# Dogs and Toronto



## jenrendo (Apr 10, 2011)

Hi Everyone,
my husband and I are moving to Toronto from Scotland in Sept for his job, for 2 years. We are bringing our 1 year old son and hopefully our very lively spaniel. I have searched on here and can't seem to find any direct answers to my questions so I'm hoping you can help? Obviously we want to bring the dog but how much will it cost roughly? We are lucky enough to live on the outskirts of a city where there are lots of places to let him run freely. We will be renting in Toronto/GTA, but where to rent? We have a healthy budget. My husband will be working in the North York area and ideally we would like to live close to places we can let the dog off the lead that are family friendly. He doesn't mind commuting for around an hour as this is what he already does here anyway. I have a vision of being able to walk around parks with the buggy and dog running for his ball.........help would be much appreciated! I know there are lots of places where the dog needs to be on leash only. Thanks in anticipation,
Jx


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

jenrendo said:


> Hi Everyone,
> my husband and I are moving to Toronto from Scotland in Sept for his job, for 2 years. We are bringing our 1 year old son and hopefully our very lively spaniel. I have searched on here and can't seem to find any direct answers to my questions so I'm hoping you can help? Obviously we want to bring the dog but how much will it cost roughly? We are lucky enough to live on the outskirts of a city where there are lots of places to let him run freely. We will be renting in Toronto/GTA, but where to rent? We have a healthy budget. My husband will be working in the North York area and ideally we would like to live close to places we can let the dog off the lead that are family friendly. He doesn't mind commuting for around an hour as this is what he already does here anyway. I have a vision of being able to walk around parks with the buggy and dog running for his ball.........help would be much appreciated! I know there are lots of places where the dog needs to be on leash only. Thanks in anticipation,
> Jx


Hello and welcome to the site,

Your dog will probably cost between GBP 1,000 - 1500 by the time you've finished with all the necessary procedures.
What is it you want to rent, apartment or house? How much is your budget for the rent?
Whereabouts in North York will your husband be working? Toronto is a large swath of land so commuting time will be contingent on his location.
Generally dogs must be leashed here. There are some parks with special areas to allow dogs free running, but not too many.


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## Guest (Apr 11, 2011)

jenrendo said:


> Hi Everyone,
> my husband and I are moving to Toronto from Scotland in Sept for his job, for 2 years. We are bringing our 1 year old son and hopefully our very lively spaniel. I have searched on here and can't seem to find any direct answers to my questions so I'm hoping you can help? Obviously we want to bring the dog but how much will it cost roughly? We are lucky enough to live on the outskirts of a city where there are lots of places to let him run freely. We will be renting in Toronto/GTA, but where to rent? We have a healthy budget. My husband will be working in the North York area and ideally we would like to live close to places we can let the dog off the lead that are family friendly. He doesn't mind commuting for around an hour as this is what he already does here anyway. I have a vision of being able to walk around parks with the buggy and dog running for his ball.........help would be much appreciated! I know there are lots of places where the dog needs to be on leash only. Thanks in anticipation,
> Jx


Hi Jenrendo

Most of the pet relocation companies will do absolutely everything for you, including getting the vet's certificate that your dog is fit to travel, pick him/her up from your house & take to the airport, arrange pick up at the other end, etc. I would suggest contacting a couple of pet relo companies and asking them for a breakdown of their charges. Some of the things they charge for you will be able to do yourself and save money, eg., get the vet certificate yourself, etc.

Once your dog arrives at Toronto airport, he will have to be inspected by the vet before he can be released into your care. I would strongly recommend that if possible you not put him on a flight that arrives too late at night. I did this when I moved my dog from Shanghai. The flight was delayed and we didn't get to TO until the early hours, and the vet went home! So the poor guy had to wait in his crate for another 4 hours or so until the morning shift came on

I'm trying to find the name of the company that arranged for pick up at the Toronto end, and will post it when I do. I found them very good and very helpful. 

Just my opinion, but I do think Auld Yin has underestimated the cost of shipping your dog. I think it'll be more than that. Could be wrong, though - hope I am!

Re places to live. I can't speak for the Toronto itself, but both Mississauga and Oakville have plenty of leash free parks and family friendly areas where you can let your dog run around. Commute to North York would be about 45 minutes I think in rush hour (although I've been away for awhile so traffic may have gotten heavier). I highly recommend Oakville, but that's because I lived there for many years and loved it  Great for families, has a small town feel, but is close enough to the Toronto that it's easy to go


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## jenrendo (Apr 10, 2011)

Hi, 
thanks for both of your quick replies! We will be looking to rent a house, and funnily enough thought of Oakville. Our budget should be enough to get us something there with room for visitors. We were also thinking that the dog would be quite pricey and it's looking like we were right! We really don 't want to leave him with my parents as he's part of the family. Thanks also for your advice about flying times etc. So much to organise! I'll be on here every night hunting for advice!
Thanks again,
Jx


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## Guest (Apr 12, 2011)

jenrendo said:


> Hi,
> thanks for both of your quick replies! We will be looking to rent a house, and funnily enough thought of Oakville. Our budget should be enough to get us something there with room for visitors. We were also thinking that the dog would be quite pricey and it's looking like we were right! We really don 't want to leave him with my parents as he's part of the family. Thanks also for your advice about flying times etc. So much to organise! I'll be on here every night hunting for advice!
> Thanks again,
> Jx


Yes, unfortunately quite pricey to ship a dog. I don't really know why, but I guess they know that most people will pay because they don't want to leave a family member behind. But as I mentioned, you can save quite a bit by doing the leg work yourself and just leaving the actual shipping to the pet relo company. If you call one you should be able to find out the cost breakdown.

If you do look at Oakville, I suggest looking in the east if your budget allows (prices tend to be higher in the east party of Oakville because closer to TO). You'll be fairly close to 2 GO train stations (the commuter train). Your husband may not use it if he will be working in North York, as it can be a fairly long commute by train as he would have to transfer from the GO to the subway. But the Go is quite convenient for going into Toronto to spend a day, or to go out to dinner, whatever, saves having to drive & park.

Also, should mention re your dog being off leash. As I mentioned there are leash free parks. I believe it is required in Oakville as well as the GTA to have your dog on a lead when off your property (could be wrong about that though). That said, many people do play with their dogs in parks, etc., and it's not usually an issue, unless of course the dog is aggressive or a nuisance.


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## jenrendo (Apr 10, 2011)

Thank you Nola for all your advice. It's much appreciated. We have used the GO before when visiting and it seems pretty efficient, especially compared with public transport over here! So much to think about and organise!
Jxx


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