Boxes and a leash
Moving house with a dog: the two weeks around the move
Dogs do not read calendars, but they read boxes, and a house being packed tells a dog something is wrong. This is the plan we suggest to families moving within Cape Ann or onto it.
What changes
What changes: the dog loses its map, its routine and its exits in the same week
A dog's sense of home is a map of smells, sounds and places where things reliably happen: the bowl here, the bed there, the door that means a walk. Packing dismantles that map a piece at a time, and most dogs respond in one of two ways. Some shadow you from room to room and refuse to settle; others go quiet, eat less and sleep in odd corners.
Moving day adds the one risk that matters most: an open door. Movers prop doors, gates and tailgates, strangers walk in and out, and a dog that has never bolted in its life bolts into a street it does not know. The week after, the risk flips. A new house has new exits, a fence with a gap you have not found yet, and a dog that does not yet know which way is home.
- Shadowing, pacing, refusing food or hiding are stress, not disobedience
- Moving day: propped doors, strangers and a dog that bolts into an unknown street
- The week after: unknown exits, an untested fence and a dog that cannot yet find its way back
The plan
The plan, day by day: daycare while you pack, a suite while you move, walks from the new door
Two weeks out, send the new customer form and book the free evaluation for a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30 AM if your dog is new to us. Update the number on the collar tag and the microchip record. In the last week, book a full day at $42 for each heavy packing day, so the dog spends it in a playgroup of 7 to 10 dogs on the turf.
On moving day the dog belongs in an overnight suite at $78, in a playgroup by day and a monitored suite by night. Collect it the next morning, drive it to the new house with its old bed already down in a quiet room, and leash it for every exit for a week. A solo 20-minute walk from home by our staff is $25 on the days you are unpacking; ask whether we cover the new address.
- 01
Two weeks out: new customer form, the free evaluation booked, and your new number on the tag and the chip
- 02
The last week: a full day at $42 on each heavy packing day, with the bed, bowl and leash packed last
- 03
Moving day: an overnight suite at $78, so the dog is nowhere near propped doors and movers
- 04
First night in the new house: the old bed in a quiet room, the same bowl, a leash for every exit
- 05
Weeks one and two: the same two walking routes daily, a solo walk at $25 on unpacking days, the fence checked, a bath from $55
Cape Ann specifics
The Cape Ann specifics: a new license if you cross a town line, the beach on the right day, and a van that knows both addresses
Massachusetts licenses dogs by town, so a move from Rockport to Gloucester means a new license for the same dog. In Gloucester that is the City Clerk at 9 Dale Ave with a current rabies certificate, $20 for a spayed or neutered dog plus a one-dollar fee, due by April 30; Manchester's license year runs April 1 to March 31 at $20, or $25 if the dog is not neutered.
The Pup Van covers Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea for $10 each way, so a move inside those four towns keeps the same daycare and the same van; update the address with the front desk first. For the first weekend, check the beach calendar: Gloucester's beaches take dogs from October 1 to April 30 at the time of writing, Good Harbor on even-numbered days and Wingaersheek on odd, on a long line.
- A new town means a new license: Gloucester at 9 Dale Ave, $20 plus a fee, due April 30; Manchester April 1 to March 31
- The Pup Van follows you anywhere inside the four towns for $10 each way; update the address first
- First weekend: Good Harbor on even days, Wingaersheek on odd, October 1 to April 30, on a long line
What not to do
What not to do: leave the dog loose on moving day, wash the bed, start daycare the same week, or forget the tag
Do not have the dog in the house while the movers are working, even in a closed room; someone will need the outlet behind that door. Do not wash the dog's bed before the move, because the old smell is the one thing in the new house that says home. Do not bring a dog that is new to Dogtown for its first daycare day in the same week as the move; one upheaval at a time.
Do not let the dog into the new yard until you have walked the whole fence line, and do not leave cleaning products, rodent bait or the previous owner's garage shelf where a curious dog can reach them; the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is the number if it does. Do not assume the old tag is fine; it sends a found dog to a house you no longer live in.
At Dogtown
The services that carry a dog through a move
A suite for moving day, daycare for the packing, a walk from the new door and the van that knows both addresses.
Pick-up & drop-off
The Pup Van comes to you.
Pup Van pick-up and drop-off is available for $10 each way in the Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea area. Not in the area? Ask us for pricing.
- Rockport
- Gloucester
- Essex
- Manchester-by-the-Sea
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Should my dog be at daycare or with me on moving day?
How soon after moving can my dog start daycare?
Do I need a new dog license if I move from Rockport to Gloucester?
How do I stop my dog getting out during the move?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- Gloucester dog licensing
- Manchester-by-the-Sea dog licenses
- Gloucester beaches: detailed information
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Move the boxes, not the dog's routine.
Book the free evaluation two weeks before moving day, then a suite for the day itself, and the rest of the plan falls into place.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
