Last month I moved with my pets. It had been over a decade since I last moved, even though I consider myself a “pro” at moving with pets, there were still some surprises! My moving experience has been mostly long-distance moves, the kind that took me and my dogs and cats around the world or across the country. This time I was “only” moving about a half an hour away, but as anyone who’s done a local move with or without their pets before can tell you, you still have to pack everything and plan ahead to make sure everyone arrives safely! Here are some planning and safety tip checklists for locally moving with your pets.
Packing and moving can really stress out your pets. Even if you can’t see any signs, your pet may be quietly getting freaked out, and may do something totally out of character – like bolt out the front door. Better to be prepared than surprised!
One week before you move:
__ Verify pet has current ID tag and microchip registration with multiple phone numbers.
__ Locate one crate/seatbelt harness per pet.
__ Pet crate inspection: Check for any cracks, loose fasteners, bent bars etc and repair/replace.
__ If your pet is used to staying at a friend or relative’s home, ask if they can spend moving day.
__ If you can, setup a “safe room” for your pets at your new home. This could be a large bathroom or bedroom with a door that you can lock. Keep the windows locked too, even if there are screens.
__ If you have dogs that will be out in a new yard, thoroughly inspect fencing (both top and bottom and strength) and make any needed repairs to make it extra secure.
Night before moving day:
__ Lock any cats in bedroom with you.
__ Make a “week one” box of supplies you’ll need for your pet(s) during the first week. Food, bowls, litter, litterboxes, etc. Pack this in your car or somewhere you’ll have easy access to it right away.
Day of move:
___ Before any doors are opened to start moving out your belongings, secure all pets in crates or on leash that you or a trusted family/friend holds during the packing and moving.
___ Unpack pets first! Put them in the safe room and lock the door. If you can’t lock the door, put a large X of tape on it and tape across the door handle.
First week:
Know that cats may hide for days or weeks, even cats that are not usually shy.
Keep a leash on your dogs for the first week in your new yard even if fencing seems secure.
If your cats go outdoors, wait 30 DAYS (yes, a full 30 days) before letting them outside. One theory is that cats (and dogs too) have an internal compass that takes that long to be reset. No, really! Just like homing pigeons. That’s possibly how pets manage to travel hundreds of miles and find their way home. Here’s a research article about how that and how pets detect the earth’s magnetic field. One more reason to be extra careful about keeping your pets safely contained both during and after a move.
We hope these tips help your move be a success. Welcome to your new home!
See our other articles about Traveling With Pets for more tips.
Put on “Love Me Tender” and get ready for today’s Happy Beginnings story! Nothing makes us swoon like a story of how Adopt-a-Pet.com helped a homeless pet find a new loving home. (We’d love to hear yours too, and would be happy to consider it for a future blog post too! Send your Happy Beginnings story to 
We love informative infographics that help animals! The awesome folks over at Havahart created the “Don’t Shop, Adopt: Inside the exotic pet trade” infographic below about the exotic pet trade and how it not only harms the exotics but companion pets like dogs and cats as well. Infographics are a great way to learn a lot about a specific topic visually, and this one is full of great facts and figures! Like how even if a baby exotic animal survives transportation, which most do not, they are often sent to buyers who don’t know how to properly care for them. Or how adopting your next pet from a shelter or rescue will not only save their life, but will also help lower the amount of exotic animals that are captured and traded… will also save you thousands of dollars each year! Check out the infographic below for a price comparison of how much it takes to own an exotic pet vs a companion pet and some other great information, and remember, Don’t Shop, Adopt! Thanks Havahart for spreading this important message!
Thank you for caring enough to try to find a good home for your pet! (If you are looking to 
Every creature deserves the chance at a life full of love and happiness. In this touching video, Crosby – a sweet pup born with a deformity – is given just that. Watch as this beautiful boy reaches his full potential. What an amazing story! (If you are reading this on our main blog page, please click the “Read More” link to see the video below, then click the red play icon in the middle of the video to make it play.)
Here at Adopt-a-Pet.com we receive all types of email from potential adopters. Below is one email we received recently that struck a chord with us. Nothing saddens us more than a wonderful potential home who gets frustrated trying to adopt a pet, to the point where they are considering turning to a breeder or pet store. That means instead of a homeless pet being saved, that home might be funding one of the causes of pet overpopulation — and as a result, pets being killed in shelters. That’s tragic! Especially because we KNOW that no matter what the type of pet a home wants to adopt, that pet can almost always be found in a shelter or rescue, hoping to be one of the lucky ones that gets adopted. It is true that if the potential adopter is very specific and set in what they want (say, a rare breed purebred puppy) it may take more time or driving farther. But isn’t a little patience and extra effort worth saving a pet’s life? Here’s our recent email exchange… and find out which puppy in the photo is from a breeder and which is from a rescue!
If you said trick question, we’d have to agree with you! Choosing one pet might be impossible – as they are each so special and wonderful. But choosing a bunch of your favorite pets? Well that could get a lot easier. Now, when browsing Adopt-a-Pet.com you can login with Facebook and select your favorite pets from the site to be included in your Favorite Pets List, the newest feature we’ve rolled out. You are going to love this cool new tool. Here’s why:
Recently, we held our very first ever Happy Beginnings cover model search. Thousands of heartwarming and smile-inspiring photos poured in from awesome pet adopters just like you who were out to prove that shelter pets are loving, warm, and soulful beings. And since a picture says 1,000 words, we think there may be no better way to get the message across! So, we’re doing it again!