Important Elements of a Pet-Friendly Home

Do you want to pamper your furry babies? Go beyond pet-friendly and check out these indoor and outdoor pet-first home design ideas.

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Animal Architecture: Important Elements of a Pet-Friendly Home

As pet owners, it is our responsibility to give our pets the best life. Aside from providing them with pet food and water, we should also give them shelter that will satisfy their needs.

Whether you are choosing a new home or redesigning your current one, you should consider your furbabies’ needs and incorporate specific features that will greatly help improve their well-being.

Let us discuss below how you can design a pet-friendly home.

What are the elements of a pet-friendly house design?

When considering what our pets need at home, think beyond food and a place to sleep in; they require a lot more than that. Pet ownership comes with a whole list of responsibilities.

Aside from these typical supplies you need to have at home for your pets – like food, collars, medications or maintenance, toys, etc. – you can improve the life of your furbabies by knowing what they need.

Feeling lost with what to do with your home? We got your back, pet parents! Here are some pet-friendly features you can apply to your home.

Space

The first thing you should consider is space. May it be a dog or a cat, any four-legged friend needs room to roam around and play.

Size matters

For dog owners, the amount of space you need to provide your dogs will depend on their size. For example, if you have small pets like chihuahua or shih tzu, you would not need that big of a space because they do not occupy much space unlike a golden retriever or a husky.

For cat owners, aside from floor space, you also need to plan and design a vertical space for them to climb and play.

Aside from allotting space for your pets to play, you must create a storage space for all their stuff, like your pet’s toys, leashes, food, etc. Some houses have room under the stairs, giving an out-of-sight place to store large bags of pet food, medicines, or a collection of treats.

Provide them with easy backyard access

One of the most important things dog owners should consider is giving their dogs backyard access. Dog owners usually try to potty train their dogs – training them to pee and poop outside the home. So what if your puppy needs to do his thing in the middle of the night?

Consider a floor plan or house design with direct access to the backyard from the master’s bedroom. In that way, you can take your fur baby outside without having to go through the whole house which can disturb your other family members’ resting. 

Aside from this, letting the dogs have access to your yard gives them extra room to play. Play fetch with them and let them run around your yard until they are tired under the sun.

Designate one room in your home as a playroom

Backyard as their playroom

For those who do not have a backyard, an option you can consider is a playroom. Create a space where they can both play and relax. Another use of this playroom is that you can create your storage space here instead, so you would not have any trouble finding your pet’s things around the house.

Spaces where you also spend most of your time

If you are having trouble picking which room you should pick to be your furbaby’s playroom, one tip for you is to pick a room near either your living room or your bedroom, as these are the places where you spend most of your time.

You can also consider putting a sofa and even a table inside the playroom where you can hang out with your pets.

For those who have kids, this area would also make a perfect playroom for children who love pets. 

Safety

As fur parents, it’s essential to prioritize the safety of our pets within our homes. Here’s a list of actions you can take to ensure their well-being.

Install pet gates and barriers

One way to ensure the safety of your pets, especially if you have a second floor, is by installing pet barriers and gates. This is a great help, especially for dog owners, as it would prevent them from falling from high places or going to dangerous places, like the kitchen when someone’s cooking.

Pet barriers also offer convenience to pet owners, allowing for easier cleaning by containing pets within a designated area, preventing interruptions during the cleaning process.

Keep any hazardous items away from them

Animals cannot eat all the things humans eat. With this in mind, as a pet owner, it is important to research and learn about all the foods that your pets cannot eat to prevent any accidents or medical emergencies.

Yes, there is a similarity in what is good and bad for cats and dogs, but you still need to distinguish the difference, depending on what pet you have.

After researching, the next thing to do is eliminate anything hazardous to your fur babies. Keep them out of reach from your pets and/or store them properly inside cabinets where they cannot easily access.

Hygiene

Besides providing your dogs and cats with their needs, they also need to be taken care of – one of the main things you need to do is bathe them; this is vital, especially for dog owners.

Create a convenient and safe bathing area

Bathing your pets can be messy especially if they hate the water. One solution is to use a bathtub equipped with a shower curtain during bath time, which helps minimize water splashes onto the floor. It also is a convenient way to bathe your pet as they are restricted in the tub, which prevents them from escaping.

Bathtubs can be slippery, so to ensure your pet’s safety, you can put non-slip mats on the tub. You can also buy rubber toys to keep your pets busy and distracted while bathing.

Consider an outdoor dog washing station

Do your dogs like playing outside? Of course, when your pets play outside, they come back with dirty paws, especially during rainy days, which creates a muddy area on your lawn.

Mud results in sticky or crusty fur, which is hard to clean. You definitely do not want them leaving their tracks inside your home, so it is important to have an outdoor hose or shower where you can rinse them off and refrain from leaving those muddy tracks on your tiles.

The nearby washroom or laundry area includes a sink where you can wash off for example your dog’s dirty paws.

Invest in pet-friendly home furniture and decor

When decorating your new house, consider pet-friendly furniture. Opt for pet-friendly furniture, flooring, and decor materials that are durable, easy to clean, and non-toxic.

Avoid using materials that can be easily chewed or scratched by pets. They help you worry less about those fine pieces of furniture that their paws or claws may damage.

Also, look for fabrics to keep off those falling pet hairs because removing fur on sheets can be a tedious task. For sure, one of the struggles that a fur parent experiences is cleaning pet hair.

Unless you want to keep using your vacuum every day, choose colors that will blend well with your pet’s fur color. If you have a brown dog, for example, then light fabrics are not helpful.

Entertainment

Consider adding a wall of windows

Windows and other essentials and similar ideas for your furry best friends. Photo by Leighann Blackwood on Unsplash.

Curious pets need a window to keep them entertained and not bored. A wall of windows is ideal, especially for dog owners, as having a wall of window means your dogs would not have to go through the trouble climbing on chairs just to get a good look outside.

Additionally, this feature adds elegance to your home and allows you to enjoy stunning view of your yard, especially during sunrise or sunset.

For cat owners, if you do not want to have a wall of windows, you can just place tables or platforms near your windows for your pets to have a good view.

On the side of the home, a screened porch offers a good spot to sit outside on a lovely day while still being protected against insects or sudden downpours. 

A perfect pet-friendly home will require effort

Overwhelming acts, clumsy paws, thick bushy tails, and shedding fur – these are just some of the things you will encounter as fur parents. Pets that are not yet well-trained can create damage or chaos inside your well-organized home.

However, your lovely interior does need not become a disaster zone. You just have to put a little thought and effort into it. Above all, you must make your pets feel at home and well-loved, treat them like a real family member, and believe me they will be returning the love and effort you exert on them.

Your furry friends deserve a shelter that will satisfy their needs, too. That is the beauty of having the power to choose and design your home, everything can fall exactly as you expect, based on what you want and need.