there is nothing except her immediate family to tie her to this country and if wasn't for wanting to see us she wouldn't have come back when she did. 

Good luck and don't forget to log on and make us all jealous when you eventually get settled. x

Thats a lovely supportive post Cheryl :) makes me almost want to go... cept they'd never let me in with my lot :D

im really excited for you, in the end it doesnt matter what other people would do, although i can understand you asking the question, you have done what is right for you and your family, and the dogs will be just fine because you have given them a good start in life.good luck, keep in touch.

The pups will be fine, dont worry too much about them.  I used to have 6 dogs when we owned our own house, but when hubby took ill, we were allocated a council bungalow and I was told by the council I could only take 1 dog with me, what a dilemma, I had to rehome, had no choice in the matter, I found homes for the dogs through family and friends.  I was later told that I could apply to have 2 dogs which I did, If I keep any more I just put them into family names and addresses and say I am watching them while the family are on holiday. If I had known then, what I know now, I still would have had my "oldies".

This broke my heart, luckily though I still see some of them, one has since died this year at the ripe old age of 15 yrs old.

My point really is, in this country depending on what type of house you live in i.e. council, or your own, or private rented,  they can say how many dogs you are allowed to have, so in reallity 4 is not bad, a lot better than 1.

Hi Louise,

Whilst I wish you every success in your new future and can imagine there seems so much planning to do at the moment.    I am very suprised that the 2 pups have went to rescue and so quickly.  This may be the thing if anything that may haunt you in the future.. If you are not going for a year plus then I would imagine that is plenty of time to find lovely homes for them, maybe even together. I think the poor pups won't know what is going on. I would have though rescue would have been only an option if for example you got to about 1 month before moving and no homes had been found.

Did you contact the breeder? what did they advise?  I am or would be suprised if the breeder didn't want to take them herself or at least dilgently help you find new homes for them over the next few months.

  Sorry if my post seems blunt I just read the post as this was the only option. Rescue for me would be the last. You don't mention in the post of other investigations you have done to find them suitable homes yourself.

Again I will say my comments are based on what I read in the post.  Perhaps it isn't the case but  I wouldnt want to encourage others reading this to think that rescue is the first option.

BTW I do support people in making changes to their life , if only to experience it. My folks have been back and forth all around the world. I have lived in a few countries growning up. I now live in Scotland but was born in Canada.

i think i would have personally have rehomed them myself as they are "your" responsilbity,rather than sticking them in rescue & letting the rescue do the work.
im sure they could have advised you on people looking etc.

seems abit of a sudden descision to me

Agree with parts of all the other posts. We dont know what life has for us around the corner and hope that we can stick with the commitment of owning a dog. I have vowed that nothing will make me give up my dog, having had to give up a dog 20 years ago ( for severe behavioural problems, taken on as a rescue, but no support to help us deal with the problems) it was so painful. However I do agree that as you have had ambitions to go to Australia for some time and actively sought sponsorship, perhaps you shouldnt have taken on the last 2 dogs 10 months ago. However I wish you all the best in Australia and please take care of your remaining 2 dogs.

to my mind if someoneones circumstances change so that they cant look after their dogs,ie illness/family/housing/ tthat is tragic & awful.

But just because someone wants a change & move to OZ?

Dogs arent Cars that you can just get rid off when you change your piorites. they are alife long committment. i feel really sorry for those danes