John (Speaker 1) (00:25):

Welcome back. This is John Gscheidmeier, I'm your host of Wisconsin Real Estate Today, your Wisconsin Real Estate podcast. I have a very special guest and I know I've mentioned that we would be doing this on a previous podcast. It's taken a while, a little bit to get this scheduled, but I am joined by Sophia from the Waukesha County Humane Society's haws. We'll let you explain what HAWS stands for and everything else, but welcome. I appreciate you joining me today.

Sophia (Speaker 2) (00:53):
Thank you for having me. So Haws is the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha, and our mission is to support the community and promote humane education while servicing Waukesha County. So we've been established since 1965 and we service the community through adoptions, education programs, assisting with stray animals, surrenders building, no kill community as well.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
And I've been in here many times. I think I was telling you before we started recording this, that my wife used to be a volunteer here, which is the kiss of death because you know you're going to get a dog at some point where dog people. We've had pretty much all rescues from different places. I think one or two from here, maybe one from a long time ago. But you guys do a great job and I knew that from my law enforcement days many years ago. The listeners to the podcast know that I spent some years in law enforcement, grew up in Pu Walkee, was a firefighter there, and we used to bring strays here overnight, especially you find dogs and cats, sometimes cats never really came to us. Dogs, especially if they were scared. Were a little skittish. But you guys, like you said, you try to find them not only homes, but try to reunite them if a dog gets out or is lost, got to do the chip technology as well. So that's a must that way it helps you guys locate owners. But I also have, and I follow the news and some of the, there's incidents that happen and there's things that happen in different parts of the country where you guys get involved in those and you experienced one of those yourself. Talk a little bit about that.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
Yeah, so I recently had a house fire and we had to move abruptly and relocate, and this happened October 18th, so we just passed two months and we lived in Waukesha County. I have two large dogs, they're both from here and one is four, one is three. And it was something we weren't planning, something we weren't expecting. We didn't have any belongings to move with us. We were lucky. We had our dogs and ourselves and we are currently with my mother-in-law, so we are now in Cedarburg. I commute into Waukesha, but moving unexpectedly is art in its own way for sure.

Speaker 1 (03:16):
Well, and I'm sorry that happened to you. I said that before we started this too, and it's unfortunate. I mean that was not planned, but what we wanted to talk about today, whether it was planned or unplanned, and obviously your situation is very different, but what do you do? How do you plan? If listeners are out there and they're considering moving, they tune into the podcast not only to get advice on how to prep their home for sale when it's a good time to buy. We have guests on for interest rate discussions. I mean, we try to cover everything we can, but for a long time I've wanted to have this discussion and there are certain things you can do because moving can be unbelievably stressful for pets and I focus on dogs, that's just me. I'm allergic to cats. I've never been a cat guy. But cats and other types of animals too, experienced stress and there's ways that we can prepare that. So let's kind of dive into, you have some lists that you prepared. I appreciate that and some things to consider with not only preparing to move but also maybe on moving day or after.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
Yeah, so we'll kind of start with dogs since that'll be the largest piece of talk about, but we could touch on cats and even small reptiles and small animals too. So with your dog, things to consider as you're considering moving. The number one thing, if you already have a dog and that dog may be considered a bully breed or a type of breed where there may be a landlord restriction because moving doesn't always mean you're owning your house or your home. You really want to make sure you're going to be able to take that dog with you. That's been a very common surrender we see here at the shelter is, Hey, I can't have bully breeds, I can't have German shepherds, I can't have Roddys, my landlord won't approve this. I need to surrender my dog. So being able to do that research on the front end to know if you can bring that dog and obviously moving, we have to consider resources.

(05:24):
You don't have a million dollars to go buy your own house and things like that, and you do need a house to live, but being able to do research and preventatively know if you can bring that dog with that move is going to help with a lot of heartbreak and loss. So that's something to consider, especially with large dogs, there's a lot of restrictions. That's kind of why we haven't moved yet either is I have 2 75 pound dogs, pit bull mixes. Finding a landlord who's going to be like, yeah, go ahead, even though I am a dog trainer and work at a humane society has been a challenge. So really checking that out, ensuring you can bring your dog with you is going to go a really long way.

Speaker 1 (06:00):
I never thought about the renting part of it, but that's got to be heart wrenching to see a couple or owners come in and not want to give up the dog. But we all have to live. We all have to live. But where it does apply on the purchase side of things is to condominiums. Because we have that same discussion as real estate agents with people who say, I really want to downsize. Let's say I want to sell my four bedroom, two and a half bath colonial, but I want to go to a condo. I want to avoid stairs. I'm getting older or I'm older as it is now. And I'll always ask, do you have pets? Because there are restrictions when you move to a condominium complex and they're not changing the rules for you. Just like you just said, the landlord won't change for renters that come in and maybe there's some exceptions. I own properties for years and I let them have dogs, but there's long have to be some kind of rules obviously. So what if you're going to buy, let's say a home? What are some things you can do upfront? Because this dog, and correct me if I'm wrong here because you're the expert, but I've always said that human beings, some human beings are like dogs. They like routines, they like to have the same routine every

Speaker 2 (07:12):
Day structure.

Speaker 1 (07:14):
They wake up, they got to go to the bathroom, then we get fed and then my dog goes out again or one of my dogs goes out again. It's just routine. It's their structure of their day, but now they see moving boxes and they know things are different. You're moving around, there's people coming and going. Speak to some of that maybe.

Speaker 2 (07:31):
So not all dogs will be created equal in this. Some dogs just like people are higher anxiety and some dogs can roll with the punches and just move on with life. If you are on the spectrum of your dog is pretty anxious, small changes, small shifts can irritate your dog. You really want to make sure you're getting 'em acclimated to moving boxes, right? Move and pack throughout your week throughout the next two weeks. Don't wait for all that packing and change in one day. You really want to give them that time to acclimate because it is scary. Now if you're moving and you're moving locally and it's a car ride, because guess what, we have to talk about cars and driving. Also, driving half an hour to a new neighborhood is one thing and moving four or five hours is different as well. So those are some things you'll have to consider.

(08:21):
But whatever moving supplies, material you're going to use or utilize getting your dog acclimated and used to, that is going to be a great option. You're having movers pack for you. Some people have that opportunity and can have that as a resource. And you may have a dog who doesn't like strangers in its home and has a hard time with strangers coming and going. Don't keep your dog in the area if you're having multiple people moving, right? That's a time or an opportunity to put them in their safe space. That can look like a kennel, that can look like a separate room. Offering 'em some in a way where they can chew and focus on other things will be helpful to alleviate that stress. Licking produces dopamine, chewing produces dopamine. Those are hormones that help the dog feel more relieved, more relaxed, and can help with that transition easier. So when you are in the peak time of packing and organizing and moving, don't just keep your dog, there're staring at you because that can cause anxiety what is going on. So offering them some alternative solutions and opportunities is going to go a long way.

Speaker 1 (09:27):
Well, and let's face it, moving is stressful on humans
Speaker 2 (09:29):
For everybody. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (09:30):
I mean I can't imagine the stress that you went through. You didn't have a chance to plan your temporary move. People who are moving sometimes are in a divorce, sometimes somebody passed away and it's easy to kind of forget that this pet, this dog will say in most cases I would imagine is in this situation that they can't control. And so they're relying on you to first of all know the signs of their anxiety and stress and to deal with those, right? You got to get to know your dog.

Speaker 2 (10:03):
And that's a whole other podcast too. We could have,
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Right? Well, that would be a different podcast of probably real estate, but you got to know your dogs. You got to know your pets. You got to understand that when they're feeling anxiety or they're anxious, especially around the holidays, right? I mean the holidays are tough and well anyway, that's another topic. But so involving them to some degree in the process seems to help. But also recognizing that they should see it, they should be a part of it, but not be directly involved.

Speaker 2 (10:36):
They need a break. Just like when you're moving, you're not constantly in that space, right? At some point you are taking a break, rather that's you stepping outside, going to shower, keeping your dog in a high state of stress, even though that stress is not going to last for a really long time is not going to be good for that dog too. One thing we could talk about, you can talk to your veterinarian. If your dog experiences high anxiety, there is medical intervention, please consult with your veterinarian, but that can help assist too. So those are things to consider and it depends on the dog. My dogs, I'm the complete opposite of probably a normal person. We don't really have a routine and for us, that benefited us because when our routine went to complete, when it wasn't there, my dogs didn't feel phased by it because they're like, okay, this is normal. We don't always eat at the same time. Not everybody is like that. So if your dog is routine based and even a small shift causes stress, talk to your veterinarian, they can help support you with medical intervention and that's going to take some stress off of you on the front end as well.

Speaker 1 (11:43):
Some quick tips on identifying stress maybe in an animal.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Yeah, so panting, a lot of people like to think panting is just related to when a dog is hot and a lot of owners miss panting, but you're having a full tongue out rapid chest movements. You're hearing 'em inhale, I can do a quick demo. If they're like, that's panting, that's stress panting. They're not hot, you know, didn't run 'em, you know, didn't play fetch. If they're walking around your house while there's boxes for packing and they're just panting and moving around very quickly and kind of antsy, your dog is being anxious. Something in the environment's causing anxiety, lip licking. Lip licking is a behavior we see a lot and you'll see it often right after they finish eating, but let's say they weren't eating and they're just in the living room with you as you're organizing and you're going to turn the vacuum on and you notice them stick out their tongue and lick their nose, that's a sign of stress.

(12:44):
So that's called lip licking. There's whale eye, which is where the white of the eyes for a dog is exposed. Some dogs like boxers or massive breeds naturally have droopier eyes. So you will see that. But again, you're moving a cardboard box or let's say something falls or you're loading 'em up into the vent and you notice the whites of their eyes, they're feeling stressed, excessive licking on their body parts could be a sign of stress. But the biggest thing that you're going to notice too for some dogs is going to be shaking. Trembling tail is tucked or maybe avoiding and hiding in a corner. It depends how sensitive your dog is,

Speaker 1 (13:23):
Right? And you would hope that most owners recognize those signs to begin with. So as we approach the moving day itself, obviously you don't want to leave your dog behind. And let me preface that by saying that in most cases, and this is what kind of stinks, most cases you're selling the same day as you're buying, you have to sell your house first. Maybe you do that in the morning and then an hour or two after you close on the home that you have lived in your current home, now you go buy the other one. And we leave the dog in the moving van, or at least in your vehicle, which maybe the dog already knows, maybe it doesn't. You are gone for an extended amount of time, but then they don't have a chance to go and get acclimated to the new place, the yard. It's like we open the door. We as human beings have so much to do and especially if we have kids now, the dogs are kind of just left to fend for themselves.

Speaker 2 (14:24):
So that's when you kind of rely on your village or who you have supporting you. If there's any way you can.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
By village you mean your sphere, not your actual township or village, not
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Your, yeah. The people in your life who support you rather, that's your mom or your brother or whoever it is in your life. And hey, can you maybe watch the dog for us for a couple hours at least while we get the big stuff in and just get a sense of the layout. Because you're right, we don't want to create this new environment that this dog has never been in. We don't want to make it traumatic and scary as soon as they're there because that can have longer lasting consequences. Right now, I don't feel comfortable in this house. When you first adopt a dog and you bring a dog into your house, you're already established taking that dog to a new environment that they're not familiar with. That's where we're going to see some mistrust. So if you can have somebody who can maybe sit in the car with your dog or, Hey, can I drop off Scruffy for a few hours while we get the big furniture in and kind of get things a little organized, we'll come back and that way he can have that time to acclimate. I would highly recommend that.

Speaker 1 (15:28):
One thing I thought of while you were talking, and these are all really great points, is that when a new dog or maybe even a cat, we can talk about cats here maybe for a second, at least from what I have been told or think a new cat walks into an environment, a new dog walks into an environment, the carpet's there. There may have been previous pets there, and now they start marking or peeing in areas and now we come down on them, but in their mind, they're in this new environment
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Now. It's a new territory.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
It is. And now they've got to be tial because they've, I think at some point realized, okay, this is my new house. I'm living here now with these people.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
So with cats, cats are going to have some litter box adjustments because if they had a litter box in one spot for the past, let's say you have a 10-year-old cat and you had that cat since it was a baby, it's had its litter box in one spot for 10 years, now you're moving. It's in a completely new spot. You are going to see some accidents, try to be gracious with your pet. They're acclimating, they're in a new environment, they're like, why is my litter box not under the stairs anymore? And now it's in this open space layout. So it may be good to provide more litter boxes to see which one they use more frequently and more often with dogs, if you notice the first thing you do when you bring your dog into a new house and they go and they mark on carpet, or if it's a male dog lifts his leg on something, there is a chance that it was the scent wasn't fully removed. So that should only happen once or twice. If your dog is repeatedly marking or having accidents within the first week or so of you moving, I would consult your veterinarian because either due to stress or some underlying issue, they're having a hard time holding their bladder.

Speaker 1 (17:15):
That's interesting. And I mean, I like anything, having a good, like you said, a village around
Speaker 2 (17:21):
You,
Speaker 1 (17:22):
You need to include the veterinarian there.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
And I said, you said about medical, sometimes these dogs could use a little help. We need a little help sometimes in life. I used to teach when I was in law enforcement that the homeostasis in the body, you mentioned one of them, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, the feel good juices that go through our bodies. But when we get stressed and we get sad or depressed or whatever it may be, even as humans, we need some, right? Because your body's not producing enough of those feelgood chemicals to just make you feel normal. And dogs and cats are probably no different, I would guess.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
Yeah. So yeah, we do.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
Did I surprise you with that knowledge?
Speaker 2 (18:00):
No,
Speaker 1 (18:00):
No,
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Not, but that was good. That was good.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
Thank you. It's just like giving myself props because in my office, no one else does, Sophia. It's just how it is.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
No, that was a really great point. And we need to help our animals and sometimes consulting our vet and getting one dose of Trazodone to just relieve some of that stress, bring cortisol down can make a huge difference. My dog was fine riding in the car until she had her leg injury and now longer rides stresses her out. I am not going to keep her at home because she's happy being at that location, but I can give her some Trazodone to handle the car ride. We go up to Door County and she loves it. So there's no shame with going and reaching out to your veterinarian and asking for help because if it's your primary vet, they've known your animal too. They kind of have a sense if your animal has a hard time at the vet office and they're shaky and they're nervous, they're going to be shaky and nervous with the big move too. So there are some parallel tendencies with that.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
So we talked about renters, which I never thought, I'm glad you brought that up because it didn't hit my mind before you mentioned it. We talked a little bit about condominiums. When you purchase a condominium, you've got to do your research before. And if you don't have, and I talk about this on this podcast all the time, you have to really research an experienced real estate agent there. Let's be honest, about $2,000, you can get your license in the state of Wisconsin, but that doesn't mean you have any knowledge on selling a home. So these are the questions that we ask and we've got a whole line of questions related to things that will affect your move. Pets are one of them. We have to make sure that we do. Let's be honest. When you're moving and you're planning a move, you don't know what else you can think of what you know, right? The old saying that I don't know, what I don't know really applies. Oh, John, I never even thought about that. Thank you. So you guys, you're the experts, the veterinarians are the experts. And reach out
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Please
Speaker 1 (20:12):
If you need help. We have questions
Speaker 2 (20:15):
And I'm sure you'll probably link some sources, but you can always contact your local humane society even if it's not, maybe you're out of county listening to this. There's so many resources, a lot of those resources are free. Lots of stuff on the internet. And if you move and your dog is having a hard time within the first two to three weeks, don't just try to wait it out by yourself. Contact a trainer. If you're moving to Waha County and you need some help, we have consultants to support you. I can support you. Our goal too is we want to educate the community to help you keep your pet. So you might be feeling really overwhelmed, really stressed, you might be lacking dopamine yourself and you feel like you are drowning and you can't help your dog. Bring us in, bring us in to help your animal before it gets to the point where you can't resolve it anymore and you feel so frustrated. And that's the biggest frustration we see here is people do get frustrated, they get tired, they get stressed, they get worried. So being able to ask for help and utilize your resources is going to go a long way because there are a lot of people here to help you. And there is knowledge you don't know.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Not to go outside of real estate too much, but I think you would probably agree that in many cases people don't completely understand the commitment that they're making when they walk out with a pet.
(21:44):
And it's got to be gut wrenching to see them come back, especially if they've gone through multiple homes. I mean, that gets me teary eyed. You can work through the issues with your pets, you just can't give up on 'em. But if you get to the point where, and maybe this is the ex-cop in me coming out because we dealt with abandoned pets that seem to be such beautiful animals, reach out for help. And if the new living situation doesn't work, you guys can help relocate and find maybe a better fit. But I think most people who are in a loving relationship with their pets, their animals, whatever it may be, just some tips, maybe some guidance, maybe some reassurance really at that point that hey, we can do this,
Speaker 2 (22:38):
That
Speaker 1 (22:40):
We can help you get through this little bump in the road. And you've got many years ahead of you with your family pet, just in a new house. It's a new environment.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
And so things I like to tell people, and this could be applied to a move or to when you're adopting and getting a pet, when you bring 'em into a new space, keep a leash on, provide some structure rather that's baby gates because they're in a completely new environment. The same expectations that they had in your former house or residence is not going to apply all the time. So providing them some additional information and giving them time to process that space little by little versus just overwhelming 'em with this, maybe you had a huge upgrade and now you have a house that's four bedrooms and two bathrooms and you went from an apartment, provide that pet with some instruction of like, Hey, we can support you through this. You take 'em outside, maybe your fence is fenced in or maybe you don't have a fence.
(23:37):
Take 'em outside with that leash, walk the property line with them, kind of show them where that territory is and what is going to be common and normal for them. If you do walk into a fenced in area and you have a fence, please check the stability of your fence. I'm sure that's considered or you guys talk about that, but as far as a dog owner, you want to look for how the fence is really sitting in the ground. Is there going to be easy dig points where your dog could dig, it could look secure, but if your dog's a big digger, they could get out. Is it a fence that they can jump and climb? Those are things to consider. That doesn't mean you have to get a whole new fence or anything like that, but if you have some weaker points in that fence, you really want to stabilize that as well.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
And I'm glad you brought that up because I thought of my sister-in-law when she moved into the house that I helped her find, I don't know, probably six, seven years ago now, there was a chain link fence coming off the brick house and then it went to a wood fence and the wood fence was rickety. I'm a handy guy, I can fix a lot of stuff. But I went around the perimeter of that fence because she never would've thought about it. She would've released the dog now dogs and they would've run around and then god forbid she comes out, there was a hole enough, like our small mini dachshund that we recently got, he can crawl under the pool fence. So that's a whole another level. They're always on leashes. But I think the bottom line, if I can bottom line that part of it is that you've got to go out and help them know where their boundaries are for one. But for two, that's a whole new world of sniffs, which is super exciting. Don't rush it.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Yes,
Speaker 1 (25:25):
Let them get out there and learn. And this time of the year in Wisconsin stinks because we finally just, we're getting to the snowy season, the cold season. For a while I wasn't here, which was awesome, extended my golf season a lot, which I loved. But you've got to spend that time with them. They're a part of your family.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
And for us, we view our dogs as independent and things. Let me just remind you guys, they're like a two to three yearold toddler. When you first move to your house, you don't let the toddler explore completely on their own. Well, shouldn't. That's a gentle reminder there because you just don't know how they're going to respond to that environment. So really providing them that security and B, clear communication. We got to be clear with our pets of what expectations are and we need to support them that way.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
And it comes down to boundaries. I mean, people like boundaries. Kids absolutely need boundaries. Pets need boundaries. They want to please
(26:26):
Pets, want to please their owners in most cases. And it's just a matter of them understanding what makes you happy and what doesn't. Not to get violent with them, not to throw 'em around. I go back to my days of just seeing so many animals that just lived in bad environments, but the majority of the people, especially listening to this podcast, are good people. You just have to spend the time and you have to look at those resources To your point in the podcast, there will be some resources that we'll put out there for you guys. We'll put the hawes link as well. Any last things that you want to suggest? I mean, you hit a lot of 'em and I appreciate and you went outside of what I thought you were going to do, which I love.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
Yeah, that's me all the time. Just gentle reminder for the listeners, take it slow if you can. And you're planning to move. You can always prepare some extra food items, make sure you have enough food, but throw some Kongs in the freezer. Freezer. Throw some treats in the freezer, get some lick mats because that's going to help with that transition. Your dogs love to eat. We all love to eat. Eating makes us happy. So offering them that in their new environment will help 'em know I can feel safe and trust the space more and go at each other's pace. Make sure you know your dog, know how to support them and contact anybody you might need to help support you to get where you need to be
Speaker 1 (27:42):
And support you is a great way to put it. How do you get ahold of Haws and where do you find you guys online?
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Yeah, so if you go to haws pets.org, that is our online link if you want training assistance. That will be under services, training and behavior. We have training classes, one-on-one assistance. If you just need to talk to somebody about some options, you can hit our main line, which is 2 6 2 5 4 2 8 8 5 1 with some other options.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Nothing. I mean for the most part, nothing is insurmountable, right? You're here to help the community. You guys do an awesome job. You've been around for literally what seems like forever. I was born in 1969, so I know you probably thought that wasn't the case, but I really appreciate your time. Thank you for letting me bring into this
Speaker 2 (28:34):
World. Yes.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
I really wish you the best in your stuff too.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Thank you. Could I just add one thing that I forgot?
Speaker 1 (28:39):
Of course.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Make sure your tags and your phone numbers are up to date on the dog collars. Good call. So if during the move new neighborhood, people might not know you, if your dog isn't chipped, we can offer you that service here as well. So making sure they're also chipped. But if you're like, Hey, I'm not chipping my pet, make sure your tags are current with information and make sure they do have a collar and tag when you're actually
Speaker 1 (29:03):
Moving. Well, and I'll go one step further. You got to get your dogs especially chipped if they disappear on you and they're found and most good people will turn them in or call the police or whatever. Even when I worked in Milwaukee County, we bring 'em in and the first thing they for is the chip. It's not that expensive. And it could mean whether or not you get your pet back, quite frankly. Yeah. And by the way, the other thing is you have to register your pets at the new community or county that you move to.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
So don't forget that part. Alright, so Sophia, thank you so much. Thank you, John from pause. You guys are awesome. Thank you so much. Great job. And we'll keep providing great content. Thanks for listening. Have a great day everybody. This episode of Wisconsin Real Estate today has come to a close. Be sure to subscribe to this podcast and let others know if you found this content useful. Until next time, make today your best day.

This transcript was exported on Mar 01, 2025 - view latest version here.

Episode-54 (Completed 03/01/25)
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