Does your home feel like it’s missing a little something? Maybe what you need is a four-legged friend! Buying or adopting a pet can have a huge positive impact on your life. Pets have been shown to vastly improve their owner’s physical and mental health.

They give you love when you need it the most and give you something to look forward to after a long day at work. The benefits of having a pet are unquestionable, but that doesn’t mean you should jump out of your seat right now and run to the pet store.

There might be a million dogs for sale right now, but there are a number of things that you need to consider and be aware of before getting one. The first part of this 2-part series will cover basic, but essential, pet care.

Are You Up To The Task?

Bringing a pet home isn’t all rainbows and sunshine. There will be frolicking, but there’s also going to be a ton of added responsibility. You need to be absolutely sure that you can give it the care and attention that it needs before you make the decision to get one.

Animals can’t be switched off when you’re not in the mood to deal with their energy. You simply need to learn how to handle them while keeping their well-being in mind at all times. If your dog needs to be walked twice a day, don’t skimp on this. Is your puppy acting listless and bored? Play some dog games with him! This is what a pet owner’s responsibility entails.

You also need to make sure that your home is suitable for the kind of pet you want. For example, confining a huge dog in a small apartment for most of the day while you’re at work is a horrible idea. It’ll develop behavioral problems and is definitely going to make a mess.

Go On A Pet Supply Run

Now that you’ve decided that you can handle the responsibility, it’s time to get started. Figure out which animal you want in your life, and which breed.

Once you know this, you’ll know what supplies you need for them. These include pet food that is age appropriate (you can’t give a puppy adult dog food), toys to keep them occupied, a collar and leash, and a litter box and some kitty litter if you’re getting a cat.

Go out and buy all these things, and anything else you can think of, before you bring the animal home. Running around after the fact is going to be needlessly stressful and rushed.

Visit The Veterinarian Often

First things first, take your new companion to the vet and get a thorough checkup done. This will identify any potential problems well beforehand. Get your pet vaccinated as early as possible and take them to the vet on a regular basis. Deworming and flea control is also absolutely necessary.

A general checkup every once in a while will catch issues well before they become significant problems. When your pet is old enough, get them neutered or spayed (depending on the gender), which will prevent them from breeding. There are enough suffering strays in the world, and as a responsible pet owner, you can help solve this problem.

Be Gentle On First Contact

Your pet is probably going to be scared and confused when it’s being moved to its new home. Be mindful of this and introduce it to your home and everyone in it slowly, at a pace it can handle.

This is especially important if you already have other pets at home. Introduce them to each other’s scents at first. Over a couple of days, let them interact in a safe and controlled environment to make sure that they’ll get along.

Pet Proof Your Home

Remove everything that could harm your pet. This includes obvious dangers like barbed wires, cleaning chemicals, and sharp objects like pins and needles.

You also need to watch out for less obvious dangers like potential poisons that you might not be aware of—for example, lily are extremely poisonous for cats and chocolate is toxic for dogs.

This list is by no means complete! Find the second part of this article here . Read both thoroughly and make sure you follow this advice and you’ll be rolling in rottweiler puppies before long.

Needs to link out to the second part