How to Plan This Trip for Your Pet

Posted on 20/08/2014

Moving can be stressful, very stressful sometimes. You are wondering if everything will arrive to your new house in one piece or if you keep up with the time schedule. And as if that wasn’t enough, you are also leaving the safest place you know, your home. For a few hours you are between houses.

Maybe sometimes for a shorter period of time than others, if you are moving further down the road it may cause you less stress than if you were moving countries. We all know you have a stressful time ahead of you. But what happens to you pet when during this trying time?

Animals may come in second hand while you prioritize to keep everything under control and that is perfectly understandable. This article gives you some tips what to think about on how you can make your move smoother for you AND your pet.

First of all you need to plan your trips as carefully as you can, so there won’t be any delays on the way. For example, will there be any longer periods of time for the pet in a cage or in a dark area? Will there be any longer car journeys? You will need to take your pet to the vet before the move, just to see if there’s anything that can go wrong, if your little friend gets too stressed.
Then how do we move them? It is unlikely that your Man with Van is willing to do the extra work to move your pet with as good care as your furniture, it is not what they are there for, so this is your responsibility. Of course it is easy just to put the pet in your car and drive the way to your new home once you’re settled after it has been taken care of by your family or friend. But let’s say you are moving country and need to fly to your next home. First thing you need to do is that you will need to check which airline accepts animals, some airlines actually let you bring your pet with you in the cabin, given that they are small enough to fit in the seat. Bigger animals like dogs are often directed to the cargo area (and if it is, you really should go on the same flight and double check that your animal is placed correctly. We do not want to treat it like one of the suitcases). And keep your vet records that you got with you and make sure your pet is as ready for this flight as you are, and remember they don’t have toilets suitable for animals on the plane so make sure he or she is ‘done’ before takeoff.

Now, if you travel by car it is important to plan your route. How long is this going to take? Will we be able to stop during the way? Will we need to spend the night somewhere? Where in that case and do they aloud animals? These things are very important to think of in advance, because if not, there will be unnecessary obstacles. And keep your pet under sight during this stay since the cleaner might come in and unwillingly let the pet out or you will have to pay for a new set of curtains because your cat was bored.

Of course, some animals are easier to move than others. Dogs and cats may demand more attention than a fish but remember, all animals need your support during this time.