If you are planning to adopt a dog, then you need to work on your apartment a bit and buy a few things before you welcome that four-legged new member to your family.
Are you planning to become a pet parent? Dogs and cats are the most common pet ideas that people go for. But, if you are willing to welcome a dog to your house then you have to understand that your house or apartment has to be secure and also you need to have a new schedule and buy a few things essential for a pet. Adopting a pet is a great responsibility and you have to work your way through it to make your home a safe place for your pet to thrive, and it will affect your daily routine and weekly/ monthly schedule. So, before you take this responsibility on yourself let’s understand whether you are even ready for it or not.
- Things to consider
Here are a few things that need to consider before you go for a pet. Pets are your babies that will require more than affection, love, and food. As you welcome pets in your house, you are willing to share your life with them and soon they will become the most valuable part of your life. Taking care of them becomes your daily habit and as you continue to share your time with them you start to understand how dependable they are on you.
- Responsibility – love of any sort is a responsibility, and this fact doesn’t demean love by any means. When you are willing to welcome a dog or a cat in your life you are doing it out of love, but, soon this love is going to overwhelm your emotions and life. Caring for your pet is not just a feeling but a daily task that has to be done every day. From daily walks in the park or sharing playtime, this reasonability will come along with a dash of dopamine in your life.
- Chores – Your daily routine is going to be something extra when you are welcoming a pet. You will have to come home on time, feed, them, play with them, and also take care of them when they are sick. From securing cables and windows to cleaning the house twice a day every day, be ready for that as well.
- Schedule – your schedule is going to change as well, from vet visits to taking for an active day outdoors, or other things like that will added to your weekly and monthly schedules. So, it would help if you were ready for a huge schedule change after you welcome a pet into your life.
- Allocate a Secure Space – Once you are ready to bring your dog in, you need to allocate a safe and secure space for your pet. The job becomes tougher with cats or any other smaller pets as it could be lost if you have too much furniture. Allocating a space for your pet initially will help them to get accustomed to your house and it will slowly befriend the ambiance of your house.
- Home Décor – having a pet can be harmful if you have too many home decorating items or glass items lying around the house. So, if you are planning to adopt a pet or buy a dog you will need to make sure that you are decorating your home in a way that your fragile centerpiece is not causing any harm to the pet or the other way round. This also goes, if you have too many plants, many plants are poisonous for pets and children, so while you buy a plant think things through.
Before you buy a dog or adopt a cat, you will have to make your home suitable for that pet. Pet-proofing your home is the first thing you need to consider, as accidents can occur anytime. So make sure that along with considering things for a pet make your apart pet proof, especially if you live alone, and once you are out of your apartment for work or study, the pet can’t harm itself.
- Pet-proof your House/ Apartment
If you are willing to buy a dog or adopt one, you need to make sure, that your apart is well equipped to welcome the new family member. The following aspects will help you to have a well-secure apartment for your dog or any other pets.
- Toxic plants
Have you been a plant parent before, and you have too many plants that can be poisonous for your pets then you must think before adopting one. And if you already have a pet you must consider it before investing in a plant. Many plants are not poisonous for adults but they can be harmful for pets and babies, so if you have some of these plants, make sure the plant is away from the reach of your pets. Or, if it’s possible you can find another gardening enthusiast and give your plants away.
- Small and Sharp objects
You need to keep your small and sharp objects concealed and covered if you have a pet at home. Small objects might get lost if you have a cat but it becomes hazardous if you have a dog, and they will have the tendency to chew on anything or everything dogs can also swallow small items, and it can be very harmful for them. Sharp items are anytime harmful to pets. From a sharp item, it can get cut which can be fatal if not treated on time.
- Electric cords
Another important fact that you need to work on is daily, looking out for cords and if they are tying around or not. Things like laptop chargers and phone chargers or hair-taming tools like curlers or hair driers should be kept in their designated and inaccessible places before you leave the house, even when you are terribly in a hurry.
- Doors and Windows
When you are dog-proofing your home, you need to make sure that your doors are windows are secure and they can’t escape your apartment in any way. If you have a balcony then you need to secure that as well. So, if you have a pet you need to close your doors and windows everything you are leaving the apartment and they are on their own for a while.
- Medicines and Chemicals
Medicines, chemicals, and chocolate are very harmful to your dogs and cats. These things have to be kept away from your pet, these can be fatal to them and you can allow yourself to have a worry-free day. Keep these things in an inaccessible place so that your pet can’t reach them and get sick after chewing on them.
- Trash basket
Tending your food and daily waste is also very important. Dogs sniff everything and if they find something interesting they will try to open it and your apartment will be full of scattered trash. So make sure that you secure your trash bins and your remaining food items to make sure that your dog doesn’t reach out to them and make your home filthy.
- Slippery floors
Getting rid of slippery floors will allow your pet to have a good time. Many vets will mention that if you have a slippery floor then it would be hard for your pets to stand or even to walk. In this case, vets suggest installing carpet in your apartment or there are many options these days, that will allow your pets to walk freely. And it will also make your apartment easy for toddlers as well.
- Unstable furniture
If living a minimalist life is not your thing and you are looking for a dog to buy then you need to make sure that unstable furniture has to be stabilized or you can also get rid of them if possible. Securing these pieces of furniture will allow your pets to freely use them without tripping on them; this can lead to hurting themselves.
- To dog-proof your apartment and each room of your home, then make sure you install the following:
- Childproof latches on cabinets
- Inaccessible Trash
- Conceal Toxic Cleaning Products
- Use baby gates for stairs
- Offer Temperature Air Conditioning
These are the things that need to be taken care of when you are willing to welcome a new pet into your house. Apart from these things you also need to make sure that you buy a few things before you buy your dog or adopt your dog so that they can be familiar with the things they are going to use from the very start. Here’s the list of things that you should consider buying for your dog.
- Bowls for Food and Water
You need to buy at least two to three bowls for your dog before you welcome them into your apartment. One bowl should be designated for water and another for food. If you are buying three bowls then designate one bowl for dry foods and another for wet and homemade food items.
- Food
Next, you need to buy food for them. If you adopting or buying a dog then ask the previous caregiver which sort of foods they enjoy, and store some food beforehand. Once they start exploring other food items you can work on it gradually.
- Bed and Blankets
Dogs or cats both sit where they like and how they like but you can invest in a large pillow or a comfortable dog bed for them. But, you need to buy a blanket for them. This is essential and dog often gets attached to their blankets as well, so try to invest in a good-quality product as they might get sad if the blanket is ruined by the love they tend to offer.
- Create
When you are going to bring them in, there should be a crate and whenever you need to take them to the vet it will become the most important part of it. Invest in a good quality crate, even if the crate is lying around your house, your dog will often use it to hide or to make it their safe space when they are not feeling well.
- Collar, harness, and leash
These are the essential items that will allow you to take your dogs on walks. These will allow you and your dog to walk freely and comfortably around. Go for adjustable products as they will be worth your money and your dog will get accustomed to them as they grow.
- Identifying tags
This is an important part as you must invest in an identifying tag along with your contact information. In case they get lost people can contact you and you can get your pet back. This is a simple yet crucial step that you must complete.
- Toys
Once they are at your house you would like to explore the place and you need to offer them engagements so that they can feel happy. Don’t worry, investing in toys will become something more interesting, but before you welcome them, you need to have something to entertain them. Here’s a list of toys you can buy when you adopt a dog:
- Durable chew toys
- Interactive toys
- Plush toys
- Fetch-friendly
Most importantly, giving them your time is the best thing that you can do for them, if you are remote working then you can have as much time as you would like to have but if you are studying or working from the office then this will become a bit dicey as you will not have as much time as you want with them. But, apart from toys, your time is the most important thing that you would like to have.
- Litter Bags
Whenever you are out for adventure, you need to make sure that if your dog poops outside you are carrying it to a dustbin to keep it away from other people. This becomes more important as this can lead to too many complicated things that you might not want to witness. Buy litter bags and make sure you clear the poop of your pet to avoid any sort of conflict and to maintain the hygiene levels of your society.
These are the essential items that you have to buy, and adapt once you are buying a dog. Dogs are great as pets, and if you are ready to take this responsibility only then do you need to embark upon this journey. Having a dog or any pet can be a great feeling, but you need to know that they have feelings and before training them you need to have the mentality to be their master friend and caregiver all at the same time. Best of luck.
