Dogs in Australia

As hard as it is to imagine when in the middle of that quarantine period, it does come to an end and your dog will come to live in your Australian home before you know it. As a new dog owner in Australia, here are some of the things that I needed to be aware of:-

• Heartworm is something to be aware of for dogs in Australia and you will need to get your dog treated relatively soon after entering the country. It is not something routinely treated or tested for to enter Australia and not something that was vaccinated against in, for example, the UK. For animals that have not previously been exposed to heartworm, there is a four month window in which you can safely start treatment. I took Baggy to the vet as soon as he was out of quarantine for treatment but you may also speak to the quarantine station if you would like it done sooner. There are a number of options for treatment from monthly tablets to an annual vaccination.

• Fleas and ticks do need to be regularly treated for. Paralysis ticks are a particular worry for untreated dogs. Ask your vet for advice. I use Frontline Combo once per month for my dog which is easy to use and keeps both fleas and ticks at bay.

• Registration of your pet will be necessary certainly in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia. In my experience, it was an easy process that involved a trip to the local council office, one form and a fee. The council then sent me a tag containing my dog's registration number which attaches to the collar. Here are the links to the councils' sites which you may find useful:

Dog Registration and Permits for Queensland

New South Wales Companion Animals Information

City of Melbourne Dog Registration

Dog Ownership Information for Perth, Western Australia

NB: A little tip regarding the registration process - the fees are cheaper for desexed dogs. It is not so obvious for female dogs so bring some proof with you from the vet who carried out the procedure if possible. For Baggy, fortunately it was glaringly obvious and my local vet, Kyle, just wrote me a letter confirming Baggy was desexed after a quick once-over.

• It's definitely best to read up on dog ownership in your local area but a quick pointer. You must pick up after your dogs and therefore always have poop bags on you when out with your dog.

• There are some fabulous off-leash areas for dogs to play in. Dog parks are actually the only places where you are allowed to let your pet run off the lead. Dogs must be walked on lead at all other times. The dog park in my area is just amazing - huge, clean, lots of dog play equipment and just full of dogs. In fact come about 4:30 pm onwards, anywhere between 10 and 50 of the local pups come out for play and socialising. The council also provide poop bags and fresh water for the dogs. Me and Baggy absolutely love it and he really gets a skip in his step now when we go. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks!