What To Do With Your Pet When Traveling To Canada On Business

Your pet is your best friend and a big part of your family. Owning one is a big responsibility, however. Not only do they require a lot of care, but they also need a lot of love.

When you are a frequent business traveler it puts you and your pet in a sticky situation. Weeks away from home without your pet can put a strain on both you and your fur baby. Is there a way to make sure that your pet is going to get through these periods without you?

In this article, I will go over several of the keys that you need to keep in mind when you travel frequently and have a pet. 

Should you travel with your pet?

The general answer is that a pet has no place going with you on your business trip. It could come across as being unprofessional. However, this is highly dependent on a few things. 

First of all, your pet would need to be very highly trained. Not only for the travel, but also for the times when you will be out doing your meetings and attending to business matters. If your pet is generally good for hours at a time at home unsupervised, then this likely shouldn’t be a problem. 

Then there is the case that some hotels or short term apartments may not accept pets. Many, like some short term apartments for rent Mississauga, do accept pets so it pays to ask around until you find one that does. If you will be away from your home for weeks or even months then this is a case when it makes sense to bring your pet with you. 

Lastly, will you have the time to take them for walks or feed them on a schedule? If you can’t then you will need to do some research before leaving to find a pet sitter or dog walker to be able to come by and feed them and take them for walks if you are not going to have a regular schedule. 

Regulations on bringing an animal to Canada

The Canadian government can be quite strict when it comes to taking an animal over the border. Make sure that you have everything prepared ahead of time to avoid any delays or even not being able to bring your pet across with you. 

For instance, you’ll have to have the proper documentation with you to make sure the pets are vaccinated. It also depends on the type of animal it is and how old as to what the paperwork required will be like. 

Not only are there regulations about the animal itself, but also the food that you’re allowed to bring for them. These measures are to prevent any diseases from entering Canada. You can bring a small amount of packaged pet food with you but you will need to buy the food required for a long term stay while in the country. 

Have a contingency plan

Accidents and emergencies do happen so make sure that you have a Plan B for whatever situation you decide to go with. If a pet sitter gets sick, have a backup ready to go. If you have to take the pet with you then make sure you can find a kennel in the town where you end up. Have a plan so that any emergency is as seamless as possible.