# Aloha from Hawaii!! Considering Importing from New Zealand



## MPaul (Sep 29, 2013)

Hello all,

I posted a thread before thinking that I would be adopting a retired goldie from California but once again strict quarantine laws made that fall apart so I started my search on the other side of the pond. 

I exhausted contacts here in Hawaii trying to locate a breeder with plans for litters, so I began to contact breeders in New Zealand and Australia since there are no quarantine restrictions from there into Hawaii.

After many e-mails, I have been in contact with a breeder from New Zealand who is willing to export puppies to approved homes. Since I am so new and inexperienced I would just like a few of the forum members to take a peek at her website and offer their opinions. 

Gofetch Goldens, Golden Retrievers, Puppies, Tauranga, New Zealand

The parents for the expected litter are Cloud and Zach, both who are registered on K9data with the "big 4" clearances clearly posted (with what I assume are good numbers, but again, I am inexperienced).

As you can see, their goldies are primarily "cream" colored, but they don't "market" them this way. I believe this is simply because of the predominant English heritage of Goldies in Australia and New Zealand. She did have me fill out an "application", but honestly I didn't feel put out by any of the questions that were posed. I know it is the priority of the breeder to ensure they are sending their dogs to loving homes, and especially in the event that they are exporting puppies to people who won't get to interact with the puppy before taking them home. It requires trust on both sides of the deal I suppose! She also provided me with a reference to another breeder in Canada who imported one of their dogs.

I have spent a lot of time reading threads on this forum and I know there are many members with a lot more experience than me and with good advice, so just hoping to get a bit of that here. Thank you!!


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## Pammie (Jan 22, 2011)

How long of flight is that? :no:


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## KeaColorado (Jan 2, 2013)

HI and NZ are two of my favorite places on this planet  

Have you tried contacting the HI golden retriever club? The president, Lei Taft, is a breeder and judge from what I understand. It looks like she lives in Volcano...not sure which island you are on. Perhaps she could give you some leads?

Also, with the quarantine laws, from what I understand, the dog can complete part of its quarantine on the mainland (in CA) - you'd need to have the rabies paperwork completed 120 days before the dog would arrive. A friend of mine recently moved from CO to HI and took her dog. She was able to take him straight to her new place from the airport. 

http://hdoa.hawaii.gov/ai/files/2013/01/aqs-checklist-5DOL.pdf


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## MPaul (Sep 29, 2013)

Yes I have contacted Ms. Taft. She's the one who informed me that none of the club members were planning a litter in the near future. Aside from a scam and a couple of hobby breeders, nothing is available in the foreseeable future. 

The flight from New Zealand is approximately 7-9 hours but the breeders use companies that specialize in the transport of pets. They travel in crates in pressurized and air conditioned compartments on the plane. Not ideal but also not unheard of. Many breeders expert their pups to other breeders and also travel for shows. 

In order to import a young dog from the US mainland, the dog would be no younger than 10 months old. That would be the absolute bottom line soonest that a dog could enter hawaii assuming all of the required blood work and vaccinations have been done on time. That means the breeder must maintain physical possession of the dog and take time to carry out all of the medical clearances. This is hundreds of dollars in vet bills just for the required clearances. In addition. .. most breeders will charge boarding fees because they are now responsible for housing and feeding the dog that does not technically belong to them. This would be thousands of dollars additional to cost of the puppy. The alternative is 120 days of quarantine on Island in the facilities here with only minimum visitation. Not practical or humane for a young dog in my opinion.


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## MPaul (Sep 29, 2013)

I had to go through the clearance process in order to bring my cat into the state and have him immediately released from the airport.


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## KeaColorado (Jan 2, 2013)

I'm a bit confused about your comment about the dog being no younger than 10 months - in your first post, you mentioned a "retired" dog, which usually means retired breeding female or show dog that didn't make the cut, so in that case, the dog would be older than 10 months. I would personally feel better about an adult dog being shipped to me on a plane as opposed to a puppy, particularly if it's a retired show dog that has flown before. 

But, from NZ, if the pup flies Air New Zealand and the accommodations compare in any way to the people accommodations...let me just say that is a really fabulous airline. If you're getting a puppy from NZ, why not fly there and bring the puppy back yourself (I know it's expensive...)? If he or she is little, you should be able to bring the pup with you on the plane. 

How long do you think the wait would be for a HI-bred pup?

As a side-note, I'm going to be doing my dissertation research in Hawaii next year. I actually looked into flying Kea there with me, but we decided she and my husband would stay here. I even looked into sharing a private jet with other pet owners...I wonder if I could write the extra $10,000 into my grant. Living expenses? Travel expenses for my dependents perhaps?


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## MPaul (Sep 29, 2013)

I apologize for the confusion, and you have a good point. Let me explain:

Regardless of the age of the pet, a Rabies Titer (blood test) must be done. A blood sample is drawn and sent by the vet to a lab (in Kansas City I believe..). From the day the lab receives the blood test, the wait is 120 days before the dog can enter Hawaii. If the pet enters Hawaii before the 120 days is up, they are quarantined for the remainder of that time.

Most people do not do these tests on their pets without a reason. I know I never did...I just made sure to keep my pets' vaccinations current. So with this, any dog that would be coming from the mainland is subjected to 120 days wait plus the time it would take for the lab to receive the sample. (Vets should be overnighting the samples because it is bio)

So when it comes to puppies, the soonest they can get a rabies vaccination (if I remember correctly) is 3 months old. This isn't good enough though, since Hawaii requires 2 rounds of rabies vaccinations. The booster cannot be given within 90 days of the first shot (per Hawaii rules). That is another 3 months, and now the pup is 6 months old. Now the blood sample must be drawn and the sample sent to the lab. Another 4 months (120 days) to wait. This means that a puppy would be no less than 10 months old before it could enter the state of Hawaii. The blood sample cannot be drawn until 2 shots have been given.

So as you can see, either one of these options requires significant wait times and expenses that will undoubtedly come out of my pocket since I wouldn't feel right making a breeder or owner of an older dog continue to support the dog I intend to buy/adopt. 

Yes, there is the option of simply waiting until a reputable breeder in Hawaii decides to have another litter, but I am also not guaranteed it will be on the same island. Still a plane ride for a puppy. Granted, not nearly as long! At this point, Ms. Taft said none of the breeders associated with the GRC of Hawaii were planning a breeding until end of the year at best, most likely after the first of the year. 

My research has shown that there are several US Mainland breeders who have imported dogs from other countries to enhance their breeding stock. Is this bad practice because the dogs must travel? I wouldn't personally think so as long as there were understandings and agreements on both sides that are in the best interest of the pet. Saying it isn't practical to import a dog from New Zealand to Hawaii is almost like saying that I may as well not even be allowed to have a dog here since I will inevitably have to travel from here due to the fact I am in the military. I do not have any control over my next destination, and whatever pets I have will have to make the trip with me and it is my responsibility to ensure I am doing everything in my power to ensure their travel experience is as stress-free as possible. I wouldn't want a breeder to act in any other way when it came to the well-being of their puppies, and I trust that they have experience in these matters or else they would not consider the option. Not all breeders located in overseas locations agree to export their puppies.

I hope this clears up any confusion about the quarantine process for animals from the US Mainland. My reasons behind importing from New Zealand or Australia have nothing to do with getting a pet considered boutique or anything like that. It is simply because Hawaii does not impose the quarantine on pets arriving from those countries. Why? Because those countries have the same standards for importing animals and are considered rabies free areas.


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## MPaul (Sep 29, 2013)

I should also clarify that the rules that I am describing are the rules in place that allow for an immediate release from the airport. If all of the medical clearances and wait times have been complied with by the time the pet travels here, they are allowed to be immediately released with their owners from the airport. 

Anything less than the processes I have described will result in the pet being quarantined for up to 120 days. It is extremely expensive to quarantine pets here and the facilities are not exactly doggy daycare. You are only allowed visitation on the grounds and the facility is located on airport property...around all of that traffic and noise and business. 

I was able to get my cat cleared for immediate release because I had a 7 month notification of relocation. All of his vaccinations were current, so my only significant ordeal was ensuring the blood test wait time was met. The test is good for 3 years once it is verified. Just the vet bills for this and the required health certificates were over $200, and not to mention the cost of overnighting paperwork to the Hawaii Dept of Ag, the cost of the processing (over $100)... :uhoh:


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## SheetsSM (Jan 17, 2008)

If the local breeders are projecting litters EOY or at the beginning of 2014, that's really not that far away. Many folks pursuing a pup from a reputable breeder wait longer than that even when located in the CONUS. I would caution against flying a puppy for a long distance in the cargo hold. For those reputable breeders that are importing from other countries, they're flying out to get the pup or someone else is accompanying the pup over. I just flew my two adult goldies from the US to Korea, even with freezing water in their dishes and getting them out for a break between flights, they were quite dehydrated--a little pup may not be able to tolerate that let alone being subjected to such stress at an impressionable age. Another benefit of waiting on a local breeder is that you'll actually be able to meet at the very least, the sire & dam to see if they would be a good match plus you'll have the added benefit of having a relationship with the breeder.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

Flying a puppy on such a long flight from New Zealand would make me very nervous. And while an older dog may make a long trip just fine, puppies do need more constant care. I know two people whose dogs have died on airplanes so to me, the least amount of time on a plane the better. 

Waiting until a breeding at the end of the year or right after the first of the year is hardly waiting at all, IMO. Personally, I would at least contact the local breeders and see what their plans are. Even if you have to take a short flight because they're on a different island, it will certainly be less stress on the puppy than a long international flight. You would likely be able to put the puppy in a soft carrier as a carryon. 


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## MPaul (Sep 29, 2013)

Please don't think that I wouldn't rather work with a local breeder. At this point, I have contacted all of the breeders associated with the GRC of Hawaii to ask about their breeding plans as well as another email to Ms. Taft about her knowledge of potential litter plans for club members. None of the breeders have responded so far. In addition, the only breeder who has a website that I've been able to find is not breeding now or near future. The only contact information I have is email addresses with no way to look at pictures of their breeding dogs or pedigrees (until they respond with that information). The breeder who I am currently communicating with on the possibility of purchasing one of their puppies just happens to have a litter due by the end of the year and the puppy would travel by 12 weeks of age with a reputable company that specializes in transporting all pets. We wouldn't even get the puppy until after the first of the year.

This is the right time for me to be able to incorporate a dog into my family. Sure, I could wait indefinitely. I could wait the 2+ years until I get back to the mainland, and when I start over I can spend more time searching and waiting and hoping to find the right dog. Everyone is different and has different expectations and circumstances. I didn't post to have my circumstances scrutinized or criticized...I simply wanted an opinion on a breeder I have been talking to. Pardon my frustration, but so far I have only gotten advice to just wait around and avoid flying a dog. Any dog I get will have to fly eventually. It is a minimum 5 hour flight from here to LA. If I wait for a local puppy, the dog would still have to make the flight back to the US mainland before 2 years of age. 

As for breeders going out to get their puppies...it is still a plane ride and not likely the pet could ride in the cabin unless special arrangements were made due to the size of the required crate.


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## KeaColorado (Jan 2, 2013)

Nobody means to be discouraging, we (well, I...I can't speak for others) just want to make sure you've thought through all of your options. Dogs die on planes in cargo. I know sometimes there's no way around shipping a dog due to job relocations. I don't think I'd want to do it unless I was 100% sure I had exhausted all other options.

As for the breeder you've chosen, the first step would be to verify that all clearances are in place and there's a good effort of being involved in the breed (ask for references, in particular, other well-respected NZ breeders and past puppy buyers). The unfortunate thing is that you won't be able to go and meet the parents or see the setup. Hopefully someone with direct experience with that breeder will chime in.


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## MPaul (Sep 29, 2013)

Yeah it's frustrating to be so isolated location wise and for my only option to import for the time being. There has been a local breeder responding to me, but I think she is what most would consider a BYB. She sent me pictures and copies of clearances and pedigrees but most of the health paper work is as old as 2009. She doesn't show her dogs and they are imports from overseas. She is supposedly going to breed two of her girls, but aside from everything else that makes me nervous she wants a $350 deposit before her dogs are even bred to secure a place on the waiting list. I asked about what sort of documentation she uses that would protect my deposit but she hasn't elaborated. 

It would be much cheaper and easier to fly to the Big Island to pick up the puppy but I can't shake all the red flags.


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

Just from looking at old show results, here are some breeders that appear in Hawaii...incase you haven't seen or heard about them. 

Lalique
Canefyre
Sunrunner
Kakulakoa
Tsurutani
Sanddollar
Speyside (looks to be in NZ)


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## MPaul (Sep 29, 2013)

Sanddollar is definitely not breeding...I did talk to them early on. Speyside is NZ as I've seen them while researching overseas breeders. I'll research the other names and see if any have websites or contacts. Thanks for the info!


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Here is some contact information from the AKC for the GRCH...

American Kennel Club - Golden Retriever Club of Hawaii - OAHU - HI - 1133

ETA - looks like the GRCH has some events coming up on 1/26/14. You should be able to network if you go and hang out.


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## MPaul (Sep 29, 2013)

Now I have a dilemma. A person I contacted on the big island via eBay classifieds (bad sign?) has been corresponding quite frequently lately. She had no website so I requested current pictures and medical clearances and pedigrees all for the dogs she plans to breed (2 females with two separate males). She has so far sent everything without question. Her dogs are all European/Australian lines...and her ad listed them as English cream. She's asking $1600...which is probably a little high compared to other breeders but I have seen much higher. I did some research on the pedigrees and almost all dogs are listed in k9data but from what I can tell the clearances are UK and foreign standards so not a lot of heart stuff and an a/b rating for most hips. I went a few gens back and some were UK and looked decent. 

She doesn't show her dogs but they are titled from their previous owners. She says it's just personal preference that she doesn't show the dogs she currently has.

I need help trying to determine if she is what people would consider a responsible breeder or not. I have some questions that I still need to ask, but any advice on exactly how to make sure I'm not throwing my money away would be helpful. This would save a puppy a long plane ride and I could feasibly go to the puppy in person to bring home. I've read a lot about byb's and I'm so paranoid I could be getting into a sticky situation. She is asking for a deposit before the puppies are born and I feel the need to tell her I'm not comfortable with sending anything until the puppies are born and certainly not without some sort of guarantee......


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

If the breeder is living in the US ( which she is) then the parents of the litter should have clearances in compliance with the GRCA code of ethics. So that means OFA hips and elbows, cardiac by a board certified cardiologist and annual eye clearances. 

I'm confused about what you mean about the dogs being titled from previous owners? Do you mean that there are titled dogs in the pedigrees but the dogs themselves are not? I think $1600 is a lot for puppies out of untitled parents. And the term "English cream" is not generally used by reputable breeders. There are a lot of potential red flags here!


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## MPaul (Sep 29, 2013)

I don't believe any of the dogs she currently has are titled since she doesn't show but their pedigrees are full of titled dogs, all from Hungary and Australia/New Zealand.

Right now, the breeder in New Zealand approved me for one of her puppies and I am just in a waiting status until the puppies are born, which should be any day now since she e-mailed to tell me the mom was in labor.

No one else from the state ever contacted me with information regarding upcoming litter information.


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## MPaul (Sep 29, 2013)

The breeder we have been working with has e-mailed to say the puppies have been born!! 1 girl and 7 boys! The little girl had already been promised to a lady so we will be getting a little boy! So excited to get our puppy in 3 months...and start our journey with our first golden!


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Congratulations! I'm happy for you. Now you need to be checking flights and maybe it will be about the same to fly to NZ and take a sherpa bag for carryon and you can see NZ too! Best solution to get your new boy home to you, if you can swing it. IT'd be a tough fit for a 3 mo old- do they regularly keep them 12 weeks in NZ? Congrats again!


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## MPaul (Sep 29, 2013)

I would love nothing more than to be able to fly out there myself and pick up the little guy. I've always wanted to see New Zealand and if I'm being honest I would prefer if I could bring the puppy home myself. There's a lot of reassurance for both me and the puppy if we could make the trip together. Unfortunately, it would cost at least twice as much for that than it is going to cost strictly for the transport of the puppy.  Not ideal, but I'm trusting that the breeder would not offer to ship us a puppy if she didn't think it would be ok. She doesn't advertise that she ships puppies or anything like that, and while we won't be able to meet in person we've spoken a lot through e-mail and will be able to Skype once the puppies are older. That was her idea for letting us "interact" with the puppy before the comes over. 

The age requirement is set by the company who will be transporting the puppy and is in place specifically for international trips.


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## elly (Nov 21, 2010)

I also see potential red flags here  Do the parents have any clearances? Grandparents? Where do the UK and Australian lines come into the pedigree and how good are those hip and elbow results? Understandably you are excited to get your Golden but given your worries about byb's I would tread warily and investigate a little further just to be sure you are meeting your goal of getting a puppy from a responsible breeder. I don't know of any here that advertise on ebay but of course things may be different there but that would be my first red flag before looking further and finding she doesn't show or work the dogs and they possibly don't have clearances, tests etc.
I hope it works out well for you and they are genuine but if not, if it were me I would wait and look further. No puppies are guaranteed to have good health but we can try to ensure they have the best possible chance if we can. I also know of puppies that are out of parents without clearances and have grown up to be healthy dogs but for me, it's not a chance I would wish to take or could manage and I worry that by buying them we are encouraging more puppies to be bred from untested parents. Where there's a demand there's always those who are willing to meet it by any means  Hopefully this isn't the case with your pup and its breeder but it's hard to tell so far with what you have said.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Congratulations on your puppy!


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## MPaul (Sep 29, 2013)

Just to be clear the breeder who we are getting a puppy from is in New Zealand and yes she has all clearances ( international on well) on all dogs as well as history/pedigrees on parents/grandparents etc. She actively shows her dogs and they are all titled. Most all of the related dogs are on k9data. She is also listed on the GRC of New Zealand. 

Here is the website: Gofetch Goldens, Golden Retrievers, Puppies, Tauranga, New Zealand 

The mom is Cloud and the dad is Zach.


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## AlohaGoldens (Oct 23, 2015)

*Did your puppy arrive safely?*

Hi M.Paul. I also live in Hawaii and am considering a puppy from New Zealand. Did your pup arrive safely? Any ptsd from the long flight? Where you happy with the pup and breeder? Appreciate your response. Mahalo!


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