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Mission Impawsible

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25.01.2022 Meet Fig and Gouda. Cassandra Hampson and her partner Lisa are trying to bring their beloved cats Fig and Gouda back to Australia. I had planned to relocate back to Australia with them last April. We were so close to leaving, everything was planned for April 27th, says Cassandra Then COVID hit and we are still here. ... Luckily, we were able to put everything on hold and stay put here. We just keep postponing, postponing, postponing and feel very trapped. At this point we assume we have to stay in Canada until March at the earliest as Air Canada’s flight, Vancouver to Melbourne, is seasonal. We are holding onto a glimmer of hope that enough people can get together for an earlier flight in November, or Australia makes a necessary amendment to it’s import location. Given the volume of pets that need to get home, one import facility (PEQ) in all of Australia, in our hardest hit state is adding to back log. Under these extraordinary circumstances, we need the Australian Government to act compassionately to address this pressing issue, says Cassandra. Please sign & share our petition to help Fig, Gouda and other pets return home: https://www.change.org/missionimPAWSible

25.01.2022 Meet Frank. Angela is trying to bring Frank home from Japan. We had to leave Tokyo in March and Frank was supposed to follow in May but then flights were cancelled, so he is stranded in Tokyo. We are all missing him terribly - especially our 7 year old daughter who has never been away from her best mate for so long, says Angela. Please sign & share our petition to help Frank and other pets return home: https://www.change.org/missionimPAWSibl

24.01.2022 Thank you to Tiffanie Turnbull from AAP for covering our struggles to bring beloved pets home & the need for the Government to act now on this to deliver certainty to hundreds of Australian families

24.01.2022 Federal Government: Please help reunite families seperated and pets stranded this Father's Day.

24.01.2022 Today is International Dog Day. Thinking of everyone missing their furry family members

23.01.2022 Meet 11-year-old Exotic Shorthair cat Cinta - who is currently stranded in Minnesota and trying to get home to Melbourne. Her owner Meredith Herold has left no stone unturned to try to bring both Cinta and her Boston Terrier Otto back to Australia. We were due to leave the USA on April 4 and the pets were booked on a flight. The flight was cancelled. My husband then did return to Australia to be with our children who had both lost their jobs due to the current situatio...n. I stayed on in the US desperately trying to work something out and get flights for our fur kids. Every rock we turned just crumbled. Both Cinta and Otto have completed all the requirements, that is 180 days of preparation prior to export. Our situation was exacerbated as both our fur babies are snub nosed and not many carriers like to transport them. The longer I stayed the less likely it was to get them home to Melbourne. I decided in July, I needed to be back with my family and sadly this has meant leaving our fur kids behind. "Fortunately they are staying with a good friend. They go to the vet every 21-28 days to make sure all their export requirements remain current and we talk to them everyday via FaceTime." "We just want them home, we miss them desperately, says Meredith. Please sign & share our petition to help Cinta and other pets return home: https://www.change.org/missionimPAWSible

22.01.2022 Meet Orville. Kathy and her family of four are devastated about being separated from their English Bulldog, Orville. They are desperately trying to bring him home to Canberra from Los Angeles to Australia. He was all up to date and ready to fly home with us. Deposit paid etc, says Kathy. ... Then Qantas grounded flights from USA to Australia and because he is considered a snub nose, Qantas were the ONLY airline flying them to Australia and our beloved pet of 8 years is stuck in LA. We are all devastated and have been searching for options to get him home to us. Please sign & share our petition to help Orville and other pets return home: https://www.change.org/missionimPAWSible

20.01.2022 The real life stories of families trying to bring their pets back to Australia are featured in the Spring edition of Pet Industry News Magazine. Thank you to Caroline Zambrano, Pet Journalist for covering this! https://www.petnews.com.au//cat-and-dog-imports-to-austra/

19.01.2022 The heartbreaking reality is that many beloved family pets are at risk of being given away or worse unless the Federal Government acts. The already dire and very costly situation is clearly worsening with the continued cancellation of international passenger flights into Melbourne where the only quarantine facility is located. Many of our families have lost jobs, been unable to see loved ones for months and are facing an uncertain future on top of this issue.... Living everyday with anxiety and stress as they spend money day-after-day, hoping the Government will act and help them bring their pets home and be reunited with their children. It doesn't have to be this way. Join us in calling on the Government to allow: 1) pets landing into other cities, remaining airside and in a crate with a biosecurity seal and are immediately transferred to Melbourne for Quarantine or 2) to minimise movement in Victoria at this time and to relieve pressure on a facility at capacity - the Government permits an interim quarantine and processing of pets in other Australian cities. https://missionimpawsible.com.au/news Scott Morrison (ScoMo) Michael McCormack MP David Littleproud MP

19.01.2022 Welcome home Roxie, Poochini, Wilbur, Lulu, Bella, Bobbie, Mojo, Katut, Kaos and Gidget! The beloved pets have arrived safely on a special charter flight from Canada and are currently quarantining in Melbourne after months of trying to come home. So happy for you all and your families!... See more

17.01.2022 Sharing a notice from The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment today on the impact of COVID-19 and the Christmas shutdown period. Those trying to get their pets home will be particularly interested in this statement included, "Staged restrictions in Victoria are continuing as a result of COVID-19. Despite restrictions, animals have continued to arrive into Melbourne International Airport, been collected by the department and taken to the Post Entry Quarantine (PEQ) facility in Mickleham, without issue"... https://www.agriculture.gov.au//industry-adv/2020/145-2020

16.01.2022 So happy to share gorgeous Golden Retriever Bailey’s safe return home to Australia from Macau via Hong Kong and New Zealand. His owner, Steve says it’s such ‘a relief’ after months of being unable to get Bailey back and the family being forced to delay their return to complete his import procedures. Welcome home Mr B!

16.01.2022 Meet Lulu and Wilbur. They along with their owners, Greg and Georgia, are stranded in Banff, Canada and are unable to get home to Brisbane. They were scheduled to return back to their jobs in May. Unfortunately, due to COVID both our flights and our dogs' flights were cancelled, says Greg. We haven’t been able to get Lulu and Wilbur on flights yet, so we have all stayed put here in Banff. We have contacted the Australian Consulate in Vancouver, Smartraveller, the Depa...rtment of Agriculture, Office of the Prime Minister and several airlines on numerous occasions to try to make some headway - but to no avail. It is disappointing and frustrating to now learn that the Australian Government is looking to allow foreign students and foreign workers back into the country rather than help Australians get home. There are so many of us Australians in this situation it appears we have all been put in the 'too hard' basket, says Greg. Please sign & share our petition to help Lulu, Wilbur and other pets return home: https://www.change.org/missionimPAWSible

15.01.2022 Thank you to Anne Boxhall for covering our mission to bring pets home in the Sunday Tasmanian today @themercury.com.au https://www.change.org/missionimPAWSible

14.01.2022 Meet Poochini, who is trying to get home to Adelaide. Poochini is owner Randall Smith's special 11-year-old companion - who has been through thick and thin with him. After a major life changing health challenge for Randall, Poochini played an important role in his recovery. ... "Being a cuddle pug, he was the perfect buddy for convalescing and the long road to recovery," says Randall. In December 2019, we returned to live in Adelaide after 15 years in Canada. We had engaged a pet transporter company and Poochini was due to join us here at Easter. I miss him terribly and am so grateful to the friends who continue to care for him back in Vancouver. Please help us bring Poochini and all the other stranded pets back to their families. Please sign & share our petition to help Poochini and other pets return home: https://www.change.org/missionimPAWSible

14.01.2022 Welcome home Wolfhound Maudie and Cattledog Joey! They have arrived back safely from Vanuatu and into the arms of their owner Angie in Brisbane #pets #dogs #dog #puppy #puppylove #doglovers #dogoftheday #dogsofinstagram #petsofinstagram #puppylove #petlovers #photooftheday #instapet #missionpawsible

10.01.2022 Pets who arrived on the first charter flight from Canada were released from quarantine today and have been reunited with their families or will be over the coming days as they travel back to their home states! So happy for you all. Enjoy this really special time and cuddles with your beloved pets. Yay!! ... https://www.abc.net.au//pets-stranded-overseas-du/12890786

10.01.2022 Please sign this petition I've lodged with the House of Representatives calling on the Government to act & help bring pets stranded overseas home. Unfortunately, the committee won't accept the change.org petition (which has received nearly 12,000 signatures). Thank you! Kate https://www.aph.gov.au/petition_list?id=EN1824

10.01.2022 Hello Mission Impawsible community! I’m putting together a video of families, like ours, that aren’t with their beloved pets and/or dads this Father’s Day because we can’t get our pets home. If this is you and you’re interested in being included, please let me know! Thanks, Kate [email protected]

09.01.2022 Owner of two Bulldog mixes, Pamela has been researching relentlessly ways in which she could bring them home to Australia from Washington D.C. They will fly from Washington D.C. to Melbourne, via Dubai, says Pamela. I believe Emirates SkyCargo are also currently operating flights to Melbourne departing from JFK & Chicago O’Hare airports. Emirates SkyCargo offers this small window from November to February to fly snub-nosed pets when the weather conditions are much cooler.... I wanted to share in the hopes that it will help other families in the same position that this week we successfully booked them on an Emirates SkyCargo flight! Thanks for the impawtant community tip Pamela! Safe travels to your pups

07.01.2022 Meet Bailey. Steve is unable to bring his beautiful Golden Retriever Bailey back to Australia, so has stayed overseas in Macau. Like many Australians our family is trying to return to Australia, says Steve. We had delayed our return by three months already to complete import procedures for our beloved Golden Retriever Bailey. ... With preparations complete we find he is unable to fly to Melbourne, even after paying a total of $16,000 for a flight via New Zealand. We won’t leave him behind so have extended our lease and will stay a further 6 months. Please sign & share our petition to help Bailey and other pets return home: https://www.change.org/missionimPAWSible

05.01.2022 Meet Buddy. Caroline’s Labrador Buddy is trying to come home to Perth from Shanghai. "We adopted our dog Buddy in April when he was 4-5 months old. He was a rescue dog who had been kept in a tiny cage his whole life. He is now a beautiful 7 month old Labrador and well and truly part of our family, says Caroline. We checked with my husband’s company before we got him that they had no plans to send us home any time soon and they gave us the go ahead to get him. Then 8 week...s later they made my husband redundant. Our visas were cancelled and we had 30 days to leave China. We contacted 7 agents to try and help us get Buddy out. All but one advised it was too hard to get a dog to Australia right now due to the limited flights and quarantine availability. The one who said they could help quoted us $43,000! We did everything we could to prepare him for travel as fast as possible, in the hope that someone could help, but it’s just not possible at the moment. Unfortunately, Australia does not allow us to bring him from China so Buddy has to go to a third country first, where he will quarantine for 2 months before being allowed to travel to Melbourne. It will likely be January or February at best before he can get to Australia, then we still have to get him home to Perth. Luckily friends have taken him in and are caring for him while we wait to get him out, but we don’t have $43,000 to spend on an agent and it seems too complicated to do it ourselves due to the language barrier in China. The reduced number of flights to Australia, and backlog of pets trying to get into the quarantine facility in Melbourne have added an additional layer of stress to the situation My kids are heartbroken. They spent so many years begging for a dog then when I finally agreed to get one he has been ripped away from us, says Caroline. Please sign & share our petition to help Buddy and other pets return home: https://www.change.org/missionimPAWSible

03.01.2022 Meet Byron. Andrea Jones has been trying to bring Byron home to Melbourne from Kuala Lumpur since December. He’s only 2 and was rescued at 6 months from a breeder. He had to learn what grass is, a collar and lead, how to go up stairs. I did 4 months training to help him, says Andrea. He’s a beautiful boy. We also now face the ban on dogs with pug noses with many airlines. The hard thing to swallow is that he doesn’t have a pushed in nose. ... "We may end up flying him to Amsterdam then to Melbourne as the airlines there will take him. Luckily a good friend is minding him but all we want is our boy home." "Myself along with quite a number of expats were also ripped off by a then reputable dog relocation agent, so it’s been a double whammy. We lost money and are now faced with more costs, says Andrea. Please sign & share our petition to help Byron and other pets return home: https://www.change.org/missionimPAWSible

03.01.2022 Welcome home Bailey - who is also quarantining in Melbourne after arriving on the charter flight from Canada! So happy for you Karianne and your family

03.01.2022 Meet my dog Yuki. I haven’t seen her since April. Yuki is a much loved furry member of my family who never leaves my side. She helped me get back on my feet after I fractured my spine in a nasty accident last year. Due to the escalating situation with COVID-19, I started the process to get her back in March. Having being granted an import permit from the Government for Yuki on April 21st, we left Tokyo on April 24th.... And like many others we are unable to get a flight from Tokyo that will land directly into Melbourne where the only quarantine facility is located. I have contacted all airlines over the past 5 months. I can however get Yuki on a Qantas freight flight from Japan to Australia. She would remain airside and in crate, and is immediately transported to Melbourne on a Qantas domestic flight for quarantine with an assurance she does not come into contact with other animals. Qantas have gone above and beyond to try and help me, but there’s only so much they can do with current restrictions and Australia’s only quarantine facility being in Melbourne. So she remains stranded for the foreseeable future. It seems like madness to me that all these animals cannot get home because of Government ‘red-tape’. It’s an unprecedented time that I believe requires some shifts in policy to adapt. So I am appealing to the Government for pragmatism and compassion to help pets get home through Mission Impawsible. It’s not only me in this situation. There are many pets currently stranded overseas and many Australian families are unable to return home because they are unable to bring their pets. You can view their stories here: https://missionimpawsible.com.au/our-stories Yesterday, we lodged a petition calling on the Government to act lodged with the House of Reps. Please sign at: https://www.aph.gov.au/petition_list?id=EN1824 The change.org petition also remains open and has received nearly 12,000 signatures: https://www.change.org/missionimPAWSible Thank you for your support and help as we try to bring our beloved furry family members home! Kate xx

03.01.2022 Meet mini poodle Winnie - who is currently part way through a long trip from Manila to Canberra. If things had gone to plan she’d now be back with us and her best friends - 10 year-old Lulu and 14 year-old Rosa in our forever home in Australia, says her owner Ray. But for now she’s in Singapore waiting to get home. The prospect of not getting into Melbourne quarantine is making us worry. We want a pragmatic solution so Winnie and other pets can come home.... Please sign & share our petitions to help Winnie and other pets return home: https://www.change.org/missionimPAWSible https://www.aph.gov.au/petition_list?id=EN1824

01.01.2022 A few of you have asked if people are having success bringing their pets back from Japan. We were reunited with our dog Yuki recently after she flew with Qantas via Sydney. While Lenny and Frank are currently quarantining after flying directly from Tokyo to Melbourne with JAL. So worth getting your pet transporters to look into these options. Welcome home Lenny and Frank!! I know how much you have missed and how excited your owners, Angela and Tracey, are to be reunited with you this week!