New rules governing cats and dogs coming into the country are leaving some pet owners in tears of stress and frustration.
Jeni Clegg and her family recently emigrated from the UK to Brisbane and they are planning to bring their beloved poodle cross, Rosie, to join them soon.
They have fulfilled their obligations to obtain a permit to bring Rosie to Australia, but Ms Clegg said those plans were now up in the air.
"We've got two daughters aged nine and six, they just absolutely adore her. She's part of the family, she's my third baby," Ms Clegg said.
On March 1, new pet importation rules come into effect aimed at boosting Australia's protection from rabies.
Under the changes, more stringent testing and identity verification will be required.
Ms Clegg said Rosie did not meet the new requirements and it was unclear whether Rosie would still be allowed in, or whether the family would have to start the application again — a process that could take more than six months.
It was something the family was not sure would be possible or fair on their dog.
"I think that our only option would be to rehome her … it's really hard thinking about that because it's just not been an option for us," Ms Clegg said.
"I think any pet owner will understand that she's just not just a dog, she is a member of our family."
Pet owners stuck in limbo
Ms Clegg is one of many pet owners expressing stress and frustration over the new rules and what they mean for people like her.
Stacey Simcoe has been living in rural USA for a number of years and is planning to return home as soon as possible.
She said it had taken her months to obtain a permit to bring her springer spaniel, Gus, with her and now she was not sure if it would be honoured.
"I've been literally crying every time I think about it all day today. It's incredibly stressful," she said.
Ms Simcoe said she supported strong regulation and quarantine to protect Australia from rabies, but the implementation of the new rules had been confusing and stressful.
"Everything was looking like I would be able to travel in late March and now everything is up in the air," she said.
New rules to mitigate rabies risk
The Australian government says the changes are needed to boost Australia's protection from rabies amid increased international movement and trade of pets.
Assistant secretary for animal biosecurity at the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry Peter Finnin said existing permits to import pets would be honoured.
He said if people could not meet the new requirements in time their animals would have to stay in quarantine for 30 days rather than 10 days.
"Rabies is still one of the most significant diseases right around the world, there are tens of thousands of cases every year," Mr Finnin said.
"Unfortunately if you contract rabies and you've got clinical signs of rabies, it's essentially fatal.
"For the majority of those cases where an imported animal is affected by rabies that shows up within 30 days.
"And so essentially, that's a safeguard for us."
Mr Finnin said there were exceptions to the 30 days if people could show their pet came from Australia originally.
He said if rabies entered Australia it would not only be dangerous for domestic animals and people but it would also have a devastating effect on wildlife populations.
Animal welfare concerns
Ms Clegg said she understood the importance of keeping Australia rabies-free, but she was unhappy with how the rule changes had been handled and communicated.
She said she had not been able to get confirmation from the department that her dog would be allowed to travel to Australia on the permit she had already obtained, and she was upset by the increased quarantine requirement.
"I'm concerned; she's an anxious dog," Ms Clegg said.
"The thought of her in quarantine for any length of time is not one that I like to think about and 30 days is a long time."
The RSPCA declined to comment on the new rules.
But in its submission to the Australian government's review of the issue, the RSPCA said increases in quarantine times did pose potential animal welfare concerns.
It also acknowledged these concerns had to be weighed up against the serious risk posed by rabies
Mr Finnin said animals were well looked after in Australia's sole pet quarantine facility in Melbourne.
"We have a large group of really dedicated biosecurity officers working at the PEQ [post entry quarantine] facility," he said.
"They really love their job and they really care very deeply for all the animals in their care, and they're just as concerned as the owners about the animals' welfare."
Not all countries are allowed to import pets into Australia. The countries that are allowed are separated into categories according to risk, each with different requirements.
More pets coming into Australia
Mr Finnin said the number of domestic pets coming into Australia from overseas had steadily increased over the past 10 years.
He said over that time there had also been an uptick in international commercial trade in dogs and cats.
"Back in 2013, most of the pets that were moving around or coming into Australia were pets that people owned," he said.
"So it was someone bringing their pet back to Australia or migrating to Australia with their pet.
"One of the things that we've seen and other countries have seen, probably accelerated by the pandemic, is there's a stronger move now for commercial movements of pets.
"And when there are commercial drivers and commercial incentives in there, that's when some of these perverse outcomes can arise.
"We've had increasing evidence that there are people who are essentially circumventing our rabies requirements and they're doing things like producing false documentation."
Mr Finnin said the main changes were more stringent blood testing requirements and government officials in the originating country had to verify the identity of each pet.
