Moving with Pets

Moving is stressful for the entire family, including our pets. They don’t understand why all of our belongings are going into boxes or why people are pacing around the house. I moved recently for the second time with my current group of pets. Flynn, my six-year-old mixed breed, is a “stress-case.” He found our last move quite disruptive and at one point decided that he wasn’t going to leave a stack of dog beds I had packed, for eight hours. So, before we went on this “lovely adventure” I wanted to make sure I made it as easy on them as possible.

Here are some things I found to help:

  1. Adaptil/Feliway – I had an Adaptil diffuser set up in our old house and new and saw MAJOR improvement. I also put an Adaptil collar on Flynn for added strength.
  2. Thundershirt – He practically lived in his shirt for a week (we took a break at bedtime).
  3. Give cats first dibs – I took my cat to our new place the day before I brought the dogs. This gave him the opportunity to scout out the house, hiding spots, new smells, etc. before worrying about the dogs being in his way.
  4. Ensure the have up to date ID – Make sure all of your pets have collars with up-to-date contact info. Moving is a whirlwind and heaven forbid they happen to slip out of the door while people are moving things in and out. I am lucky that I was able to take my dogs to my parent’s house while we did the majority of the “in and out” business. Be sure to have a safe place set up to keep them secure and out of the way.
  5. Tire them out! – Before going to the new place, I took my guys for good, off leash, romp. This lets them burn off some energy, so they were a little calmer and less anxious when we got to our new home.
  6. Patience – So, patience is a virtue that I don’t possess at all times…there, I said it. But keep in mind, their world just got turned upside down! There are new smells, new sounds and new objects (i.e. ceiling fans for Flynn) to become accustomed to. Give them time.

Enjoy the ride!

Written by Aurora Animal Clinic