Your Dog's New Home
Stuff to Know Before You
Move Your Pet

If you think moving to a new home is stressful for you, imagine what it must be like for your pet.  Often when we move, we’re so busy with our own packing and preparation that we forget to give proper attention to our pets. Dogs, like many other pets, often find the new sights, sounds and especially smells of a new location to be challenging or even traumatic. The most important thing when moving with a dog is to make it feel as secure, calm and comfortable as you can.

1. Before You Move Your Dog
2. Pet News and Events
3. Off-Leash Dog Parks
4. Pet Adoption

1. Before You Move Your Dog

To help make your move more enjoyable for your pets, here is a checklist:
1. Prepare a new ID for each of them before the move with the new address and phone number, if possible. If you don’t have a new phone number yet, use a temporary emergency number.
2.  Get your animals used to being in a crate, if they are going to be transported that way, before the day of the move so that it won’t be a frightening or stressful experience.
3.  Don’t dispose of the familiar. Even if your pets' ratty old blankets don’t quite go with your great new decor, they’re familiar and comforting to them. Once they adjust to their new digs, you can swap the old blankets for the snazzy new LL Bean numbers. The same goes for their food and water bowls. Bring plenty of both from the old house.
4. Select a safe room for the newly arrived animals, with their own food and water dishes and familiar bedding already in place, and put notices on the door to warn movers not to open that door.
5. Check doors and windows. When the movers have left, make sure that all the doors and windows are secured before letting any animals out into the rest of the house.
6. We don't recommend letting cats outside, except into a fully screened porch, cattery, or a yard with special cat fencing. But we know some people like to let their cats out for some supervised garden time.
7.  Experts suggest keeping your cat inside for a minimum of one month before even attempting an outside trip. After that, the first few outings need to be brief and well supervised. Cats are very place-oriented, and there are numerous stories of cats trying to go back to their old homes.
8.  The transition from old to new will not happen overnight. There will be times when you will fear that they will never forgive you for uprooting them. But they always do. That’s the beauty of animals. It’s quite likely that your kids will still be complaining about the new school and missing their old friends long after the animals have settled in.

How to Move a Dog to a New Home | eHow.com
Don't let man's best friend get lost in the shuffle of a move. Relocating your dog to a new home can be a smooth transition .... Read Article

Help Fido Have a Stress-Free Move | MSN Real Estate
Keep your pets' routines, such as feedings and walks, as normal as possible in the week before moving. Because dogs and cats need to feel in control .... Read Article

Moving to a New Neighborhood or Town | About.Dogs
Things you should check for when you are planning to move your household and dogs to a new neighborhood or township. Read Article

Personalized Pet Moving
Move your pets in style. Fast, friendly, door-to-door service. Visit Site

2. Pet News and Events

City Dog Magazine
Best Northwest dog magazine. The place to find upcoming events, great books, and what is happening in your dog's city. Read the City Dog Blog

Itchmo: News for Dogs & Cats
Essential news, humor, and product reviews for cats, dogs, and pet owners. Read Itchmo News

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3. Off-Leash Dog Parks
Dogs are not allowed at Seattle's organized athletic fields, beaches, or children's play areas in Seattle parks, and must be on a leash in other public areas. Fortunately for our four-legged friends, the Seattle area has great dog parks, where dogs can play off-leash and socialize.

Seattle's Off-Leash Dog Parks

Dr. Jose Rizal Park | 1008 12th Ave. S
Genesee Park and Playfield | 4316 S Genesee St.
Golden Garden Park | 8498 Seaview Pl. NW
I-5 Colonnade | Beneath I-5, south of E Howe St.
Northacres Park | 12718 1st Ave. NE
Plymouth Pillars Park | Boren Ave. and Pike St.
Regrade Park | 2251 3rd Ave.
Sam Smith Park | 1400 Martin Luther King Jr Way S
Warren G. Magnuson Park | 7400 Sand Point Way NE
Westcrest Park | 9000 8th Ave. SW
Woodland Park | Aurora Ave. N and N 59th St.

For directions and more information, visit Seattle Parks and Recreation web site. 

Rogers Park | East 34th Street and East 'L' Street | Tacoma
Your dog will love exercising and socializing at Tacoma's first off-leash dog park. The fully fenced area of Rogers Park also has a hard surface play area and shelter for rainy days, and includes people friendly features, too, such as a new drinking fountain, bench and shelter.

Doggie Utopia: Marymoor's 40 Acre Off Leash Area | 6046 West Lake Sammamish Parkway Northeast
The 640 acre Marymoor Park, is not only the most popular park in the King County Park System, it is also one of the most popular parks for dog's and their people. The 40-acre off-leash area offers plenty of room to roam leash free while enjoying the spectacular natural environment. Visit the King County Parks web site for more information and driving directions.

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Seattle Animal Shelter
The Seattle Animal Shelter, located in the Interbay neighborhood of Seattle between Magnolia and downtown Seattle is a great place to find loving pets who have found themselves without a home. Visit the Seattle Animal Shelter web site for directions, as well as for online Pet Licensing, Pet Donation and Pet Adoption information.

Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue
If you'd like to add a new dog to your family, but have a specific breed in mind, visit Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue. Volunteer Breed Representatives will assist you in finding a dog in the breed you desire who is waiting for a loving family.

Adoption Center | The Humane Society for Seattle/King County
True love of the warm, fuzzy kind, comes in all shapes and sizes, and the Seattle Humane Society has been matching people to pets in need for years. Their Adoption Center is open five days a week, and their web site provides a host of behavior and care information on pet related topics.

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