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Being a pet parent is fraught with responsibilities. It isn’t just a case of buying your pet and bringing him or her home. You need to think about food, dietary requirements and portion size, you need to think about which vet to choose, which pet insurance policy to buy and how to make sure your house stays flea free. When you buy a dog, you make a commitment to that pet to say that you are going to do your absolute best to look after it – and that includes making sure you employ things like dog walkers, put them up in pet boarding facilities when you travel or get a dog sitter, so they aren’t left alone.
The Modern Pet Parent
While it seems excessive perhaps, to those few of us who have never loved a dog; the rest of us know their value. To an owner a pet dog is a member of the family. Most of the time it is the only one who is excited to see you when you get home from work. Your dog sits with you when you are upset, is there to entertain your guests and performs vital duties around the house like killing spiders and licking up spilled drinks…
The modern pet parent appreciates that their dog deserves all the affection, all the attention and all the spoils that they can get. The modern pet parent will also go out of their way to get all of this – and why not? When you consider how many millions of poor pooches the world over who don’t have loving homes or a warm place to sleep. We don’t deserve dogs, so when we are a proud pooch parent we like to spoil them!
That being said, when you have just worked a twelve-hour shift and you come home to find nobody in the family has bothered to feed or walk your beloved pup, things can get more than a little frustrating.
Five ways to a happy dog – no matter how many hours you have worked!
Tip 1 – Visit Rover!
Rover.com have the ultimate selection of doggy day care, dog sitting, dog walking, dog boarding and even drop in visits for your pup. With all of those pet services on offer there is absolutely no reason to have your dog sitting at home alone – especially if you live in the Kentucky area.
Rover offer a specialist service that helps dogs everywhere fight back against isolation and loneliness. They are the perfect professional crew to get on board if you are looking for a little extra attention for your pet through the day.
Tip 2 – Visit Wag!
Wag.com offer the chance for pet parents to take care of the nutritional aspects of life without too much planning. Their meals are full of all of the goodness that your dog needs, contain all the essential vitamins and minerals to keep them strong and healthy and even cater to older dogs or pups specifically. Using Wag for your pets’ nutritional needs gives you one less thing to worry about in terms of pet parenting. So, use this nugget wisely and head over there for all your dog food needs.
Tip 3 – Hiring a dog sitter!
This is an awesome idea if you want to go away for a few days with the family but can’t take the dog with you. It is also the ideal way to make sure your pooch has some company through the day.
Much like children; many of us are unhappy leaving our pets unattended for long periods of time. If you live alone and know you aren’t going to be home sometimes then that is no reason not to get a dog – not when pet sitting services are so readily available here in Kentucky. Check out Rover for a list of services near you!
Tip 4 – Hire a Dog Walker!
Dog walkers are slightly different from a dog sitter. They won’t come and spend time with your pup individually but are more likely to walk your dog as part of a social group. A dog walker typically walks anything up to five dogs at once, taking them to places like woodland and parks. This is an excellent option for just about any dog owner.
Let’s face it; if you have a medium to large sized dog (that’s about 15kg upwards) then that dog needs at least two hours of exercise every day. Otherwise there is a high chance they will start chewing up your furniture through boredom. A dog walker taking your pooch out in the afternoon combined with you walking them in the evening should just about cover that. Remember; the bigger the dog the more miles he/she needs. Likewise, this means that the smaller the dog the less they need. If you are the proud parent of a toy dog, the one walk a day is probably enough – so hire a walker to do it for you!
Tip 5 – Doggy Day Care!
Doggy day care is a fantastic idea for those of you who are out working long hours, or who have other commitments that keep you from home. This system operates a little like dropping your child off at nursery. In some instances, services can arrange to pick up and drop off your pet for you though.
The dog spends all of his doggy day care hours playing with other dogs and learning to socialize. They will gain confidence and you will notice how much happier they are. This service is ideal for little puppies who haven’t had a chance to socialize yet. Socialization is particularly important when your dog is young as introducing them to other dogs at this stage curbs his or her aggression towards other dogs in later life. The whole reason the Chihuahua is known as an aggressive pet is because owners are too scared of their small size to let them play with other dogs, resulting in aggression in later life.
And Finally…
The back yard is the best place to let your dog work out some of that exercise without you having to do anything at all! Investing in some invisible fencing is an excellent way to keep them in check, without having to do the work yourself. Get your fencing installed and ready to go, then sit back as your pup runs, plays, and frolics. Look no further than an invisible fencing provided by the industry leaders at Freedom Dog Fence, Lexington, NC USA.
