Corbyn said the dog spent three years in Singapore with various foster families. (file)
Brisbane:
An Australian couple plans to spend thousands of dollars to rent a private jet to take their stranded dog home from New Zealand just in time for Christmas.
Munchkin, a former Bali street dog, is stuck in New Zealand, unable to travel to his owners home on Australia’s Sunshine Coast due to COVID border regulations and flight disruptions.
Owner Tash Corbin said that after a five-month separation from Munchkin and her fiancée David Denes, she decided to rent a private jet costing US$45,000 (US$32,000) for her dog and companion’s trip to Australia. had decided.
“The money part isn’t the number one driver, it’s about who can definitely get them home before Christmas,” she told AFP.
“Christmas is a really big deal for us… I want us all to be together.”
Disruptions related to the pandemic have meant that few flights are operating between New Zealand’s South Island and airports near the Sunshine Coast.
And traveling through New Zealand’s North Island, where there is currently a virus outbreak, Danes will be placed in a two-week quarantine that will last most of the festival season.
The couple are hoping to split the cost by hiring passengers, offering half of the jet bill, selling the four remaining seats to other passengers, or perhaps riding on another private charter.
If their plan is successful, it will be the final step in a five-year journey to bring the munchkin from the Indonesian island of Bali, where he was adopted as a puppy.
Corbyn said the canine spent three years in Singapore with various foster families after failing medical tests to enter Australia, which has strict rules for importing pets.
He and Danes eventually packed up and moved to New Zealand when the country accepted the munchkin in 2019, hoping to stay there temporarily until Australia approved the dog’s entry.
Corbyn eventually returned home alone for medical reasons, while Danes waited for the green light from Australia.
The whole process cost so much money that Corbyn named the dog “Million Dollar Munchkin” on social media.
“We stopped counting about three years ago when it got to US$40,000,” she said.
“We never expected at the beginning of this process that it would cost so much or take this long. We expected it to be $10,000 and six weeks.”
Corbyn said he realized the couple were “in such a privileged position” and had “no way” to ever leave the Munchkin behind.
“She’s our family now and that’s why I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love her so much and she’s such a wonderful little creature.”
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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