Moving House But What About The Menagerie Of Animals?

We are in the throes of moving house, with an imminent completion date, and I can honestly say that this is one of the most difficult things I have ever done, not least because of all the packing up of our house's contents but also because of the additional worries packing up a smallholding brings with it.

Moving house is right up there with the most stressful things we can put ourselves through, but imagine having to pack up a menagerie of animals and all the paraphernalia that comes with that, in addition to the contents of a house! Many of my animals have never travelled before, and if they have, it was too long ago for them to remember, so getting them onto an assortment of trailers is in itself a huge concern. I have lost countless nights’ sleep, not over worrying about whether the sale will go through but how on earth I will transport all my animals!

To add to my woes, we aren’t just moving a few miles down the road. While we will remain in Yorkshire, we are moving from West to North, so finding the right people to transport the animals and smallholding machinery a substantial distance is paramount. I have to say, however, that stumbling across Doc Automotive was a lifesaver. Our tractor, topper, and mud spreader were transported to the new house in a matter of hours. It was completely stress-free, and I can’t recommend Doc Automotive enough – I wish they could have taken all the animals!

The organisation that goes into moving house is enormous, even if you only have a pet hamster to take with you, so I am sure you can imagine the huge task ahead of us with a dozen sheep, five pygmy goats, three pigs, two Shetland ponies, three donkeys, six chickens and four dogs! Timings are crucial. There is no point in the equine transporter turning up just as the removal firm pulls down the drive to pack up our furniture and boxes. Nor is there any point in the donkeys and ponies arriving at our new property if no one is there to let them into their stables!

Added to the stress of the move is the fact that the site we are moving to is not fenced! It is with huge relief that the people we are buying from have been very accommodating. As soon as we exchanged contracts, we were allowed two weeks to fence off paddocks and get shelters in place in time for our move before completion actually took place. These two weeks were vital. Careful coordination went into the timing of the arrival of fencing contractors and the delivery of animal shelters, and things slowly started to take shape.

Once my animals are safely on site, I can relax, unpack, and prepare for Christmas in what I hope will be our ‘forever home’.

You can find Allison on Instagram countryliving_writer or visit her website here