Tina and Amiee

“Tina is our baby.”

It was a classic case of love at first sight for Amiee when she met gorgeous Great Dane x Staffy Tina. Read to know more about the charming Tina and her international pet relocation story from Sydney to Dublin.

Amiee rescued two-year-old Great Dane x Staffy Tina from the pound in March 2019. Amiee takes a trip down memory lane as she recalls, “From the minute we laid our eyes on Tina, she was part of our family. She still is our baby, as it is just the two of us.”

Tina is a big sook. Amiee says fondly, “Tina is big and can be scary-looking to those who don’t know her, but she is the biggest sook who absolutely loves people. She loves attention and is always nearby for a pat if a hand is free.” Tina is a pet therapy dog. Amiee smiles and shares, “Every Tuesday, we go to a local nursing home and visit for two hours. She is amazing at it, and they look forward to her coming every week. The only downside is the extra pounds from all the biscuits!”

Amiee says, “Tina loves playing in water and especially loves the garden hose. She loves her toys, she throws them around in the air for herself for hours!”

Amiee and Tina share an incredible bond. Amiee says affectionately, “Tina is my shadow and is always near me. Although she can be very needy, she also likes her own company and is perfectly fine on her own. All she does is sleep! Tina prefers humans to other dogs, which is funny because her owner prefers dogs to humans! She is never aggressive to humans.”

Unfortunately, Tina did not have the best upbringing as a puppy and was treated very poorly. She had no interaction with other dogs, or any interaction she had was very negative. Amiee says, “Over the past two years, we have done lots of work with her training and getting to know her triggers as well, so we have a good idea of what she is like. She likes big dogs and is okay with little dogs as long as they don’t bark or snarl at her. However, Tina is very defensive if approached viscously by another dog. Apart from that, she is a big lovable goofball who loves food, naps and lots of attention!”

The Hegarty family was moving to Dublin. “I am from Ireland, and we are moving home. We have enjoyed our time in Australia. However, all of my family are back there, and although we love Australia, it’s not Ireland. So, we are making a move! Leaving Tina behind was never going to be an option. If it was not possible to get her back to Ireland safely, then we wouldn’t be moving. That is how serious we are about her,” says Amiee.

Amiee decided to take help from a reputed pet travel company to manage her pet’s journey from Sydney to Dublin. She spoke with a couple of other pet travel companies before reaching out to Petraveller to help with Tina’s relocation. Amiee says, “The other companies did not give me a good feeling. A lot of the quotes were very generic. I felt more confident with Petraveller as they explained everything. They were super friendly from the beginning and I felt at ease knowing Tina will be looked after.”

Thank you, Amiee, for trusting Petraveller for Tina’s international journey. We wish you a wonderful life ahead with darling Tina in Ireland.