Have you ever wondered what life is like in quarantine for pets? Photo / Supplied
With Kiwis flooding home, we've all become familiar with the reality of life in isolation for returning ex-pats.
But have you ever stopped to think about what happens to your beloved pet when you enter iso-life?
Jonathan Milne, a Kiwi living in Rarotonga, is about to put his beloved dog through just that.
Milne, along with his wife Georgie and three sons, are heading back to New Zealand as a family in a few days' time.
But their dog Rusty has already arrived and is spending his days in quarantine at Auckland Quarantine, an isolation facility for pets based in Manurewa.
It's run by Graeme and Ruth Bell as an approved MPI (Ministry of Primary Industries) transit facility.
And Graeme Bell says it's much more secure than human quarantine, with no escapees to date.
"If human quarantine was run the way we do it, there'd be no escapees!" he jokes.
"They can't escape, there's always three doors between the animals and the outside."
Dogs and cats have to spend at least 10 nights in quarantine and pass two health checks - one within three days of arriving and one on the last day.
"They're not allowed to see other animals but staff do spend a lot of time with them. And every room has a TV and comfy beds so they can lie and watch Netflix or TV all day if they want."
Staff at Auckland Quarantine share updates and photos of pets on their Facebook page for their owners. When Milne saw a photo of Rusty, he yelled out to his kids "we got photos of Rusty!" and they came running.
"Rusty seems to be happy enough," Milne says.
But bringing Rusty home has certainly come at a cost - vet fees and quarantine costs for the terrier-cross will be over $3,000 for his 17-day stay in doggy quarantine.
Milne and his family will of course also have to spend two weeks in quarantine themselves before they're reunited with their furry friend.
"He's a special little dog," Milne says. "We got him when he was 4 years old and he's now 12.
"He's just the best with the kids - he loves them. He's this tiny dog who tries to get in between them and the big dogs.
"He should be fine in quarantine, he's had a lot of changes in his life. He's been through a little bit, he was a Christchurch earthquake refugee before we got him from the SPCA.
"But he copes pretty well with change," a hopeful Milne stated.
Most pets at the facility come in from the UK, South Africa, the US, Hong Kong and Singapore, while pets coming into New Zealand from Australia can come straight in without going into quarantine.
"Most are normal household pets, a few rarer breeds come through but pretty much just moggies and dogs," Bell added.
"They get good food, and some owners like to supply their own food and toys.
"We get excellent feedback from owners on the care the pets receive."
Bell says the reunions with owners are always "joyous occasions", often with tears - something Milne can relate to as he and his family "can't wait" to see their adored Rusty.
"What our three boys are looking forward to most is coming here and giving him a big hug," he says.
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