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Life Happens - Ready or Not

by Elise Atkinson, CVT on 06/13/2010

The economy and job market have been on a lot of people’s minds in the last year or so. The topic hit home in February when my husband was laid off after 10 years with his company. Wow – that was something we hadn’t expected to happen. We knew we would be ok. He got a nice severance and I still had a job. We didn’t have any human children, just two furry ones, Destin and Derby. All they knew was that daddy was home all the time now.

We did some soul searching and decided it was time for a change. We had talked about moving before but it never felt like the right time. We decided now would be time to take the plunge and move across country. We have family in Florida so it seemed a great place to start our lives over.

So we decided to trade in our snowshoes and snowboards, for flip flops and surfboards. We were excited, and our families in Florida were, too. The dogs weren’t aware of the big decision we’d made. It’s not as if we had to tell them they were moving away from their school and all their friends.

And what about the dogs? What were the steps I needed to take to get them ready for the big move? I should know this since I am a certified veterinary technician. As Pooh says “Think. Think. Think.” But I had never done a cross country move before. I added that to my long list of things to do before the move.

This is the first part of a series of blogs where I describe getting ready for a cross country move with my dogs. Hopefully you will enjoy reading about my trials and tribulations of preparing for the journey, our four day road trip to Florida, and what happened once we arrived. Hint – we made it just fine and are learning to love the air conditioner.

Comments (6) -

Dana
Dana United States
6/13/2010 7:10:00 PM #

Very nice EC!! Can't wait to read the rest!! Love you!

Amy
Amy United States
6/15/2010 7:19:42 PM #

I completely agree... life happens whether you're ready for it or not.  And unfortunately, we can't always explain what's going on to our furry children.  I'm sure you, as a Vet Tech, will take all the necessary steps to acclimate them to their new home!  Life IS an adventure and I'm sure your furry kids are ready for this exciting new chapter! - Amy F., Denver

Stephen Franklin
Stephen Franklin United States
6/16/2010 5:57:55 AM #

Very interesting; I look forward the next part of this series.  
As a previous pet owner I was wondering if you had to give your dogs any shots before traveling to another state?  Anyway I wish you, your husband and your girls a smooth transition to into your new home and your new state.

Elise Atkinson, CVT
Elise Atkinson, CVT United States
6/16/2010 11:58:40 AM #

Different areas of the country will dictate which vaccines/preventatives your pets need.Of course some vaccines, like rabies, are mandatory in all states and in other countries, too. My dogs now will need to be on heartworm preventatives year round in Florida. Up until recently veterinarians didn't think that was necessary in Colorado because we didn't have mosquitos year round. The first real frost killed them all. My dogs will also need to be on some kind of flea/tick preventative, too.

Jane Kimmes
Jane Kimmes United States
6/21/2010 9:36:17 AM #

WOW! What a huge move for both yourselves and your dogs. How did the dogs handle moving? What did you do to make the move smoother for them?

Terri Johnson, MSS, CVT
Terri Johnson, MSS, CVT United States
6/22/2010 12:48:16 PM #

Four days in the car with 2 dogs, I'm looking forward to the rest of the story!

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