Bringing home a new pet is always a cause for celebration. A new member of the family has arrived and everyone in the house is most likely buzzing about it. But owning a pet is more than just fun. It is a lot of responsibility. They are animals at the end of the day. And animals are not accustomed to human ideas of sanitation.

Training your new pet is an important step in integrating them into the family. Particularly they need to be trained to use a litter tray or go outside when they need the toilet. But more than that you need to be aware that animals, particularly cats and dogs, can cause damage to your home. This is why Pet-Proofing is important. For both your possession and also for the safety of your pet.

What is Pet-Proofing

Much like baby proofing, Pet-Proofing is the process of making your home safe for your pet, while also protecting your home from the pet. We should note that we do not advocate placing a lot of restrictions on your pet. Remember, their entire life is going to be based around your home. So if you won’t let your dog on the sofa. Don’t get a dog. It’s not fair on them.

Pet-Proofing is not a complex process. Most home supply stores like Thanos Home or home depot will have everything you need to pet-proof both your house and your garden. Some even offer to carry out the installation process for you for a small fee, which is a great idea as some of the kits can cause damage to your home if installed incorrectly. But what exactly do you need?

Secure Fragile Objects

This is particularly important if you have a cat or a bird that will be free to move around the house. Both these animals have a habit of pushing things off ledges. So it is important to make sure you secure fragile objects such as vases, picture frames, ornaments, or other memorabilia. Stuff that sits on the mantlepiece or on a shelf.

Double-sided sticky tape is a great and cheap way to do this. Simple attach on the bottom and then stick to the surface. A cat is very quickly going to give up pushing an object when it realizes it won’t budge.

Hide Sharp Objects

Animals have no concept of what things are a lot of the time. They won’t realize a sharp object can hurt them until it does. Same with a baby. So you need to make sure anything sharp and dangerous is put away or secure when not in use. The big offenders for this are cutlery and cooking knives. People make a habit of leaving all their utensils on the side to be cleaned later. All it takes is a curious dog to leap up and knock it all off and before you know it they have a slice leg or plate china in their paw.

Proper Toilet Areas

Pets smell. But nothing smells worse than what they leave behind, so to speak. This step is important not just for them, but for your health as well. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen a home where their dogs just go toilet on a pile of old newspapers on the floor. It’s unsanitary and dangerous for everyone.

For cats and other small animals, you will want a good-sized litter tray. It is important that the tray is much bigger than them. Keep the lottery topped up and fresh, removing any poo or stained bits regularly. It helps to line the tray with a bin bag for easy cleaning.

For dogs, you will want to train them to use the toilet outdoors. They will be able to go on their walk. But if you don’t have a garden you will want to maybe get a dog-specific litter tray as well. But we highly recommend only getting a dog if they will have ample outdoor space.

Public spaces are really important to people as it’s nice for people to have an open space in their local area such as a nice park. For these places to feel safe it is important that they are well lit, if they’re in pitch blackness then people will feel nervous or intimidated as it could be dangerous. There have been some advances in public lighting that are adding to the safety of outdoor spaces. This is a great boon for pet walkers as there has been increasing demand for public spaces to be more pet-friendly at night.  According to ghform.se, one of the most common questions they get asked is related to lighting outdoor public spaces.

LED Lighting

One of the newest developments in how lighting is making outdoor spaces safer is that LED lighting can give off a much warmer and safer glow, having this kind of glow from your lights actually has some correlation to less crime which will lead to more people using outdoor spaces. LED lighting is also great as it is very versatile, it can be used in many different situations, having adaptable lighting for outdoor spaces is important as different lighting will be needed at different times of the day.

Environment

Advances in public lighting in outdoor spaces are also making things safer in the long run, due to global warming and the climate crisis that we are going through, there is a big effort to try and reach zero emissions by 2050. Advances in lighting have led to lighting that is much more environmentally friendly, this will add to making the world much safer from climate change. Although it may seem like a small difference, this shouldn’t be underestimated as everyone must play their part to try and prevent the climate crisis.

Remote Monitoring

Remote monitoring is a system that is implemented alongside LED lighting, it detects any issues occurring in the lighting and automatically raises a service concern. This helps to make sure that if the lighting ever goes off people are aware straight away and can fix the problem as it could be scary for the lights to go off whilst you’re in the open spaces so to make people feel safe you would want to fix this as fast as possible.

Changing Lights

There are now lights that will automatically change depending on the weather, these lights make public spaces safer as anyone driving will be safer as they won’t accidentally be dazzled by lighting that is too bright.

Though pet birds are not the most conventional pet that you can get, many people around the world describe them as one of the best pets that you can keep. Birds are extremely intelligent and develop deep bonds with their human owners. For these reasons, there is no wonder why so many people are looking into adopting a pet into their home.

However, for all of the positives that come with owning a bird, there is a lot of work that you have to do to make sure that your bird is properly cared for. Before you even consider purchasing a bird, you need to learn how to care for your pet birds. Caring for a bird is much different than caring for any mammal, so you need to really do your research. Here is a vet’s guide to owning a pet bird.

 

Get a large Birdcage

One of the most common and most frustrating mistakes that people who are new to owning birds make is buying a cage that isn’t big enough. You have to remember that when a  bird is not in captivity they have the entire sky to fly in and be free, so containing them in a tiny cage is extremely cruel.

To put it plainly, if you don’t have space for a large cage in your house, then you don’t have space for a bird. It is unfair of you to keep a bird contained just so that it fits into the layout of your home. It is also recommended that you have space where your bird can be released freely from its cage for a couple of hours during the day. Without constant use, the muscle in a bird’s wings will get weaker which means they won’t be able to fly very well and their wings could become easily damaged.

If you are worried about spending too much on a cage, you could always build your own. This way you will have control of the dimensions and will be able to create a shape that fits comfortably within your home.

Keep them clean

Again, something that a lot of people do not know about birds is that they like to stay clean. Obviously, when they are contained in a small environment they are not able to move around or keep the area clean themselves, so it is your job to do this for them.

There is no set time on when you should be cleaning your birdcage, but a good bird owner will pay attention to when the cage isn’t looking as clean as it could be. We recommend cleaning out the cage at least once every three days and when you do clean out the cage you should be cleaning any other aspects of your bird cages such as their toys or their perch.

Birds themselves also love staying clean, so if you can we recommend adding a shallow birdbath to the cage to ensure that they are able to bathe whenever they feel unclean. Being able to do this will make your pet much happier, which is all we can ask for as pet owners.

 

Make sure they have plenty of entertainment

Birds are excitable creatures that are always looking for something to do while they are in the cage. It is not possible to have your bird out of the cage playing all of the time, so while they are in the cage it is important that you give them some toys to play with for entertainment.

Birds love anything that swings, but generally, anything they can interact with will satisfy them. Birds are very sensitive to colors and bright items, so be sure to pick them out when you are looking for toys for your pets. They also love bells or anything that makes sounds, but understandably that could get annoying to have in your home. You can still get them toys that make noise, you can simply just choose when to put them in the cage.

Birds get bored of toys very easily, so be sure that you are always updating the toys that you give to them in order to keep them engaged and active.

Unless you are heartless, then you are probably a dog lover.  What isn’t there to love about dogs? Dogs are a man’s best friend and there is no wonder why. Dogs are capable of showing a long list of emotions that make them more comparable with a furry toddler than an animal. If you are someone that was raised with a dog in the home, then you will know how easily they become a part of the family.  However, not all of us were lucky enough to have a dog for various reasons

One of the main reasons why some people choose not to have a dog is due to the care that they require. Dogs can be hard work and they need a lot of attention, which some people simply cannot offer. However, not all dog breeds are as demanding as others and there are plenty of breeds out there that do not require intensive attention. Here are the 6 easiest dog breeds to care for.

Dachshund

This dog breed is so popular due to its cute appearance and loving nature, however, there is a common misconception that these dogs are extremely high maintenance. This really isn’t the case as Daschunds actually require a lot less attention than other dogs. Due to their short legs, they do not like to walk for long periods of time or very often, meaning you will be able to easily fit exercise in with your daily routine.

Greyhound

Though you may find it hard to believe, these sporting stars are one of the most low-maintenance dog breeds that you can own. Though these dogs are athletic, they do not enjoy long walks. This is because they are made for speed and not stamina, so they are not interested in staying out so long. Something that you may not expect is that Greyhounds actually spend a lot of their time sleeping and just enjoying the company of their owners.

Chihuahua

Though these fiery little pets enjoy the attention, something that may surprise you is that they do very well when left alone. So if you are someone with a busy schedule, then you won’t have to worry about your dog getting lonely. The only thing you need to focus on with these dogs is their eating habits, as they have limitations on some of the foods they can eat.  If you own a chihuahua you may find yourself asking regular questions like can dogs eat jicama and will a grape harm them? We recommend research.

French Bulldog

French Bulldogs are so popular due to just how low maintenance they are. As well as being extremely social, they require minimal grooming. This is due to their short hair. You also don’t have to worry about getting them out too much as this breed is quite lazy and will enjoy just a simple walk a couple of times a day. French Bulldogs are also very friendly and make close bonds with their owners quickly, so you don’t have to worry about building a relationship too much.

Bullmastiff

These dogs are great because they have low energy levels due to their size. This means that you don’t have to constantly take them for walks and they are much happier just cuddling up somewhere warm with their owner.  Bullmastiffs also have short fur, which means that they do not require regular trips to go and see the groomer. The only issue you may face is their habit of drooling, but if you aren’t grossed out by it then it is easy to clean up.

Pug

Pugs are becoming more and more popular pets and there is no wonder why. Like other breeds on this list, pugs have short fur. Once again, this means you don’t have to take them to the groomers regularly, which will save you time and money.  Pugs are actually very lazy and do not like to exert themselves too much due to the trouble that they have with breathing, so after some short walks, they prefer to spend the evening relaxing and spending time with their owners. You do need to monitor their breathing due to their short snouts, but this is easily done.