I'm gunna miss them!!!

The ups and downs continue, much to my dismay. One of the redeeming facts for me of having the other two NZ keepers pull out of the exchange deal was that we were no longer obliged to stay at their house, which was unsuitable for dogs. It was a shared arrangement in a suburban house with a cat. Therefore, we could now find a house where we could take the dogs with us! Smiles, happy times, how great is this?!? For me, this possibility really cancelled out the many other problems we were going to need to overcome in order to get to NZ. Do you know where this is heading yet? That's right........ taking the dogs..... is no longer an option. We knew it was going to cost a bit of money, but in fact it turned out it would cost us $4000! I was heartbroken, devastated, frustrated and despondent. Why was everything becoming so difficult now? What are we doing? How can all of this confusion and hurt end in anything worthwhile and enjoyable? Without the dogs joining us, things seemed less exciting and comfortable. With a heavy heart I knew an alternative had to be sorted and very soon. We still don't know what the final solution will be, but we do have a last back-up plan if nothing else arises. That last plan is to pay for a few fence modifications to my mothers house, as well as a bit of gardening around her yard. She already has a dog called Tibby which is just as energetic as our two and the three of them get along really well. We would also organise and pay for someone to come an walk the dogs a few times a week, if not more. That way she doesn't have to worry about trying to fit them into her busy schedule or being dragged around while walking the three dogs, all pulling in different directions. Settling on this plan made me feel much better, but nothing was going to be as perfect as taking them with us. If something amazing comes up for us in NZ while we are over there, and we do decide to stay longer, then we will fork out the money and bring them over to us.

Having sorted out an alternative, I can now see some of the positives of leaving the dogs here, at least initially anyway. We have nowhere to stay as yet in NZ, so they possibly would have been in a boarding kennel initially while we stayed in a cabin in a park or something similar. Not having to work around pets will give us a much greater flexibility in when and what we do as we try to get our feet firmly planted on NZ soil - finding a car, getting into a routine, finding a house etc. And of course, the dogs love being at mum's place with all of the visitors she gets, running around with her dog Tibby, they know her and the family, its in a country town close to the river and so on. It has to be a better arrangement for them, too.

So now I am beginning to hate roller coasters, but this one will come to an end soon. Now it is time to focus on packing and organising ourselves at this end. My remaining peacocks, turkey and pigeons will be going in the next few weeks, as will the two Emu's. The last few chooks will stay to the end before being taken to a friends place a few days before, likewise with the dogs to my mum's place. We have a few catch-ups with friends to work in to all this, as well as getting the house ready to rent out to some lucky person/people! Through all this though, I can still see this adventure as turning in to an opportunity to enjoy life.......beyond my imagination............

Undertake something that is difficult; it will do you good. Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.

Ronald E. Osborn