(best option in Thailand imo), and my original intended travel date was October last year. Things happened, some curve balls were thrown and I didn't end up traveling to Thailand until mid December. There were no issues at all. Just be mindful that your visa will be current from that date it is issued by the embassy.
I brought my two pugs over from Aus. I used Cindy Ho from Petraveller and they were really awesome. I had to do a heap of other stuff because pugs are a difficulty breed for air travel.
It will be extremely difficult to return to Aus, but that's not something I'm looking to do anyway.
Anonymous participant 804 All the nonsense posts about getting pulled aside and being asked to prove X Y Z when entering Thailand. It simply doesn't happen