How to Prepare your Home and Tips for Welcoming a New Pet!
Bringing home a new pet is an exciting and memorable time for both your family and your new furry friend. In our opinion, the best way to bring home a new pet is by adoption from a local animal shelter or rescue.
Tips for a Successful Pet Adoption
Choose the right pet for your family
When your family is ready to adopt a pet, there are several things to consider when choosing to save a pet. Are you more interested in rescue dogs? Or would you rather adopt a cat? Or, honestly, one of the many other pets that make their way into the animal shelters. Regardless, we have a few tips to help you make the best fit with your new furry friend:
Visit the Animal Shelter often
Visit your local animal shelter often! This will help you really learn different pets’ personalities. Take time to chat with the staff and volunteers at the animal rescue shelters. They are with the pets more than you’ll be able to before adoption and can help you match up with pets if they get to know you.
Adopt a Pet that Fits your Lifestyle
Know the best fit for your lifestyle. If you really want a puppy but are away from home all day, that might not be the right fit for you. If you have a small apartment, a big dog might not be your best choice. Be open to other pet options. Some pet preferences like size or age matter to your lifestyle, but others, like gender or color, aren’t important to giving a good pet a loving home.
A Pet is a Friend for Life
Remember that you are choosing a friend for life. Don’t decide to adopt a pet without thinking about the financial and time commitments, as well as how they will affect your living situation. We want you and your pet to enjoy a long, happy life together and to start with the best paw forward!
5 Tips to Prepare Your Home for Your Newly Adopted Pet
- Purchase Pet Supplies Beforehand
Before you adopt a pet, get ready to bring them home. Be sure that you have:- Food, plus food & water bowls
- Collar with ID tag
- Bedding
- Toys
- Brushes/grooming equipment
- For dogs: Leash, poop bags
- For cats: Litter box, scoop, kitty litter, scratching post
- Cleaning supplies! Paper towels and cleaning sprays for accidents are a must. You can check out pet spot and stain removers on our cleaning solutions page.
- Pet-Proof Your Home
- Before you bring your new pet home, make sure it is safe for curious pets.
- Cover trash cans
- Take breakables off coffee tables and countertops
- Add child-proof latches to cabinets where chemicals are kept
- Put away toys and craft supplies
- Block small spaces where cats or small dogs may get trapped
- Check electronics for hanging cords (lamps, TV, chargers) and tuck them out of reach
- Make sure heating and air vents have covers
- Do you have houseplants? Check to see if they are poisonous to pets and, if so, move out of reach
- Check everyone’s bedroom for food or old wrappers (no judgment if there are some under the kids’ beds, it happens!)
- Prepare Your Pet’s Personal Space
All pets need a place where they can retreat when they are ready to be by themselves. Moving to a new home after being at the pet shelter can be overwhelming. Having a crate for a dog or a covered bed or cardboard box for a cat is a great way to give them space that can be theirs away from the busy life of the house. If it’s not possible to do that, maybe gating off an area of the kitchen for a dog or ‘giving’ a cat the small bathroom could be a good compromise. - Deep Clean Your Home from Top to Bottom
Has your home ever had a pet before? Even if you haven’t had a pet, your home may have. You need to do a deep clean to make sure that any previous smells are out of the home for good. This will make it a lot less likely for your new pet to mark in places that previous pets may have marked or had accidents. Rug Doctor® by BISSELL® rental carpet cleaners are an easy way to get pet messes out of your carpet. Find a carpet cleaner rental at one of our thousands of locations nationwide! - Set Family Rules for the First Day
Bringing your new pet home from an adoption event or animal shelter is an exciting event for the whole family. But it can be a little scary for the pet. Think about letting the new pet meet family members one at a time once they get home, instead of bringing the whole family to the pet shelter. Ease the transition by introducing your pet to one room at a time. Gradually introduce them to other pets through baby gates or crates. If either pet seems to be too nervous or gets aggressive, separate them and try again in a few hours or after things have calmed down.
We hope these tips are helpful as you prepare to adopt a pet into your home!
