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The PetsitUSA Blog

    The PetsitUSA Blog

    Moving cross country with my dogs

    Posted: 09 Nov 2011 03:00 AM PST

    This past weekend Archie, Lydia and I made a big move – from Austin to Indianapolis. Yes, I know, this time of the year isn’t exactly the best time to move north, but that’s how things fell into place. Ideally I’d hoped to move in September when the weather in both places is a little easier to handle. But I didn’t want to say no when I got an offer on my house, which happened just a few weeks ago. So we packed up our stuff and made a two day drive across the country.

    I’ve moved more times than I can count, but this was the first move for the dogs. They’ve lived in the same house ever since I adopted them, and Archie especially likes being in his house. I knew it would be stressful for him. And because they’re both older and have health issues, I knew it would be hard on Lydia too. In an attempt to be ready for just about anything though, I put together a big bin of dog supplies that went with us in the car. Here are some of the things in the bin:

    Thundershirt for Archie
    Archie loves riding in the car but it makes him nervous. So, to help with that he wore his Thundershirt, which tends to calm him down a little bit.

    Drugs for Archie
    The Thundershirt helps but it doesn’t calm him down entirely, so I wanted some meds for backup. The drugs also benefit Lydia. When he gets anxious she gets irritated with him, so keeping him calm helps her (and me!) too.

    Aromatherapy
    We sprayed Canine Calm on the dogs periodically.

    Dog tags & Microchips
    Both dogs are wearing new dog tags with our new address, my phone number, and phone numbers of two of my friends here in Indiana. Their microchip info has been updated too.

    Water from home
    This is water they’re used to drinking so their tummies didn’t have to adjust to different types of water on the road.

    Poop supplies
    I don’t know what else to call this! Everything in this category involves poop. I had plenty of poop bags, doggie diapers, and training pads. When Archie gets nervous he sometimes has tummy issues, and traveling makes him nervous. I learned the hard way that I really need to be prepared for this possibility when we go on a long car ride.

    Food and treats
    In addition to their usual food, I took rice and pumpkin just in case of tummy upset. (see poop supplies!)

    Seatbelts
    The dogs are always strapped in whenever we travel and the move was no different.

    First aid kit
    What kind of pet first aid instructor would I be if this wasn’t in their suitcase?!

    Other stuff
    I also brought along toys, their favorite blanket, extra leashes, paper plates, paper towels, bowls, and of course, all of their daily medications.

    We got here safe and sound, but although the trip went relatively well, there were some low points. I’m really glad I was so well prepared – and had my niece along to help with the drive. Things could have gone way different otherwise. As it was I had to use some of the supplies I’d hoped not to use, and even had to improvise a bit.

    We’re all still recovering from the ride – and all that’s come after it – but I’ll write more about the actual drive in my next post. We’ll be in the car again tomorrow as we look for a new house to replace the old one. Personally, I think house hunting is fun but the dogs don’t seem to share my enthusiasm.