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Hello. My husband & I are moving from NS to Alberta (4 day drive) as soon as we can figure out how to go about in getting there. I have a car, that I still owe on for the next 3 years so it has to come with me. Also, we have two big dogs. We don't have much experience with city driving so my inlaws are going to drive us out. One little car isn't going to fit us all. I'm open to renting through uHaul or something, but I am not sure if the four of us plus 2 dogs will even fit in that. & as far as I know it's illegal/inhumane to stick dogs in the back of a uHaul. If we had a bigger vehicle to drive out in, it would make things a lot easier. I don't want to have to put them on the plane, because it would take us four days to get there and the dogs not even a day on the plane and we have no one that could take them to the airport for us. I've thought about us ALL flying out but then I would have to pay for my car to be shipped and I've heard of them being damaged while being towed?
ANY suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
It isn't illegal to have dogs in the front of the U-haul, although you may want to double check with U-haul to make sure this wouldn't trigger an additional cleaning fee. U-haul isn't the only company in town, so I'd check with the various truck rental companies on their policies about having dogs in the cab.
If you do all fly, any company that towed your car would certainly be insured and would reasonably be expected to pay for any damage done while the car is in their care. This is why you would do joint inspections for damage at drop off and pick up.
3 people and a dog in the small car, plus 1 person and one dog in the U-haul should work. Or two people in the U-haul plus 2 people / 2 dogs in the car would also work. Or put all four people in the car and have one of the dogs drive the U-haul.
3 people and a dog in the small car, plus 1 person and one dog in the U-haul should work. Or two people in the U-haul plus 2 people / 2 dogs in the car would also work. Or put all four people in the car and have one of the dogs drive the U-haul.
Maybe one of you drives out and the other waits a couple of days and then flies out with the dogs.
That said, flying with big dogs is very expensive. You need to get special vet certificates and airline certified crates, and many carriers won't take pets in the winter or summer.
You might want to consider renting a cargo van and putting the dogs in that.
From U-Haul.... NOTE: DO NOT transport animals in the cargo area of U-Haul equipment. U-Haul moving vans and trailers are not designed for transporting animals and do not provide proper ventilation and airflow. It is a violation of the rental agreement to transport any animals in the back of U-Haul moving vans or in U-Haul trailers. U-Haul: About: Moving? Got Pets? Check Out These Moving Tips from U-Haul
Relax, and enjoy the trip. Rethink whether you really need to take things along, or they can be replaced there. Your clothes are all used, and you can buy used clothes anywhere. What make and model is your car -- maybe it's bigger (or smaller) than we think.
Take more than four days, I wouldn't want to try to make that in four days, even driving alone in a big car. If you keep that many mammals squeezed in the car that many hours a day, make sure nobody has a gun. In 7 or 8 days, it'll bel fun. In four, it won't. One thought would be to put two people on a plane, and then two drive out with dogs.
You can save about 6 hours driving time going through the US, and probably a hundred bucks in gas, as well. Your dogs will only need rabies vaccination certificates.
If transporting dogs in a trailer only violates the rental agreement, how bad can it be? You know your dogs, transport them in a way that you consider suitable, it's nobody else's business. A U-Haul Rental Agreement has the teeth and the common sense of the Twitter TOS.
U-hauls and cargo trailers have no windows, air vents, or cooling devices to keep animals alive. That's the reason it's not allowed and if you did and an animal died you'd be held liable and in some states you could be arrested for cruelty to animals. It's common sense.
Why are you worried about city driving? You'll be on interstates the entire way and have no need to drive through city centers.
Are you moving your personal goods too? You haven't mentioned furniture, clothes, household goods.
If you don't have personal goods, then you can rent a minivan instead of a U-haul.
I can't tell you how much it cost to fly two large dogs on a passenger flight. You should call the airlines that fly from NS to Alberta and get quotes from them. Then compare that to the cost of hiring a U-haul, plus accommodation on the road for those four days.
We drove from CT to MS with 2 large dogs and 2 cats. I got sedatives from my vet, and they slept for most of the time they were in the car. I made sure the back seat area they stayed in was nice and comfy with blankets and pillows. I built up the floor area of the car with lots of quilts and pillows to make it even with the back seat, so there was a nice bed for them to lie on, with room for everyone.
We stopped driving around 3 pm and stayed in pet friendly motels. I kept a litter pan, litter, water and food bowls, food and leashes for each of them in the car, and not much else. The dogs and cats were taken for a walk at the end of the day, got some exercise and did their business.
It took us 3 days to get there, but it was the easiest trip I ever made, and the animals were content and happy.
2 people plus 2 dogs is very do-able. The addition of the inlaws is what is making it a problem. How about letting the inlaws drive the U-Haul and you and your husband drive the car with the dogs?
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