Moving With Pets

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Keep your pet within the home until it realizes that this is a HOME and not a temporary residence or it may wander off and try to find the former residence. This is especially true of cats, which should be confined for several weeks. Make your pet feel at home by using familiar dishes, blankets, toys and other items.

Check with your neighbors to determine any special problems your pet might encounter, such as the neighborhood grouch. Also, make a particular effort to keep your dog inside on garbage collection day. There are better ways to meet your new neighbors than over an upset garbage can.

If you plan to move with your pet, you may make a smooth transition from your old to your new home. But, be prepared for the unexpected. Pets cannot be shipped on moving vans, but your mover can give you advice on how to move your pet. If the pet travels with you, it will retain a sense of identity. However, pets can become frightened and bolt away from you, so keep your pet on a leash when outside your car or hotel. However, your pet travels, it should wear a special identification tag. Write the pet’s name, your name, and a destination address, or that of a friend or relative, in case you want to be reached.

With the expection of Seeing Eye Dogs, pets are not permitted on buses and trains. Notify the bus or train company that a Seeing Eye Dog is accompanying you. If you decide to ship your pet by air, arrange ahead of time regarding delivery to and pickup from the airports. Boarding may be necessary.

How to Transport

Check with the airlines to see if your pet can travel in a carrier under a seat in the cabin or must travel as air freight. Send smaller pets such as birds, hamsters, gerbils and tropical fish by air express. Airline freight department stores can supply shipping containers. Tropical fish should be packed by a local pet shop specializing in tropical fish. Ask your veterinarian about mild sedation of your pet during the trip.

Entry Requirements

States have laws on the entry of animals, with the exception of tropical fish. For information, call or write to the State Veterinarian, State Department of Animal Husbandry, or other appropriate authority. Interstate health certificates must accompany dogs and horses entering nearly all states. About half have the same requirements for other pets. In some cases, this certificate must be with the state regulatory agency in advance of the entry. Most states require an up-to-date rabies inoculation for dogs and many require it for cats. The rabies tag must be securely attached to the pet’s collar. Hawaii requires cats and dogs be quarantined for 120 days. Some pets must have an entry permit issued by the destination state’s regulatory agency. Receipt of the interstate health certificate may be required before the permit can be issued. Some states limit the time during which the entry permit is valid. A few states have border inspection of all animals being transported; others have random inspection by highway patrol officers. State agriculture representatives are usually present at airports to inspect pets arriving by air.

Local Laws

Local communities have pet control and licensing ordinances. In some cases, the number of dogs and cats per residence is limited. Large animals, such as ponies and horses, may be prohibited. Be sure to check with the city clerk or town hall for specific information.

Air Travel Checklist

Make reservations well in advance. Follow airline instructions. Obtain a shipping container a week or two in advance. Familiarize your pet with it by placing the pet in it for a few minutes each day. Carefully schedule boarding and shipping arrangements for your pet to ensure that it is well cared for until you are able to receive it at your new home. Feed the pet no less than five or six hours before flight time. Give the pet water no less than two hours before flight. Get the pet to the terminal in time. Get there at least two hours in advance if the pet is accompanying you. If shipping the pet, get to the freight terminal three hours in advance of your flight. Be careful that names, addresses and telephone numbers of persons responsible for the pet at origin and destination are clearly marked on the container and on the pet’s ID tag. Notify the person receiving the pet that it is on the way. Give them the flight and waybill number. Pets can usually be picked up within 90 minutes of flight arrival. The air waybill number is useful when making inquiries.

Travel by Car

Checklist If your dog or cat is not used to traveling by car, make short trips with it a week or two in advance of the trip to accustom it to motion and teach it how to behave. Dogs should be taught to lie quietly and not annoy the driver or passengers. Don’t let your dog stick his head in the wind. It can irritate eyes and cause problems. Cats are often frightened of car travel, but they adjust quickly. Some persons allow the cat to find its own place in the car; others feel it is best to confine a cat to its own carrier. Folding kennels or crates especially designed for station wagons and SUVs can be most useful for dogs and cats. Accustom your pet to being on a leash, and always use the leash when traveling. If you must stop overnight, check in advance to find a motel that will permit your pet to spend the night. Be sure that your pet is properly tagged and its rabies tag firmly attached. Pet travel kit: pet food, food and water dishes, can opener (if needed), a few treats, a favorite toy, a blanket, and comb or brush. Also, to be on the safe side: a sedative (if prescribed by your veterinarian), paper towels, spray room deodorant if you will be staying overnight at a hotel or motel, a scooper and several plastic bags to clean up after your pet. On arrival, you will find that your pet has the same problems adjusting as the other members of the family do. It must learn the way around the house and neighborhood. The pet must meet new neighbors, both animals and humans. It must adjust to new water and climate, and must learn where it can and cannot go.

Text courtesy of the American Moving and Storage Association.