The borders around Auckland will officially lift on 15 December and residents are champing at the bit to visit friends and family across the country for Christmas. But what about those family members who can't travel with you?
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Catteries, dog sitters and kennels in Auckland have been inundated with bookings since the border opening was announced last week, as Aucklanders try and find somewhere for their pets to stay while they are off on holiday.
Patrick Langley is the owner of Boutique Cattery in Ramarama, near Auckland's southern border.
"We've been fully booked for Christmas since April but on the day that they announced the border or lack of a border on the 15th, we got inundated with requests for bookings over the Christmas period," he said.
"I think we ended up with 16 requests for bookings but we've had to turn everybody away because we can't make space for other cats just to squeeze them in ... that's not what we do."
"All the catteries that I know in Auckland are full and they have been for some time."
"Speaking to one or two of the owners of those, they've been in exactly the same position as us, unfortunately refusing people because they haven't got the room."
After months of lockdown and missed income, Langley said the surge in bookings makes a welcome change.
"We haven't been busy at all and it's had a real financial impact on us."
He said Christmas and summer bookings are crucial.
"It's the time we make some money that will provide for the down period during the rest of the year, it's sometimes feast or famine with catteries and other businesses like ours but it will help."
"We'll never get the money back we've lost, that's gone. Obviously we missed out on school holidays on Labour Weekend and we were almost fully booked for those, we missed out we didn't get that revenue in at all and we've still got our bills to pay."
Sharon Partridge from Pets at Whitford said the past few months have been tough.
"It has been very difficult. I think everyone is in the same boat but obviously people can't go away so we haven't had that boarding revenue."
Offering other services helped cushion the blow.
"Luckily enough we were able to open for grooming and daycare at level 3 but if it wasn't for that, it would have been quite difficult. We've applied for subsidies and had help from the government but it hasn't been quite enough to be honest, it is tough times."
Partridge said the border opening announcement saw a flurry of bookings for them so if Aucklanders want to get a spot for Christmas they will need to get in fast as they are almost booked out.
Complete Canine Care in Penrose offer grooming, day care and overnight stays and centre manager Lacey Knox said they have been rushed off their feet since the announcement.
"The phones and the emails went crazy," she said.
"Lots of people calling to book in, the few days before the announcement when they indicated we would be able to leave the city we also got a lot of bookings then as well so we booked out pretty quickly."
Their business has a waitlist, but Knox said frustrated pet owners might also consider changing their boarding dates if possible.
"My advice would be to book now but try to plan your trip for outside the busy Christmas period - we have heaps of spaces from the 3rd or 4th of January so maybe going away for that second week of the Christmas break you're kind of guaranteed a spot then."
Knox said people who got new dogs recently should be aware that their pooch is used to being with the family 24/7, so they might need to do a bit of extra preparation.
"New dogs that we're seeing are quite nervous. We need pet parents to communicate with us that their dog hasn't had much socialisation or they got them just before lockdown, and that way we can help them find the right day and the right play group to match them to help ease them into daycare."
