An Irishman went above and beyond to be reunited with his beloved dogs as they returned to him from Hong Kong.
An Irishman called David Roche recently revealed his experience of how he and his wife, Mary Jean, managed to organise the transport of their dogs from Hong Kong to Ireland.
Transporting David and Mary Jean’s four dogs – Tiffany, Principessa, Amore, and Aoife – cost the couple the expensive sum of €15,000.
David Roche and Mary Jean Gaje – true lovers of man’s best friend
David and Mary are true animal lovers and have proven that they aren’t afraid to go above and beyond when it comes to helping their pets.
“Dogs and cats are for life. If they find themselves in a difficult situation, it’s not their fault. Unfortunately, there are so many people leaving the country who are dumping the dogs, which means the rescues are full,” David explained.
“We flew 14 rescue dogs to Cork many years ago, so it wasn’t something we were unfamiliar with. I knew how well the dogs are treated in the transit facility, so this helped a lot.
“We did try to take the poodle with us, but it was too big for the plane. These types of dogs are so dependent on you that removing them feels like cruelty”.
David said about the magical moment they were reunited with their beloved dogs, “We were so worried while waiting to see them again that neither of us got a wink of sleep. Eventually, we got the call to say they were on their way home. They almost lost their minds when they saw us”.
Dogs in Hong Kong – many suffer from abuse
Unfortunately, in Hong Kong, many dogs are mistreated and regularly abused. Speaking about the harrowing stories of his dogs, David said, “We rescued Principessa off the side of a mountain after she broke her hip.
“She could have been hit by a car and crawled up there, or she could have fallen off a cliff. It’s not something we’ll ever know for sure. Amore, who is around 11, was rescued from a breeder”.
David explained that Amore was the weakest of 11 dogs and that his family adopted her after the remaining ten were rehomed. “The biggest worry about rescue dogs is that if you rehome them, they could be re-dumped,” he explained. “That’s why we took the weakest one”.
Aoife, on the other hand, had been living in a rescue shelter. “She didn’t get on with the other dogs and often found herself being attacked by them,” David recounted. “[She] was very unhappy, so we knew we had to take her with us”.
David and his wife not only adopted these dogs but also paid for their veterinary bills, even including amputating one of their legs.
Transporting dogs to Ireland from Hong Kong – an arduous process
Not only did transporting dogs to Ireland from Hong Kong cost the expensive amount of €15,000, but it also involved quite a lot of paperwork.
David revealed that the dogs “flew from Frankfurt to Dublin and from Dublin to Cork” and, as there is no flight to Dublin on Sundays, “they had to stay two days in Frankfurt, where they have a very nice place for transit animals”.
“It’s a kind of nursery for animals,” said David. “They were loaded onto the plane to Dublin before being met by the partner of the Hong Kong shipper. The dogs arrived in Cork on Monday (July 18) and, despite being shook, they were all fine”.