Today’s young people love to rent. Studies have found that 65% of households headed by those under the age of 35 were renting — a 57% increase from the previous decade. Although many are students interested in living off campus, a great number of new apartments are going to individuals who have graduated and are firmly established in their lives; the next logical step, of course, would be to get a pet!
Provided you’re able to find pet friendly housing options, you’ll need to get your new space ready for your new companion. Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can pet-proof and prepare your apartment for a dog.
- Get a dog bed. Your new pup will be spending even more time in your apartment than you; he or she should have their own space. By placing a dog bed in the main room (or buying multiple and putting them wherever you hang out the most), your dog will truly begin to feel at home. Unless you’re comfortable with puppy fur all over your own bed and other furniture, dog beds are a perfect way to tackle two problems at once!
- Replace your trash bins. Dogs are notoriously nosey — literally. Their keen sense of smell can give them a direct line to the garbage, and sometimes (most times) the temptation is too much to resist. To ensure your puppy isn’t getting into the trash and eating something that could make them sick, replace all the bins in your apartment with lidded options.
- Pet-proof the whole apartment. Pet proofing is as serious as childproofing, especially for those pups that seem to have a genius-level intellect. This includes getting a puppy gate, putting away loose, within-reach cosmetics, and being incredibly strict with open food. If your dog has a reputation for being where they shouldn’t be, go the extra mile and invest in child-proof locks to guard cabinets containing cleaning products.
Finding quality apartments for rent is the hard part — and you’ve already done it! Making your new apartment cozy and safe for a canine companion is as easy as it is fun; before you know it, Fido will be curled up by your side and as happy in his new home as you are.
