Six months since "million-dollar-Munchkin" touched down on Australian soil, her smitten owners are adamant the six years and tens of thousands of dollars spent getting their dog to Queensland's Sunshine Coast have been worth it.
Munchkin the Balinese street dog's turbulent journey home from Indonesia via Singapore and New Zealand was plagued by health conditions, quarantine rules and then COVID-19.
Owner Natasha Corbin said for the first time in Munchkin's life, the pooch's future was certain as she settled into life on the Sunshine Coast with her co-owner David Daynes.
"I remember writing down in my journal that I wanted to have days where we would go for walks on the beach with Munchkin and that this is what our life on the coast would look like, our little family spending time at the beach," she said.
"Our entire vision of what we wanted when we decided to bring Munchkin home has come true."
Ms Corbin said international media attention got them over the finish line and secured Munchkin and Mr Daynes plane tickets to Australia in time for Christmas.
"It was just absolutely amazing; I can't believe that it happened," she said.
More than 4,400 kilometres from Bali, Munchkin has attracted a devoted following.
"The best one was when we went to her vet and when we got there, the vet said, 'Oh my gosh, is this the Munchkin that I heard about on ABC Radio'," Ms Corbin said.
"They were really excited they had a little bit of a celebrity client.
"I don't know if she thinks she's more famous now than she was before, but she's always felt that she was a bit of a rock star."
Marathon effort
Ms Corbin tried to organise a charter flight for Mr Daynes and Munchkin from New Zealand to Australia before their story went viral, which secured both places on different planes.
"I really didn't think I was going to be back before February; I'd been looking at flights and looking at ways to get home and just didn't think it was going to be possible," Mr Daynes said.
"Then Natasha rang me up one day and said, 'We've got you on a charter plane, you've got three days to pack up and clean the house and move countries'."
Ms Corbin said after years of organising international foster carers for Munchkin and moving to New Zealand to be with her, it was surreal that the mission was over.
"It's still crazy to me that it took us six years and that we kept going for six years to get her home," she said.
"She was such a beautiful little puppy, and we did really get attached to her, but I think if someone had said, 'It's going to take six years and tens of thousands of dollars', we probably would have thought twice about even starting on the process."
While their determination attracted encouragement from friends and strangers, the couple has also been criticised for spending so much money on Munchkin.
"People are sharing about, 'Why wouldn't you spend it on starving children' or 'That's such a waste' [and] 'Why are you doing this'," Ms Corbin said.
"It's really for us helped us cement our reasons for what we wanted to do and why we're doing this.
"She is a family member for us."
The pair joke about hooking Munchkin up to a treadmill to power the lights to pay back her debt, but they're not taking their critics too seriously.
"At the end of the day, no one gives anyone grief when they buy a new car and I'd rather drive a second-hand car and have my mate," Mr Daynes said.
