Aussie couple plan $44k flight for dog stranded in NZ due to Covid-19 rules

BRISBANE • An Australian couple plans to shell out tens of thousands of dollars hiring a private jet to fly their stranded dog home from New Zealand in time for Christmas.

Munchkin, a former Bali street dog, is stuck in New Zealand, unable to travel to her owners' home on Australia's Sunshine Coast due to Covid-19 border rules and flight disruptions.

Owner Tash Corbin said that after five months of separation from Munchkin and her fiance, Mr David Daynes, she had decided to hire a private jet costing A$45,000 (S$44,000) for her pooch and partner's trip to Australia.

"The money part is not the No. 1 driver, it's about who can most certainly get them home before Christmas," she said. "Christmas is a really big deal for us... I just want us all to be together."

Pandemic-related disruptions mean there are few flights operating between New Zealand's South Island and airports near the Sunshine Coast.

And travelling via New Zealand's North Island, where there is currently a virus outbreak, would put Mr Daynes in a two-week quarantine lasting through much of the festive season.

The couple is hoping to split the costs by recruiting passengers, offering to foot half of the jet bill while selling four remaining seats to other travellers, or perhaps hitching a ride on another private charter.

If their scheme is successful, it would be the final stage in a five-year journey to bring home Munchkin from the Indonesian island of Bali, where she was adopted as a puppy.

Ms Corbin said the canine spent three years in Singapore with foster families after failing medical tests to enter Australia, which has strict rules around importing pets.

She and Mr Daynes packed up and moved to New Zealand when the country accepted Munchkin in 2019, hoping to stay there temporarily until Australia approved the dog's entry.

She eventually returned home alone for medical reasons while her fiance waited for the green light from Australia.

The entire process has cost so much money that she has christened the dog "Million Dollar Munchkin" on social media.

"We stopped counting about three years ago when it got to A$40,000," said Ms Corbin.

"(Munchkin is) family now and so I wouldn't change it for the world. I love her so much and she's such an amazing little creature."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE