jordanleanne

Hi! We have submitted our EE PR application, and although we aren't sure of wait times, we do now have a lot of time on our hands!
Can anyone contribute to a checklist of things we can work on while we wait? So far here are my thoughts-

• evaluate shipping options eg. container, individual belongings, just plane luggage
• vet checks for dog travel
• prepare 'Canadian' resumes
• house valuation (we don't want to list it for sale until we get an official 'ok')
• minimize belongings eg. sell, donate, storage
• learn some basic French
• create scanned copies of all important paperwork, so we don't need to keep originals
• a recce trip!
• spend time with family and friends, Covid allowing
• make some connections in/around Calgary

What did you do that I haven't thought of? What do you with you had done in preparation? Any help is appreciated!

Hurlabrick

Have you spotted the to do list article on wiki yet, pretty much everything and more is there, just pick out what applies to you.

https://britishexpats.com/wiki/To_Do_Lists-Canada

jordanleanne

That's great thank you!
I'm especially interested in how anyone has prepared moving a pet, not so much the practicalities of measuring a crate, vaccinations etc. but any training, 'calming', setting up a new home, type of things.
Also, a bit of a UK bucket list before we go, and things we can do to help our families accept the move.

Twitcher1958

Do you have children? If so, encourage them to learn Oh Canada before they arrive and go to school.

Siouxie

Lots of threads on the subject of moving pets across and how to help the family accept you leaving.. definitely worth a search.

How big is your dog and what time of year do you anticipate moving across? That could impact how you do it - i.e. is it small enough for in the cabin, medium size that it can go as accompanied luggage, or huge meaning it will need to be sent cargo? Unless you anticipate moving back to the UK there is no need for a pet passport etc., just a fit to fly certificate (see our wiki on that too, lol) https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Categ...gistics-Canada

Crate training for the move is a good idea - i.e. getting it used to the crate/carriier etc., as is finding accommodation that will allow you to have a pet if you will be renting. When you arrive you will need to ensure your dog is used to walking on a leash/halter - depending where you end up, there may be restrictions on off leash walks (there are most places here). From the many posts I have seen dogs appear to settle quickly as long as they have their master/mistress to greet them on arrival.

UK bucket list? Depends what you like to do - perhaps visit some heritage places, castles (there's none here); a few pub garden days (there doesn't appear to be any here, just patios); take a trip to the coast, a swift visit over to France; a walk in your favourite spots; take lots of photos.... then visit all the friends and relatives you know you would like to keep in contact with..

jordanleanne

Haha thanks, we don't have kids, but maybe we should have a look at learning it anyway

I have read lots on booking a pet on to a flight, the correct crates etc. I was hoping for any anecdotes on the emotional toll of animals and their owners. We aim to fly March-May or September-October to avoid extremes of weather, for travel sake.
He is 20kg, so definitely too big for cabin, but I didn't realise there was a difference between 'cargo' and 'luggage', I'll definitely have more of a read on that. We're thinking one of us will fly ahead, and the other will follow with the dog 2/3 weeks later so we can set up a home, with dog suitable/comfortable areas, and get to know vets, walks, etc. Currently he is ok with his crate, but doesn't love it, so we are planning intensive crate training over the coming months in his new ITA crate. Leash walking is good, but I'm nervous about dog parks from things I've heard.
Regarding a sort of bucketlist, we want to fill up on the things people find they miss- I hear trees, and cheese a lot

Hurlabrick

Depends on where you live as regards trees! Try London, ON - it ain't called 'Forest City' for nothing! You want exercise, try the late autumn leaf blowing and picking up ritual.

Lichisadave

Hi we flew our then 7 year old lab over 3 years ago. I’d definitely say get him used to the crate maybe sleeping at night in it. Ours was in his crate far longer than we anticipated over 13 hours which for me was awful but once he saw us and was able to get out and go to the bathroom apart from been a bit stinky he was fine. I’d say the only thing he wasn’t sure about was all the new smells he’d be reluctant to go out in the garden alone. And the thing for me as to differences between UK and Canada is not been able to let your dog of the lead when in the country side. There are dog parks but it’s not the same as him been able to run around in a forest etc. This is in Ontario not sure about off lead rules in other provinces.

jordanleanne

Thank you for sharing! How come her was in the crate longer, how long were you anticipating? We're definitely looking to fly direct to Calgary and avoid the additional disturbance of a change. Maui is very sensitive, so we want to desensitize him to as much as possible before the move. That's interesting regarding smells, we'll know to work on that straight away when we arrive to make him happy and comfortable. I'm curious about his first experience of wildlife- especially elk call

RS_OS

I second the importance of crate training. Luckily our dog was crate trained as a puppy so didn’t have any issues being in the crate. However, he was crated for a lot longer than we expected, It was about 15 hours in total from the time he was put in the crate at Heathrow to the time he was let out at Toronto Pearson. I’m not sure if it’s the same flying in to other places or via passenger plane but he via cargo and when they land they are not directly handed over to you. He had to be checked by a vet first, then had to wait for custom papers to be signed off and handed over to us. We then had to take the customs papers to the other side of the airport (About a 15 min drive there and back) to pay the landing taxes so this added about an hour and a half on from time he landed to when we could see him and get him out of the crate.

Having said all that, he bounded out the crate to us and didn’t seem bothered at all. He was sleepy for the first few days but other than that, he wasn’t fazed by the ordeal. My husband and I were definitely more stressed that day than he was!

We flew out before he did as we wanted to make sure we were settled and prepared for when he arrived. About a week before he flew, he was given a natural calming tablet each day advised by his vet as he’s quite an anxious dog. Whether this helped or not I guess we’ll never know but I think it must have a little as the flight attendant said he was the calmest of all the dogs on that flight which didn’t at all sound like him

We also put a little square piece of his blanket in the crate with him, you’re allowed anything up to a tea towel size or clothing or bedding as we just wanted him to have a familiar scent for the time he was travelling.

jordanleanne

Thank you for sharing! Where did you fly from/to, and how long of the crate time was in flight? It's great to hear it worked out well for an anxious dog, Maui can be too- do you mind sharing what the calming tablets were, and I can enquire with our vet? Did you already have the same crate he flew in, or was the plane crate different? We are hoping to have an IATA crate we can train and desensitise, so it is the same as what he flies in. We are so excited for the move, and just want to do the best we can for our pup!

Lichisadave

Hi he was in his Crate for about 13 hours all in which was way more than I anticipated this was due to delays at Manchester and then immigration coming in to Canada there was a huge queue, this and my son having a fever as well let’s just say that wasn’t the best day for me.
You can buy a collar you put on a day or two before which emits a calming smell I will never know if it worked but thought it couldn’t hurt. As others have said I’m sure I was more stressed than my dog. The one thing I will say is find a store close by for when you do get out of the airport as he was very hungry we found a Walmart near our hotel so just grabbed a bag of kibble and a bottle of water from there. After 3 years he loves his Canada life especially the snow and now has a rescue little brother.

jordanleanne

I think I'm going to have to work on myself to not stress so much about the things that are out of my control! There's plenty of other things one of us is travelling ahead when we actually move, and the dog with fly over with the other a couple of weeks later, so I'm hoping we can take some of his regular food, and find an equivalent before he arrives- but I'll be sure that there is food and water available as soon as we pick him up at the airport!