How to make a big move easier on your pets

If you're planning a move and concerned about helping your furry friend adapt, Taylor Bennett from the Bennett Property Shop is here with some strategies!

Pet owners who have moved before likely know how difficult the transition can be on their animals, and as one real estate broker says, there’s no way to help them understand what’s going on.

“You can’t sit them down and talk to them and tell them what’s going on, what new changes they’re going to have, so they’re a little stressed and sometimes we forget about them during the move a little bit,” Taylor Bennett of the Bennett Property Shop told CTV Your Morning Ottawa on Thursday.

Luckily, Bennett says there are steps that can be taken on the big day and ahead of time to make things a little easier for owners and their pets.

“You want to make sure they have as much steady and calm as possible,” Bennett said. “Cause if they’re calm and steady, you’re going to be a little bit calm and steady as well.”

Before the move

Bennett says pet owners should start preparing their companions for the move well ahead of the actual day.

To start, Bennett suggests leaving some moving boxes out around the house, so the animals can familiarize themselves with them. From there, Bennett recommends bringing animals to the new house or neighbourhood ahead of the big day, that way it won’t be wholly unfamiliar to them come moving day.

“Bring them into the new house, let them smell the new areas,” Bennett said. “Smell is really, really important for dogs and cats.”

Lastly, Bennett suggests fixing up a spot for your pets to stay while you’re moving out of your current home.

“All your house will be turned on its head, there will be boxes and things like that everywhere,” he said. “So, have a little corner, a little area for them with their dog bed, their blanket, their favorite toys. Make sure they have an area to go to when they feel stressed out.”

During the move

Moving day can be especially chaotic, and even more so when there’s an animal to keep an eye on, Bennett says.

“There’s a lot going on and there’s a lot of risk for a dog or a cat to leave and nobody would know,” Bennett said.

Bennett recommends attaching a tracking device to your pet’s collar so that if they manage to sneak out of the house, you can find them easily.

“If they do happen to duck out the door and nobody happened to notice, you can look on your phone, see where they’ve run off to,” Bennett said.

As you did when you were packing up your old house, Bennett suggests finding an area in your new house where your pet can hide while you’re moving in.

“Maybe it’s not their permanent area they’re going to be living in, maybe it’s a room upstairs or downstairs in the basement. Set that up again with their favorite dog bed and their blanket,” he said.

After the move

Once you’ve settled in at your new place, take some time to settle your pets into their normal routines, Bennett says.

“Make sure you kind of copy what they previously had at their former home,” Bennett said.

Bennett suggests keeping them on their regular schedules, diets, and routines as best you can to give them a sense of normalcy.

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