Tag: Dog Tips

I’ve been a dog lover since the age of eight years old, and I certainly have my own thoughts on which kinds of dogs I prefer…in the end I love them all, but I do prefer the larger breeds. Now…if I had it my way I’d have my own sanctuary or something of the kind that would benefit all dogs that are having trouble being adopted or who have been abandoned. Who knows, this may happen in the future. It saddens me to no end to think of any animal being put down unnecessarily and alone in the world. They all deserve to be loved in return, and they are the best at loving. Now, to my next point: how can we give our dogs the best life possible? Here are some of my tips as a dog walker in NYC…have fun reading!

1. Make sure that your apartment or home (especially if you live in a cramped city like NYC) is a suitable space for a pet. A lot of NYC spaces are very small and truly only suit one being comfortably. Although it may work great for you, that doesn’t mean it will be ideal for your pet. Bigger dogs need room to exercise and romp around during the day when you’re not there. Think about it: your dog will be staying indoors at your home for the entirety of the time you’re working, out with friends, etc. That is probably very monotonous and could lead to depression in dogs. When they’re depressed they often become unruly and develop bad behaviors because they’re not happy, just like humans! So…make sure that you have a big enough space depending on the size of the dog you’re interested in. This leads me to my second point.
2. Socialization. Although NYC is not a very large dog friendly kind of place, there are ways of providing a great life for your lovebug if you’ve got the funds to do it. All of my family pets have had the opportunities to live in places in the foothills, free to roam on our land, and plenty of open space to play with and explore. Our Rhodesian Ridgeback had a best friend who lived in the same neighborhood! The two of them would play and romp together for hours on end. They were inseparable! Two big doggos wrestled and played all day and came in pooped in the evening several days per week, at least. My mother worked long hours daily, so she would drop our dog off at his friends’ house or vice versa so that he would get exercise and be social. He was such a happy dog because the owners made it a great time for the two puppers! Now, what NYC’ers can do is this: investigate doggy daycare ideas. There are so many of them in the city and they are in very high demand. I recommend finding one that will take the dogs to the park sometimes, and that will supervise them responsibly throughout the whole time. This playtime and interaction can help to mitigate the difficulty of living in the city with a dog, as they will feel loved while you are out making a living and cuddling at home with them in the evening! Another service you can look into is dog walking. Wag and Rover are two of the most popular dog walking services, they’re great, and signing up is very easy. You can even search for dog walkers on the site for Rover and choose one based on their price and profile! I highly recommend this option as well. Just be sure that you meet your dog walker first to make sure that this is the right person for you and your dog! Plus…depending on the walker your dog may get more exercise and love than with another walker, so meet and greets are very important. Although, given a choice between the two, I’d look into doggy daycare at least several days per week first.
3. Make sure you look into the different breeds before deciding. Some dogs’ typical habits make apartment life more difficult or less than other breeds. Their energy levels can vary as well. Some bark more than others, too. Our Rhodesian hardly ever barked!
4. On a more personal note, I want to see every doggy and kitty get adopted out there, so the first place that I, personally, would go would be the shelters. No matter the breed, you might just find your best friend there. Many shelter dogs are the biggest lovers I’ve ever walked/met and I’ve walked a good amount of dogs. With the right training and care they can become the best behaved loveys. Yes, I also call them all my loveys. 🙂 It’s almost like they know they’ve been rescued…or is it them that are rescuing us?

As always, please be careful when selecting your pet. There are always possible dangers, so please be careful with pets and kids, etc. Also…have fun!