It's not always easy to be a dog owner (or dog) when your career is in full swing. I already work a lot to keep things together when the working hours are long, the travel days are long, and I have two active dogs who would rather spend the whole day with their mother. So far, the solitaire has always worked out. Especially with the help of my mother, who likes to come several times a week to take Alf and Alvin to the beach or in the forest.
Now the situation is that I have been offered a job abroad. A job that I have chosen to accept. This means that next month I will be moving to Dublin, Ireland. And what about the dogs?
Of course they're coming! And luckily my new company is helping (and paying) to transport them safely across the North Sea and the Irish Sea. They're even helping us find a place to stay.
But despite the help with the practicalities, there are many questions, thoughts and worries that come to mind. Fortunately, I know that my dogs have a super easy time settling into new places, and that they rarely get stressed about anything (unless the neighbor's cat is outside in front of the garden gate). But nevertheless, moving abroad feels like a pretty wild step – not just for myself, but also for my dogs.
Because we are not just moving away from friends and family. We are also moving away from the daily walk on Vestvolden. We are moving from the beach and the view to the fields. From the dog park and the riding school, where there are dog friends, horse friends and many exciting smells. I even think that the pee stone down on the street corner (where Alf spends a lot of time) will be missed.
On the other hand, we have been given a unique opportunity to go on new adventures. The opportunity to go for walks along the coast, or in one of Dublin's countless parks. The opportunity to jump on the train to Galway and explore the Cliffs of Moher. The opportunity to find new dog friends, and a regular dog sitter who can help us get things going when the workdays drag on. I even get the opportunity to work from home some days, and I get the flexibility to plan my own workday, so I can have even more time with the dogs.
And we will probably also get the chance to experience some rain, although it may be hard to believe that it can rain more in Ireland than in Denmark (but it can). Fortunately, Alvin has already gone through rigorous training with the rain jackets. Alf still refuses to wear anything but his own fur.
As anxiety-provoking as it may seem to pull the rug out from under yourself and your dogs to move to a completely different country, I hope that our adventure abroad will be a good experience for all of us.
And if things don't go as expected? Well, Denmark isn't going anywhere.
Do you have any tips for me regarding moving abroad (or just moving in general) with your dog? Please share them with me in the comments.
Behind the scenes of this week's blogger
Celine is 28 years old and works with social media on a daily basis.
Alf is a 1.5 year old French Bulldog who calls himself a "professional lifesaver". Most of it is something he came up with himself. As bloggers, we get to blog about life on the go, as we are often out and about. Alf was born in Denmark, raised in Germany and has visited 5 countries. Alf has just become a big brother to Alvin
Plus, we have many great stories to tell about a life that is pretty much all about dogs. So much so that I've sworn that I'll have to keep all updates far away from Facebook for fear of becoming known as the crazy dog lady among my friends.
I'm moving to Ireland with the dogs
It's not always easy to be a dog owner (or dog) when your career is in full swing. I already work a lot to keep things together when the working hours are long, the travel days are long, and I have two active dogs who would rather spend the whole day with their mother. So far, the solitaire has always worked out. Especially with the help of my mother, who likes to come several times a week to take Alf and Alvin to the beach or in the forest.
Now the situation is that I have been offered a job abroad. A job that I have chosen to accept. This means that next month I will be moving to Dublin, Ireland. And what about the dogs?
Of course they're coming! And luckily my new company is helping (and paying) to transport them safely across the North Sea and the Irish Sea. They're even helping us find a place to stay.
But despite the help with the practicalities, there are many questions, thoughts and worries that come to mind. Fortunately, I know that my dogs have a super easy time settling into new places, and that they rarely get stressed about anything (unless the neighbor's cat is outside in front of the garden gate). But nevertheless, moving abroad feels like a pretty wild step – not just for myself, but also for my dogs.
Because we are not just moving away from friends and family. We are also moving away from the daily walk on Vestvolden. We are moving from the beach and the view to the fields. From the dog park and the riding school, where there are dog friends, horse friends and many exciting smells. I even think that the pee stone down on the street corner (where Alf spends a lot of time) will be missed.
On the other hand, we have been given a unique opportunity to go on new adventures. The opportunity to go for walks along the coast, or in one of Dublin's countless parks. The opportunity to jump on the train to Galway and explore the Cliffs of Moher. The opportunity to find new dog friends, and a regular dog sitter who can help us get things going when the workdays drag on. I even get the opportunity to work from home some days, and I get the flexibility to plan my own workday, so I can have even more time with the dogs.
And we will probably also get the chance to experience some rain, although it may be hard to believe that it can rain more in Ireland than in Denmark (but it can). Fortunately, Alvin has already gone through rigorous training with the rain jackets. Alf still refuses to wear anything but his own fur.
As anxiety-provoking as it may seem to pull the rug out from under yourself and your dogs to move to a completely different country, I hope that our adventure abroad will be a good experience for all of us.
And if things don't go as expected? Well, Denmark isn't going anywhere.
Do you have any tips for me regarding moving abroad (or just moving in general) with your dog? Please share them with me in the comments.
Behind the scenes of this week's blogger
Celine is 28 years old and works with social media on a daily basis.
Alf is a 1.5 year old French Bulldog who calls himself a "professional lifesaver". Most of it is something he came up with himself. As bloggers, we get to blog about life on the go, as we are often out and about. Alf was born in Denmark, raised in Germany and has visited 5 countries. Alf has just become a big brother to Alvin
Plus, we have many great stories to tell about a life that is pretty much all about dogs. So much so that I've sworn that I'll have to keep all updates far away from Facebook for fear of becoming known as the crazy dog lady among my friends.