I have just paid PetAir the deposit required to secure their services. The first booking available in K.L is 17 March, but that allows enough time to complete the export requirements, vaccinations, and tests necessary for Nathan to be exported from the Philippines.
Hopefully Nathan will arrive home in time to enjoy Spring in New Zealand.
Good news/bad news? An amazingly supportive and generous person has agreed to loan me all the money required to make sure Nathan gets home to NZ. I'm sure you realize repaying this loan will be difficult on my very modest income,so I'm continuing this page and future donations will be added to the $1425 already given, then used to reduce the loan once Nathan is back home with us, hopefully by around August 2020.
Please continue to support Nathan and I, every $1 donated reduces the loan burden that I must repay.
I'll post updates regularly, hopefully Nathan can begin his long journey home before 18 January 2020, the date Che, CB, and Skylar begin their journey to join me at our Far North home in NZ.
This is such great news for you and your family (including Nathan!) and I am happy to continue to help when I can.
Merry Christmas!
Hi there,
I want to make a final effort to raise the remainder of the funds needed. A generous pledge already made is conditional on the remaining balance of $7000 being donated by the new closing date.
As my family's visas to live in NZ have been approved we need to begin the process of relocating Nathan as soon as possible.
Please can we all reach out to any individual or organisation that can possibly donate generously and by doing so ensure the best future life for Nathan.
Best wishes,
Graeme.
I arrived back in NZ about 3 weeks ago, mainly because increasing pain in my arthritic hip was affecting my mobility and required treatment in NZ. Leaving Nathan and my family behind was heart wrenching.
I hope I can be more effective in promoting Nathans cause from NZ as I can personally approach people and organisations rather than solely relying on emails.
Meanwhile my wife, Che, is ensuring Nathan continues to receive the love and attention he needs, and her video clips show a happy and energetic Nathan enthusiastically enjoying life.
I'm sorry to hear that you've been separated from your family for your health Graeme, that must be hard.
Do you have a Facebook page set up for Nathan? If not that would be a great next step...
Hello Graeme, It is a while since I last wrote to you with some ideas of how to raise the money to get Nathan home. My husband came up with one that you may like to try. On each weekday on channel one at 7pm is a program called Seven Sharp and they deal with all kinds of subjects. It is a popular program, at a good time of the day. Also, the main magazines of NZ, especially The New Zealand Woman's Weekly would be worth trying.
I hope you are feeling less pain now you are having treatment, it is not much fun when you can`t move freely.
All the best, Judith Morgan. Maungaturoto.
I have now contacted all the newspapers in NZ asking them to help by informing their readers of our fund raising to bring Nathan home to NZ. Next task is to contact all the main NZ magazines.
Nathan, Dixie and I enjoying playing together shortly before I traveled to the Philippines.
Most of my furniture etc is already removed as the property will soon be tenanted.
Hoping Nathan will be reunited with us in this beautiful environment around June 2020.
Please give generously so this is achieved.
We have been very busy transferring to our new house and now Nathan is in a much happier place where he has a much larger area to roam in and isn't tied up. He is also out of sight from people who might be tempted to steal or poison him ( yes, that also happens ). He is such a loving and trusting boy, nothing seems to faze him and he never complains. The hair he lost is slowly growing back, but now we must inspect him for ticks daily as they abound at this time of year, and use Frontline + to combat them. I appreciate your suggestions and encouragement and intend to contact further media people who may publicize our cause. Any further suggestions would be very welcome.
Kind Regards,
Graeme, Nathan, and family.
Hello Graeme and family, at last there is movement regarding your appeal for Nathan. I have been thinking of some other way to get things moving. I came up with an idea of involving other newspapers, and wondered if the South Island papers would help. They would all have Email addresses, so, would be possible to contact them. I suggest giving them all of Nathan's story, and let them handle it. In the meantime I will keep my thinking cap on.
Kind regards. Judith Morgan, Maungaturoto, Northland.
Hi Alwyn and Judith,
Further to your suggestion I have down loaded the email addresses of all the NZ newspapers and magazines, but I continue to be really unwell so I haven't proceeded further. I suffer from rapid and erratic heart rhythm and I'm resting waiting for it to self correct, as it usually does.
Kind Regards,
Graeme.
My stepson CB (pink shirt) and his cousin JP are great pals with Nathan. They slowly became confident around him, not easy for children who have been taught to avoid dogs because being bitten can be fatal if the dog carries rabies. They occasionally enjoy walking with Nathan and they also swim together.
Gorgeous boys Graeme! Nathan looks so happy with them :-)
I didn't realize the puzzle in my previous update didn't
include the question "who is the stupidest?".
There's no "right" answer but my vote goes to 1 who is happily leaving his fate in the hands of someone else.
Thank you all for your ideas about promoting Nathans situation. great motivation which I'm acting on after a time when I felt anxious and despondent. We had a health scare with Nathan when he quite suddenly lost hair, mostly from his legs and ears (he looked pretty shabby). After a google search seemed to identify the cause we purchased medication on line (no vets around here) and the hair has begun to grow back. I'l take some photos when he looks his handsome self again!
Hi everyone, The question constantly on my mind is " How can people donate if they haven't heard about our situation?" If you know of ways to promote our page please let me know. I have contacted NZ media, organisations, and companies with limited success, and can only keep trying, not easy from overseas. Thank you for your support, Graeme and Nathan.
Hi Graeme,
Did you try emailing Stuff (an online NZ news/lifestyle page)?
I think that is how I first heard about Maggie's storey (and I heard about Nathan through Maggie).
See the two email addresses below
Hi Graeme,
A wellingtonian by the name of James (sorry, I don't know his surname, but I suspect if you search the words James, Maggie, dog and Mexico in the Givealittle search bar you may find him) brought his girl Maggie home with him with some help from the Givealittle community. He may be able to offer you advice on how he promoted his cause.
Perhaps he can share your fundraiser on Maggie's facebook page and assist with spreading the word that way?
Good luck for the remaining funds - I look forward to your updates.
Leonie H.
Hello Graeme, I agree with Sandra and Leonie. I have some ideas also. Pass your story on to some womens` magazines, like NZ Womans Weekly, New Idea, and Womans Day. All popular with N.Z. readers. The Northern Advocate in Whangarei would also be a good one to approach about Nathan's story. Leonie mentioned approaching James (www.facebook.com/getmaggiehome). I have already contacted Maggie's owners and they have pasted your Givealittle request on their Facebook site. My husband and I were also Donors when Maggie needed help to get to N.Z. from Mexico, so we will be behind this journey with you also. You will need to keep the give a little page very active, photos, and stories to keep peoples interest going. You are going to be busy, but it will be so worthwhile. All the best, Judith Morgan.
I realized I haven't said much about Nathan. I've had companion dogs all my life, each different and special in their own way. In my opinion Nathan IS exceptional. When living at Takahue Nathan had freedom to enjoy my lifestyle block unrestrained, here we must keep him confined to protect him from the busy highway a few metres away. He seems to understand, never complains, and at least he can enjoy watching all the wonders of local life here! He is a friend to everyone, human, cat or dog he meets on his daily walks and understands NEVER to walk on the road, therefore having him on a lead is unnecessary. Thank you all for your help toward achieving our goal to return Nathan home to NZ.
Nathan enjoying his two favourite activities, swimming and retrieving. Hard to believe that when I adopted him he had never experienced the beach and was frightened by tiny wavelets. This beach is a 30 minute drive from our home in Barobo-we travel there by tricycle which is a motorbike with a sidecar ! (see gallery for "activity" photo)
Thanks to your support we can already fund the first stage of Nathan's journey. This is a 3 hour road trip from our Barobo home to the nearest regional airport at Butuan. The flight from there to Manila takes about an hour. At Manila an export agent will ensure all Nathans vet checks and documents are in order and check him in for his flight to K.L. Of course this won't actually happen until DECEMBER 2019, I'm just letting you know how your donations will help. Your generosity is deeply appreciated.
