Moving day, Florida, December 2016
Nine years ago this week, Mauricio and I were behind the wheel of a brand-new Dodge Durango, staring down 3,753 miles of highway from Washington State to Florida. In December. With three dogs.
We had Ava, our 120-pound Russian Ovtcharka. Otto, our 20-pound French Bulldog who refused to get out of the car at rest stops. And Ginger, our 20-pound Jack Russell/American Bulldog mix who pulled like a bulldozer despite her size.
We had less than 60 days from job offer to move-in day. That's the reality of corporate relocations — you don't get six months to plan. You get two months, maybe less, and you figure it out as you go. That move changed everything for us. It was the moment we realized: if we were going to keep moving with our dogs, we needed to stop winging it and start documenting what actually worked.
"We had less than 60 days from job offer to move-in day. You don't get six months to plan — you figure it out as you go."
December 2016
The Route
We chose the southern I-10 route to dodge winter weather — not taking chances with black ice and mountain passes with three dogs in the back. Seven days, six hotels, one week of learning lessons the hard way.
The open road through Joshua Tree
Our Day Three detour — worth every mile
What We Learned
The Lessons We Didn't Expect
We booked a hotel online that said "pet-friendly." When we arrived, the front desk said two-pet maximum. I showed them the confirmation, asked for the manager, explained we were relocating. They let us stay. The takeaway: always call ahead. Policies are guidelines, not laws — and a polite phone call before you arrive can change everything.
Otto refused to get out of the car at rest stops for the first two days. He'd just sit there, firmly planted. Eventually biology won. Stress changes their behavior in ways you can't predict — build in patience and flexibility, especially early in the trip.
Wrestling three dogs into an elevator at 2 AM is not something you do more than once. Request the first floor, near an exit. Hotels will accommodate if you ask when you call ahead — and this pairs perfectly with Lesson 1.
Ginger got carsick on Day 2. We weren't prepared. After that, paper towels and enzymatic cleaner stayed in the front footwell — not buried in the back under dog beds. Accidents happen. Be ready for them with instant access, not a ten-minute excavation.
Pack backup collars, backup leashes, and a backup harness. A $20 spare is cheaper than losing your dog in a strange state at a highway rest stop. We learned this the almost-hard way.
"Since 2016 we've driven our dogs over 8,500 miles across four moves — twice across the country and all the way from Paris to Málaga. Every move taught us something the last one didn't."
The Full Story
Read the Day-by-Day Series
Everything from this trip is documented across seven day posts — pet fees, honest hotel reviews, the Joshua Tree detour, the Fort Stockton reality check, and the Houston hotel that waived our fee and gave us adjoining rooms. Read it all in the Cross Country with Three Dogs series.
Everything we learned across three cross-country moves and one international relocation is in our DIY Pet Relocation Roadmap — domestic and international, step by step. Need hands-on support? The Premium edition adds email support and a phone consultation.
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