Moving with Your Dog: Settling into the New Place

Guest Post by Jackie Phillips

Remember to discard all old and temporary ID tags and put on the new permanent ones. If you were not able to order the new tags, remember to do that as soon as possible. Some pet stores have tag making machines inside their stores, and you can make new tags on your next trip. You don’t have to wait for them to arrive in the mail. If that is not possible, order them as soon as possible. Contact your dog’s microchip and/or tattoo company to give them your new address and phone number.

         Make sure the pet’s familiar objects like his toys, bed, food bowls and water are where he can find them. You may have to walk him around the new place to make sure he sees the water bowl, doors and toy box. Cats should be shown the new location of the litter box.

         If the food you have been feeding is not available in your new location, I would start as soon as possible to change him over to a new food. To do that, get a new bag and have at least one week’s worth, if possible, of the old food. Mix the new food with the old food. They will be mixed together for several days, allowing your dog’s stomach to get accustomed to the new food. Gradually increase the amount of the new food. Don’t suddenly change your dog’s food. You can easily cause an upset stomach and diarrhea that can last for days.

         Locate a new veterinarian, boarding or daycare facility or pet sitter in case the need suddenly arises. Have your former vet send over any necessary records to your new vet, including prescriptions or special diets. Your veterinarian will be able to tell you if you must get a new license tag for your pet and, if so, where you must get it from. You may need to get your dog’s license at city hall, from the local dog shelter, or even from the vet’s office itself. More rural areas might not require any licensing at all. If you need to find a new dog park, you can get listings and references from your vet, co-workers, neighbors, online chats, recreation departments and animal shelters.

         Even after you have reached your new home and have begun to settle in, be certain to maintain a regular schedule of food, treats, water and exercise for your pet. It will be very important for your dog’s sense of security if they feel they can predict some aspects of their lives, when there are a lot of changes occurring around them. Just like human, animals need a sense of routine and predictability to help them feel at ease.

What if you were not able to find a new home in your new location that takes pets?

         One of your options may be boarding in the new location. This is preferable to boarding in the old location because you are closer to your pet, and you can take them out of boarding quickly when you find a new place without having to make a long trip back. You will be able to find a new place. It may just take a little longer than if you didn’t have a pet. Your pet might also be able to stay with friends or family, preferably in the new location. If this is not possible, and you have somebody your pet can stay with in the old location, your dog may be more comfortable there than in a boarding kennel.

         Other options are short term rentals, long-term stay hotels and motels, or executive housing that allows pets. Such options are becoming more common as people move around more often, and many do allow pets. Many are also furnished, if you don’t have your furniture shipped out to you yet. And they are usually in convenient locations near other hotels, inns or business parks. A downfall to these housing options is that they can be expensive, usually much more expensive than renting an apartment.

         Despite these disadvantages, however, if such an option is available in your new location, a short-term rental might actually be less expensive, and less stressful on your pet than boarding your dog or staying with family or friends. Your new employer might have a benefit they can offer where they will assist with your temporary housing.

**This excerpt comes from my published book: “Renting with Rex: How You, Your Dog, Your Landlord and Your Neighbors Can All Thrive in Rental Housing.”

Since 1984 Jackie Phillips has been renting with dogs, cats, birds and rabbits in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California. She lived in a wide variety of types and sizes of rentals. During these experiences, she has seen a wide variety of landlords, property owners, managers, roommates and rental agreements. She also volunteered and worked in shelters and have seen many animals surrendered to shelters because their owners were unable to find a place to live. Her main objective for this book is to prevent another animal from loosing their home.

You can visit her general website at www.thesocialpet.com. You can reach her 24 hours a day at jackie@thesocialpet.com.