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Here at Richmond Villages, we know how important your pets are. They aren’t just animals: they’re part of the family. We want your life in our community to be a wonderful experience and that’s why we allow residents to bring their pets along. After all, what is a home without your furry (or feathery or scaly!) best friend?

In fact, we’re so keen to create a pet-friendly environment that our employees bring their pets to work too. Our Letcombe Regis manager, Ian Robertson, has recently adopted a four-month-old cocker spaniel puppy, Freddie. He is the team’s favourite new co-worker and the residents’ new adoring friend, even giving out kisses to some lucky visitors. Ian himself has realised the benefits of having a pet-friendly workplace, telling us that Freddie “breaks down so many barriers and really lifts people”. Young Freddie has been bringing people at Letcombe Regis together, making friends with the residents and their dogs, lifting people’s spirits, and even encouraging Ian to explore the beautiful nature reserve attached to the village. At Richmond Villages, we want everyone to experience the joys of pet ownership, from employees to residents, and Freddie has certainly brought joy to the staff and residents of Letcombe Regis.  

We all love our pets and we want to take them with us wherever we go, but we know that moving home can be daunting when you have animal companions, even when your new home is as lovely as one of our residences. We want to make your experience as smooth and as stress-free as possible. For International Pet month, we’ve put together a list of top tips to help keep your furry friend safe and happy when moving home:

• Keep your pet in a separate room

When you’re moving, there can be a lot of people carrying heavy furniture and boxes. It’s a stressful time for you animal companion and it can be easy for them to get underfoot, hide in unwanted places, or even run out of an open door. To keep your pet safe, either shut them in an already-emptied room away from all the commotion (make sure to give them food, water, toys, and a litter tray!) or ask a trusted friend or relative to look after them on moving day. When you get to your new home, the same applies: set up one room to keep your pet safe while you get heavy furniture and boxes into position.

• Make sure you know where you packed the food bowls

We all know how frustrating it can be when your boxes are half-unpacked and you don’t know where you put the one thing you want. While we know that things will be normal soon and this new place will quickly become a home, our animals don’t know what’s going on when we move. To help settle them in as fast as possible, make sure you know where you put their regular food and water bowls and their favourite toys, blankets, and pet beds. Unpack their things as quickly as possible to give them a sense of normality and make sure they know where to find their food and water in their new home.

Top tip: avoid washing your pet’s favourite toys, blankets, and beds. The more your new home smells like them, the quicker they will settle in! It can also help to keep some laundry unwashed so your new home also smells like you.

• Settle them down into a routine

Moving can be hectic and it’s very easy to be thrown out of a routine when settling into your new home. Our pets like a sense of normality and keeping a routine can help them to feel safe and secure. Try to keep to your animal’s regular schedule: feed them when they would usually be fed and walk them when they would usually be walked. For our pets, moving home can feel like their whole world has been turned upside down and sticking to their normal routine can give them a much-needed sense of normality. It’s also important that your animal can easily find its food and water so try to keep their bowls in a consistent place.

Top tip: if you have an outdoor/indoor cat, try to keep them inside for at least a week. Once they’ve had time to realise this is their new home, they’ll know to come back when they go out to explore their new territory. Tell your old neighbours where you’ll be moving to so if your pet does go wandering, they know where to find you!  

We’re sure that if you follow this easy guide, your pet will settle into your new home in no time. The most important thing for our animal friends is to feel loved and safe. As long as they receive plenty of love and attention from their favourite people, they’ll happily go anywhere with you. And who knows? They might even make some new friends in one of our vibrant communities!  

Remember to register your pets at a local veterinary clinic as soon as you move home and always consult a vet if you have any concerns about your animal companions.