Moving with Pets? Five Things You MUST Do Before Leaving Your Home for Good

Aside from the Fourth of July (and all the noise associated with that day) moving is a stressful time for pets and a time when they are most likely to be scared, be a little less supervised and make a dash. If you're moving across the state or cross-country, managing your animals will be a testament to your planning and resilience.

So what can do to smooth the way and minimize the unforeseen? Consider these five steps:

1) Get a collar with tags: Whether your animals are inside animals and never wear collars, hate to wear collars, will be in a crate during travel...get a collar. Put your pet's name and your number, preferably a cell phone, on the collar. Animals dash at potty stops, when the carrier is open just for a minute...and the best chance of getting reunited is to have a collar with easy-to-read info. You can purchase tags at most national pet-store chains, on the spot. The engraving is done at a booth the size of a soda machine...pick a style/color, type the info you want printed, and the engraving starts before your eyes! It's too easy not to do and very inexpensive.

2) Crate Your Animals During Travel: Thinking that you can make a quick escape for a gas stop and close the door behind you is a mistake. The number of cats that jump through open windows at toll booths, for example, is more than you might think. Buy a big enough crate several weeks before you leave if you don't have one already, and leave it open all the time. Most animals will eventually see it as a second home; when you're ready to leave, you may get some resistance when the door is closed if you haven't done formal crate training, but letting them run loose while you're traveling is dangerous not just because of escapes, but the distraction they can cause and the danger they're in during an accident.

3) Update Your Microchip Info: If you pet has had a microchip inserted, good for you. This is one of the fastest, easiest ways to be reunited with a lost pet. BUT! If the info on your chip is old, with your old address, phone number and contact details, it won't do much good. Go on line or call the chip-company's toll-free number and update your animal's chip with your destination details before your leave town.

4) Make up "Missing" Flyers BEFORE You Need Them: Making a flyer for a missing pet is heart-breaking no matter when it's done. And if you are searching through boxes for pictures, can't get to your computer or the files for your animal's details are packed away, it can be tough to make an accurate LOST PET flyer. Make one up before you head out and print it (leaving the location info blank until you need it), which can be easily photocopied on the fly. Be sure to include either a cell number and/or the NEW number of your destination if you'll have a land line phone.

5) Register Your Pets at Your Destination BEFORE You Go: If your destination town or city or county requires you to register your pet...do it before you go. Most places have on-line registration where you can pay and get tags sent to you before you arrive. You'll know what your address is, so it should be a snap. That way, if your pet evades you at your destination, the local shelters, SPCA, etc., will already have a system in place to reunite you with your lost pal.

It's awful to think about being separated from your pets. As part of your family, you want to keep them safe, and moving-time is a particularly vulnerable time when you'll have lots to do, lots on your mind and can be easily distracted with the unfamiliar. Take a few precautions and if the unthinkable happens, you'll have a few tricks in place to create a speedy return!