Jip, Belle, Willow, Sophie and Joanne

“Leaving our pets behind was never an option. We either all go together or not at all!”

We relocated two Labrador Retrievers who worked for the Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service department, an Australian Kelpie and a Domestic Shorthair, from Melbourne to London. Here’s their pet relocation story.

Joanne rescued Jip, an Australian Kelpie when he was a pup from a puppy farm. She says, “We have had Jip all his life. Jip is almost 11 years old and has had several health issues during his life. He is quite a stoic dog, and we want to ensure his journey is as comfortable as possible, causing the least amount of stress.” Jip is quite a celebrity and has appeared on Children’s TV in the UK in a six-week programme about him and his role in the Fire and Rescue Service. Jip’s transformation from a ‘scared of his own shadow’ pup to a brave pup on the road to becoming a search and rescue dog captured the hearts of the viewers.

Belle and Willow are Labrador Retrievers who are a part of the Stephens family and worked at the Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service department in the UK. Joanne says, “We brought Belle and trained her as a search and rescue dog, and Willow used to work with me in my role of Fire Investigation for Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service.” Belle is trained to locate missing persons in collapsed buildings and has been to many incidents in her career. Willow goes into fires after they have been extinguished and has been to many fires since she became a Fire Investigation Dog.

The fourth pet of the family is a Domestic Shorthair named Sophie. Joanne says, “My daughter and I went to the local RSPCA and chose Sophie. She’s been part of our family ever since. She is a typical cat who likes to be stroked and handled on her terms. She has given us so many laughs with her personality.”

Joanne moved to Australia due to work. She says, “We relocated due to work, but unfortunately this has not worked out.” Joanne and her family were moving back to London and leaving her pets behind was not an option. She says, “Leaving Jip, Belle, Willow and Sophie behind was never an option. They are our family, and we either all go together or not at all.”

Joanne chose Petraveller to assist with the pet travel for her pets. She says, “The agency with whom we moved to Australia recommended Petraveller to us as they didn’t provide relocation services from Australia to the United Kingdom.”

We are happy to say that Jip, Belle, Willow and Sophie had a comfortable and a safe journey back to the United Kingdom. Thank you, Joanne, for trusting us with your brave pets. We wish all of you all the best for the future.