Charter flight touches down, reuniting pets with owners separated by Covid

A special flight from Canada brought the pets home.

A charter flight from Canada filled with New Zealanders' pets has safely returned dozens of animals to their owners.

It was an emotional reunion for 11 owners in Auckland today as they were finally able to cuddle their furry whanau.

Danielle Anderson and her partner Karl hadn’t seen their husky Reid in 17 months.

"We were in the process of bringing him back from Canada when Covid hit," Anderson told 1 NEWS.

From there, organising a flight became difficult. That’s when she decided to start a Facebook group for Kiwis trying to get their pet home.

Anderson, with a combined effort from Air Canada, MPI and Worldwide Animal Travel meant 42 pets boarded the 14-hour flight from Vancouver to Auckland.

Claire Smith was in tears even before her 8-year-old cat Toby was brought out from quarantine.

"We’re inseparable, I’ve had him since he was a kitten and we do everything together. I’ve even taken him to Niagara Falls," she said.

The pair had big plans for the afternoon, including eating pringles and pizza, as well as watching a shark movie which she says is Toby’s favourite genre.

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