10 | Removing stress for pets and owners Sarah and Ihaia Edwards of Hamilton Pet Transport - helping ease the anxiety of moving family pets, for both animal and owners. Hamilton Pet Transport T T Sue Russell “We like to treat animals staying with us as our own pets. It’s a real privilege to be given responsibility for their care while they’re with us.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Sarah Edwards of Hamilton Pet Transport says she was somewhat surprised and delighted to see her business met the criteria to enter this year’s Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards. “Well I just thought let’s try it given we were a relatively new business. How awesome would it be to meet the criteria,” she says. “Then I saw the event being advertised and decided to give it a go.’ She says being named one of three finalists in the ‘Emerging Business Category’ sponsored by SleepyHead was the icing on the cake for her and husband Ihaia. The couple are committed to providing the pets given over to their care with a safe and secure experience when being transported, from the couple’s bespoke pre-flight ‘comfort cabin’ for cats and dogs at their own home, to Hamilton Airport and Auckland for their overseas guest flyers. “We understand how important a pet is in a family and for those who want to have their pet relocated to destinations overseas, we’re there right from the start to ease the journey and take away the worry. “Our comfort cabin is the perfect place for a much-loved pet to settle in before the flight to their new home. We take the anxiety and worry away from the owners who already have plenty to deal with as they relocate to a new country,” Sarah says. She said it’s given them the opportunity to really consider how their business works, to establish new procedures that would deliver the very best outcomes to their pet owners and pets alike. In order to operate in the national or international pet transport sector required stringent auditing with MPI and Air NZ exporters registration. Once a pet is delivered to an airport, it’s then passed over into the capable hands of the airlines loading staff. “As an example, when a family is moving to Australia, one of our strongest destinations, we’ll pick up the pet beforehand, giving the family time to concentrate on their own travel and settling in. “We handle the animal being signed off by the export vet, provide the airline cages and take care of all the flight booking and customs clearances. “We also have teams we can use in Australia for further internal flights as well as agents throughout New Zealand at most of the airports.” Sarah’s proud of the journey so far, saying she feels she’s taken the business to where it needs to grow and wants to grow. She says there are a lot of questions to answer when Sarah’s first approached by a prospective customer. These may be whether the animal can be flown on the same flight as its family, whether the animal can be sedated, and just how Hamilton Pet Transport helps ease the natural anxiety a pet has when being separated from its owner. Sarah suggests that making contact early when a move is being planned is the best way to get all the questions answered. The comfort cabins are located on the couple’s home property. Security cameras link to Sarah and E’s devices for 24/7 surveillance to ensure security for the pets. “We like to treat animals staying with us as our own pets. It’s a real privilege to be given responsibility for their care while they’re with us. We have a lot of fun with them.” Asked how far some pets have been transported, Sarah says the majority are to Australia; however, pets have been sent to Hong Kong, Japan, China, Rarotonga, UK, Hawaii, Norway, Europe and South America. “We also do a bit of bird exporting. This is more involved with DOC playing a role. The furthest we’ve sent a pet was a rabbit to Germany/Hamburg.” Considerable time is given to following up with pet owners as to how their pet arrived at its new home. This, Sarah says, is all part of the total care package. “We want to continually improve and the best way to do this is to welcome that feedback. It’s certainly not a case of just saying ‘see you later’ for us at all.” Founded by a dedicated husband and wife team, Gabe and Mia Hagard. Together, they bring extensive experience and a deep commitment to veterinary excellence. Join our family and discover a nurturing environment where your pet's health is our top priority. Experienced & dedicated Dr Gabe Hagard BVSc, Veterinary Director Your local family owned vet clinic in Hamilton The Vet House - your 1st stop for pet health 452b Tauwhare Road, Matangi Factory Complex Ph: 07 829 5676 | www.thevet.house P 07 959 2201 M 021 176 8894 A /310 Tristram Street, Hamilton E fraser@marcroftandco.co.nz
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