- Rene Macarthur and Ira Filontseva got Kumquat as a rescue puppy in China before they returned to Australia
- Quarantine delays mean the much-loved pooch won't get the all-clear to join them in Newcastle until the new year
- Kumquat's owners say they'll save their family Christmas photos until Kumquat arrives
"But we do video call him sometimes, especially when he stayed with our friends and we tried to keep in touch with him as much as we could."
"He's our baby. You can't put a price tag on a family member."
"The department acknowledges that pets are often considered a family member and being separated may cause some concern to families."
"We're gonna wait for him to arrive and we're gonna have a bit of a late Christmas photo taken together. We can't have a Christmas photo without him in it, right?"