Yarra, Gilbert and Emily

“Yarra is intelligent and Gilbert is flirtatious.”

Emily relocated from Brisbane to Los Angeles to be with her family and used Petraveller to move her adorable pets, Yarra and Gilbert. She talks about her pets and explains why she chose Petraveller for Yarra and Gilbert’s international pet relocation to the United States.

Yarra is a four-year-old Kelpie x Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog. Emily brought her home when Yarra was six months old after she was given up by two different owners. Yarra is a highly intelligent dog who learns very quickly and knows all her basic commands. Emily says, “Yarra is sweet-natured and loves her family. She loves running, walking, and playing fetch with a ball. She is always very concerned and aware of her surroundings but cautious when something seems scary. Yarra loves her brother Gilbert, but when he starts to annoy her, she’ll let him know, although that is pretty rare because she’s very patient. She loves people very much and will rarely shy away from a pat or belly rub.”

Emily talks about her pets with great affection. She says, “Yarra is the intelligent, cautious and lovable one. She may be nervous at first but with some encouragement, she will be fine once she gets going. She used to be terrified of the beach and water. She’d pull in the opposite direction, but now she loves chasing her ball into the water. Yarra is a beautiful, dainty and very sweet dog. She loves little children, rock climbing, fetch, and burying her dog bones!”

Emily continues, “Yarra can be very anxious in new surroundings or loud areas. She starts shaking and panting in the car, boat, or a new place. When she’s like this, she usually does not care about food or treats but appreciates any love and affection she gets.”

Gilbert is a two-year-old Border Collie who Emily brought home from a breeder. Emily smiles and shares, “Gilbert is the goofy one between the two dogs. He is intelligent and knows his basic commands, although sometimes he pretends not to. He loves adventure, swimming, fetching, people, and chasing his sister Yarra. Gilbert loves Yarra a lot and worries when she’s not around. He is a bit of a momma’s boy and likes to be comforted and loved in stressful situations. He loves attention and pats when meeting new people.”

Emily continues, “Gilbert is food oriented, but I won’t be surprised if he doesn’t eat much on his travels due to stress. He is fine travelling in cars, however, he will chase them if given a chance. Gilbert is very reactive when it comes to other dogs. We took him to many trainers, and it is something we’re still working on. He gets hot due to his coat, drinks a lot of water, and likes swimming to cool down. He is a very sweet boy and loves people, but he has a flirtatious personality when around girls. He doesn’t understand when someone doesn’t want to pet him and will expect a lot of love from everyone!”

Emily adores her cheeky doggo. She laughs and says, “Gilbert gets very excited, so much so that he doesn’t always pay attention to his surroundings. He might run into the wall, bump his head, fall off the couch, etc. and when he does this, he gets a little embarrassed or sad and will put his head down, slowly walk over to me and expect a little cuddle for encouragement before he’s off and running again.”

Emily and her husband were moving to Los Angeles. “My husband is Australian, and I’m American, and I wanted to move back to the U.S. to be closer to my family. This was always the plan, and I wouldn’t have gotten dogs if I wasn’t planning on taking them with me. The thought of the travel for them is terrible, but the thought of putting them up for adoption is even worse, and there is no scenario in which I’d leave them behind! Yarra and Gilbert both are my babies, and they love us so much, and if I could take them on the plane with me, I 100% would,” says Emily.

Emily started looking into pet travel companies in Australia to organise Yarra and Gilbert’s safe passage to Los Angeles. Emily researched every company that does pet travel from Australia to the United States. She received plenty of quotes and emails, and spoke on the phone with almost every company. She says, “The decision was tough as it was a major one and a huge financial strain, and I wanted to ensure I was making the right choice. Ultimately, the other companies didn’t check out for many reasons. But Petraveller was always good at responding to my questions, and the reviews were good. I knew Petraveller was a newer company than the rest, but the fact that they have good ratings overall shows the business is run well. Some companies were cheaper, but the support wasn’t there. I needed to know that my dogs were well taken care of, and I felt Petraveller was the best choice in making sure that happened.”

Yarra and Gilbert had a fabulous journey and made it to Los Angeles in good health. Thank you, Emily, for trusting Petraveller with your fur babies. We wish you a wonderful life ahead and lots of exciting adventures with Yarra and Gilbert in the United States.