Moving With Pets

January 21, 2015

Blog

Moving somewhere new is a huge challenge. It requires letting go of the familiar. However, the challenge becomes twice as hard when you have kids. You don’t know how they’ll adjust to the new place. You don’t know how they’ll handle the commute. They may be overwhelmed with so much change. The same applies to your furrier kids— your pets!

Good news though! There are plenty of useful tricks and tips to make moving with pets a lot less traumatic for you and the Tucson moving company of your choice.

Pre-Moving Day

You should be well versed in the rules and restrictions your new home or apartment may have. Not all landlords or homeowner’s associations are animal lovers. That may apply to your neighbors as well. You should always know the rules that are set for pets. You should also become familiar with leash laws, pet ordinances and whether or not pet licensing is required. Some apartments may charge you an additional fee for housing a pet. You don’t want to get caught housing a pet without permission. That can often lead to fines and in even worse scenarios—eviction.

Check In With Your Vet

You know your pet’s birthday. You know what their allergic to. You know their sweet spot when it comes to belly rubs. No one knows your pet better than you do, right? Actually, there may be on other person—your veterinarian. Your vet is a great resource. The abundance of knowledge and experience they’ve accumulated over the years is what makes them so resourceful. They love pets just as much as you do and have dedicated their lives to helping improve and maintain their health.

Now vets know a lot more than just health tips. They are pretty familiar with behavioral quirks and disciplining methods. Not all dogs and cats enjoy car rides. If you’re looking to move cross-country you should consider asking your vet for traveling tips. They may be able to give you suggestions about behavior modification techniques.

Back On the Market

If you’ve relocated to an entirely different city, it’s time to do the legwork and begin the search for your furry friend’s new vet. You might find that your past vet may be able to recommend someone in your area. It’s beneficial to find your new vet long before you’ve moved. You’ll find comfort in knowing that if anything were to occur, your new vet is only a phone call away.

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Several experts recommend setting up an appointment with the new vet as soon as the move is complete. This allows your pet to become familiar and well established with the new vet. You should try to create a level of comfort between you, your pet and your vet in case of emergencies.

Identification Tags & Medical Records

ID tags are more imperative, especially now that you’ve moved to a new location. Because you no longer live in your old neighborhood, you may not have the luxury of receiving phone calls from your neighbors letting you know your dog or cat ran into their yard again. For now, there’s no sense of familiarity between your pet and the new city you two call home now. Updating the address on your ID tags may seem a little bit tedious, but it will come in handy some day. Don’t put it off until it’s too late. Your updated ID tags should include your dog’s name, your name and either your home address or a phone number you can be reached.

Also, be sure to make copies of your medical records from back home before leaving. You might also be able to request an updated version of your pet’s medical records to be sent to the new veterinarian’s office.

The Big Move

Moving day can be chaos and messy. You’ve gotten plenty of help from your Tucson movers, but you may be facing an extra amount of stress because you aren’t sure what to do about your dog, cat or other household pet. Whatever the case may be, it’s always wisest to remove them from the scene entirely. Between movers lugging boxes and bodies moving in and out of the house, the house is not a pet friendly environment. Dogs and cats running amuck may put many in danger including your pet him/herself. Ask a friend or family member to watch your pet while you take care of moving.

If you’re thinking about keeping pets locked in a room for a majority of the day, you are risking making them very anxious as a result of all the noise going on. They’ll recognize that the voices inside the home aren’t yours and most likely become frazzled and impatient. If this is your only option, be sure to find a quiet room for them. Leave a large bowl of water and a sign on the door to warn others there’s a pet inside that room.

Post-Moving Day

Despite every urge to fight your handle, you shouldn’t let pets roam around the new neighborhood. Wait a while until you both feel acclimated enough to take walks without a leash. Take plenty of walks together and explore your new area. Experiment by taking different routes so that you’re both familiar with your new surroundings. Before your finally ready to let your pet off the leash, make sure nametags and collars are secure.

Getting ready for your big move but feel like the stress is starting to get to you? Fill out the form below to receive our guide to the "Most Common Moving Day Mistakes," so you can learn how to avoid unnecessary stressors.