Moving Day With Your Pets

Moving homes is a big deal. You know this. But if you’ve got pets there’s a whole other world of furball problems to ponder. Before you start growling and howling at this newly realized worry, we’ve got a few pointers to make moving day with your pets feel more like a walk in the dog park.

Plan the Move Ahead for Your Pets

If you’re moving all in one day or over a long weekend, you may need to make arrangements for your pets to be elsewhere because of all the open doors and back and forth between your old and new homes. If your pets need to be out of the way for a bit, check with close friends and family members that may be able to watch them while you get your move on.

Take Advantage of Sitter Services on Moving Day

If friends and family aren’t an option to care for your pets on moving day, consider pet sitter services like Rover to accommodate your pets while you sort out and oversee your big move. Rover allows you to connect with people in your community to find boarding and daycare services for your canines and kitties.

Isolate Pets From Moving Activity

If you don’t plan to—or can’t—have your pets stay somewhere else on moving day, do your best to keep them away from all the hustle and bustle. Consider putting them in a quiet part of your old home while you make your move. And we’d recommend moving almost everything from old home to new before transporting your pets. The shift to new rooms and walls and an entirely different yard can be stressful for pets, particularly for those more prone to anxiety, so do what you can to ease them into their new living situation. You can even go as far to set up a room or two before introducing them to their new environment. Making them comfortable can go a long way toward keeping them calm.

Let Your Vet Know You’re Moving

This is a given if you’re moving to a different area, as you’ll need to get a hold of any records or active prescriptions your pets may have in order to transfer them to a new veterinary clinic. But even if you’re just moving across town, you’ll need to update your address on your account. Your vet may also be able to recommend a new vet that is closer to your new digs.

Update Tags and Microchips

With all of the to-dos surrounding a move—booking movers, setting up new internet and power accounts, and seemingly endless packing—it’s easy to forget that your pets have a new address too! Take a few minutes to update the microchip information for your pets if they have them. And make a point to order or go get some new tags with updated address information for their favorite collars.

Pack That Pet Stuff Together

Keeping things simple is the name of the game on moving day. When it comes to your pets, you want to have everything at your disposal—and that’s much easier when it’s all in the same place. So make a list of what your pets need and make sure to keep them together. You can even pack your pet essentials in extra crates or kennels should you have them.

Some items to remember:

• Food (enough for a few days)
• Food and water bowls
• Treats (your pets deserve them!)
• Leashes/Harnesses
• Bags to clean up after your dogs on walks
• Litter box
• Litter scoop
• Beds
• Toys
• Crates, Kennels, and Carriers
• Blankets