Hi all,

Just wondered if anyone can give me some advice on moving home with dogs.  I have spent my first year at uni away from my dog (a 3yr WS, Willow) and left her with my parents.  However, in around 5 months I will be moving out of halls and will be able to bring Willow up with me.  I will be transporting her about 650 miles and feel the best way is to go by car (I momentarily considered flying her, but then thought about the dangers of sedation in relation to a collie's low body fat to muscle ratio!).  I have downloaded the Dog's Trust (formerly NCDL) leaflet on movng, but just wondered if anyone has any first-hand advice on this?

Thanks in advance,

MW

My father was in the Forces, so we moved home (with dogs, cats, mice, goldfish etc) about every two years. I have probably encountered most problems - what is worrying you the most?

There was nothing specific I had in mind, just general ways to make the journey as stress-free as possible.  She loves the car anyway, so that's half the battle, and I will obviously bring an unwashed dog blanket with me for the familiar scents.  Would a 15hr+ stretch be too much, or do you think I should break the journey down into two/three smaller chunks?  I'm sure I can plan some dog-friendly travel lodges along the route!
Thanks!

MW

I should break it down into chunks. I'm assuming you'll be sharing the driving with someone? 15+ hours is way too long for one person to do at a stretch. When we moved from the Inverness area to Portsmouth (in the pre-motorway days) we took 3 days over it. Of course motorways have made it much quicker now, but it's still an exhausting drive, and there's a lot more traffic nowadays.
:)

I think one of the major considerations that people seem to over look is the time of the year that you wish to make the journey. If you are transporting dogs in the summer, then obviously their needs will be different to that of a winter trip. If you are transporting her in the summer months, then I would consider moving her in the eveing or even over night. The last thing you want to happen is to get stuck in a motorway hold up in the height of summer, with a dog and no air conditioning.

That's a very good point, and one I totally neglected to think about!  The journey would have to be overnight any way as it'll take around 15hrs (probably more to accomodate more stopping for Willow!)  I had thought of bringing her up in July/August, but I think I'll reconsider and change that to September now!  Thanks!

MW

No one should drive more than 2 hours maximum without a stop and if you were a lorry driver you would be obliged to stop after a certain number of hours :D  It is unsafe to do this journey in one day, even two would be stretching it if you are driving alone.