Help Get Boo Home to Australia

Hi there my name is Natalie and I am hoping that people can help me get my fur baby home!

Boo was a rescue dog that was found at a temple where they were threatening to shoot him. He was taken to PACS, Phangan Animal Care for Strays where he was desexed, treated and adopted in 2016 by a foreigner.

I arrived on Koh Phangan (a small island in Southern Thailand) in March 2016 after already travelling for a year through SE Asia studying and exploring the world. I had saved up and my intention was to travel and put down roots overseas where I would work or run my own business. Koh Phangan ended up being that place to call home!

Back to Boo, the adoption didn’t last and Boo’s future didn’t look good as he had nowhere to go so my friend asked me to take care of him. I thought I was staying long term on Koh Phangan at this stage, I had a massive property for him to roam free on and Boo won me over straight away so it was a match made in heaven.

For the next 4 years Boo was my shadow, he followed me everywhere (incl. the toilet), was my emotional support as I went through some pretty tough and trying times, he was by BFF and we couldn’t be separated.

When COVID first hit I had just finished by Teaching English studies and was struggling to keep up enough work to live comfortably so I decided to return home in March 2020. At this stage I had to leave Boo behind with my close friends who were our neighbours while I came back to Australia to earn enough money to start Boo’s journey home. They took care of Boo for about a year while I worked my butt off and saved enough money for me to return to Thailand to organize his travels, tie up my last loose ends and bring home the remainder of my personal belongings.

So the Australian Govt. granted me an exemption to leave Australia for three months (which in itself was no easy feat) while I sorted out Boo’s examinations, tests, treatments, vet visits, pet agents in Thailand/Taiwan/Australia, navigate the logistics, fill out so much paperwork, read so many government websites to coordinate a successful export of Boo to Taiwan. He was originally meant to go through Singapore however due to COVID things suddenly got really expensive and his travel options limited.

So finally he lands in Taiwan and I return to Australia to continue to work to save for his expenses. He was due to fly home in October however when the vet did the final tests for Ehlrichia Canis he tested positive for antibodies. This blood parasite is caused by a dog being bitten by a brown tick. It can be fatal however my boy Boo is showing no signs of illness, is asymptomatic and it had gone undetected this whole time. Now to get a blood sample tested and approved, it has to go to one of 5 labs around the world that Australia will accept. This can take 3-4wks to get a result. So his flight got bumped to the 24th November so we had time to start him on a doxycycline treatment which is the most effective treatment for this blood parasite. It normally takes 4-8wks for it to take full effect and cure the condition however we didn’t have that much time to wait as the 24th November was fast approaching. So Boo had his third test after only two weeks of treatment and that has now also come back positive.

This process has cost me tens of thousands of dollars already and I simply cannot afford to keep him there until early next year while he continues treatment to see if he can then get a negative test. But this is the final option and only other way I can now get him back to home. The alternative is not so good, he either is put to sleep in Taiwan or I have to find someone to take him in Thailand. Neither of which I want as I miss my boy so badly and I want him by my side.

I went as far as to pay extra and apply for an exemption with the Australian government, and I believe if they can see that the treatment is working and his antibody count reduces he can qualify for this. They need to be able to see that he’s improving so he will need to wait longer before the next round of tests.

This has been hours of research just to even understand the process, let alone coordinate multiple people around the world in different locations, know what paperwork to fill out, lots of late or sleepless nights stressing over everything. I have spent the best part of the last two years trying to get him home to me and I don’t want to miss this final opportunity to have him by my side.

I am hoping people can find it in their hearts to support this last phase of boarding, testing and treatments so Boo can stay in Taiwan those extra months so I know I’ve exhausted all options before I give up on ever seeing him again. When I left him on the raja ferry to travel to the mainland from our island, I got him to sit and told him to “wait there, I’ll be back soon” so he patiently waited staring at the sliding doors to the inside cabin the whole trip. It breaks my heart to think that was the last moment we will ever spend together and the poor baby is still waiting for me.

I’ve poured my life savings into trying to get him home and the fact that I’m so close to getting him home is heart breaking. I’ve come so far now and for him not to make it home to me I will be absolutely devastated.

Thank you so so so much! Any contributions are so appreciated and you are helping two BFF's reunite.