# Holiday travel pet prep in Ottawa: your checklist before you leave
The suitcase is open on the bed, and your cat has already claimed it. Holiday travel pet prep in Ottawa goes best the week before you leave. Christmas Day falls on a Friday and Boxing Day on a Saturday in 2026, and anything you forget gets harder to sort out once that weekend starts.
Holiday travel pet prep in Ottawa starts with the tag
The City requires owners to register every cat and dog. Each pet gets a numbered metal tag that belongs on its collar or harness, especially when it’s outside your home. According to the City, a pet wearing its tag often gets home the same day someone finds it. By-law staff can look up the owner from 6 am to 2 am Sunday to Thursday, and until 4 am on Fridays and Saturdays.
If your pet goes missing, call 3-1-1 or the Humane Society at 613-725-3166 ext. 223. Have a description of your pet, the tag number, and the microchip number ready. The City’s lost and found pets page lists the full steps.
What to leave on the counter for your Pet Care Pro
- Portion or label food by meal, and leave a few extra days’ worth in case your flight home is late.
- Set out oral or topical medications with your vet’s written instructions. We don’t give injectable medications, including insulin.
- Leave proof of basic vaccinations, which every pet needs.
- Write a note about the house itself, like the back door that sticks or the closet where you keep the paw towels.
Every new client starts with a Discovery Call with Amanda, and the onboarding that follows goes through details like these.
“She was very thorough in her onboarding questionnaire and we felt like she was totally equipped for any scenario while we were away.” (Ellie S.)
Winter walks run shorter and more often
The Humane Society advises shorter, more frequent walks in the cold, plus wiping paws afterward to get the salt off. Sidewalk salt piles up fast in Centretown and the Glebe by December, so we wipe paws at the door before your dog heads for the couch. If your dog has a water bowl outside, we check that it hasn’t frozen.
Put in your notes how your dog handles the cold. A dog who stops at the corner and lifts one paw is asking to go home, and knowing that ahead of time helps us turn back sooner.
