Providing the Right Space for Your Pet
With around 38.2 million pets in the country, we are surely fond of our animal companions. There are no prizes for guessing that dogs and cats are the most popular of our furry friends with a combined total of 6 million. The rest is made up of other pets, including birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, and other small animals.
Before you run out to give Fido or Mr. Bigglesworth a new home, you will need to honestly assess how much space you will be able to give this new friend of yours.
A large part of caring for a pet is providing a suitable home. Your pet needs a comfortable place to play and live and there is no “one size fits all” solution. A little planning will be needed to ensure that you choose a pet that is appropriate for your unique living situation.
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
As a rule of thumb, you should only look at having small pets if your home is small, because even if you can physically fit a Great Dane in your studio apartment, a bigger animal such as that will need a larger amount of space to roam around in.
If you live in an apartment in a city, you will probably be better off looking at smaller breeds like a Poodle or a Beagle if you are a dog person. Here you will also need to take note that active dogs need a lot of exercise and you should be committed to walking them regularly or set up a play area in the apartment.
Apartments are better suited to cats or smaller caged pets such as birds, hamsters, rabbits or guinea pigs. But even here, you will need to determine the correct size of the cage to ensure that your pet has ample room to feel comfortable in.
Indoor or Outdoor Pet?
If you live in a suburb or out in the country, you’ll have to make a decision about whether to have an indoor or outdoor pet. Outdoor pets run the risk of disease or injury and you should be careful to secure your yard with proper fences to make sure that your pet doesn’t run out.
However, in the event that your pet does its best impression of Steve McQueen in The Great Escape and gets hurt, it might be prudent to have some sort of pet insurance to cover any unexpected expenses.
In most locations, indoors is a much safer place for smaller pets as they will live longer and are generally healthier. Still you may want to give your fur kid the freedom to roam around the house and perhaps have access to safe outdoor areas within your compound.
Pet Safety
If you have a home security system installed, make sure that it has pet-immune motion sensors so that your pet won’t set off the sensors in your alarm system when it moves in and out the house.
Home security companies have many choices nowadays to accommodate pets and the security needs of their customers, so be sure to explain your needs as well as your pet’s unique behavioural patterns so you can get a security system that is right for you.
Remember, finding the ideal pet that matches your living space and lifestyle will make your home a brighter and happier space – so be sure to research your pet of choice and honestly assess what kind of room and attention you can provide them before committing.