Now, when you shop online at your favorite stores, a donation is made to Adopt-a-Pet.com to help shelter pets get adopted. All you need to do to participate is download the Adopt-a-Pet.com Browser Button or shop through our special shopping portal. There is no extra cost to you and you get to feel good that you’re helping homeless animals every time you make a purchase.
Watch the easy, step-by-step video and get more info on the button here.
Living in an apartment or condo doesn’t mean you have to wait to adopt a pet. Cats, dogs, and other pets can thrive in smaller settings — it just takes some extra preparation and care, especially in the case of dogs. Here are some pet safety tips for small-space dwellers keen on adopting a pet:
#1 Cabinets and shelves are easy access.
If you’re away for an extended period of time, your pet may do some exploring. Keep cabinets and shelves firmly closed. Cats are especially good at climbing and using their paws to open things, so store anything dangerous behind a childproof cabinet. Also install childproof locks (about $460) in cabinets near the floor — or train your dogs to stay away from them.
#2 Your houseplants could be dangerous.
If you have plants around your apartment or house, be aware that some are poisonous to cats and dogs. Some examples include:
If you have hazardous plants in your home, place them out of your pet’s reach. Or, better yet, donate them to a petless, green-thumbed friend.
#3 Balconies are a major hazard.
Apartment and condo balconies weren’t designed with animals in mind; it’s easy for a cat or small dog to fall through. Keep a close eye on your pets at all times when out on the balcony. Or, keep them off the balcony altogether. You can also install plastic garden fencing or clear acrylic sheets around the balcony, though you should check with your landlord to make sure it’s okay first.
#4 Safety features aren’t just for kids.
Depending on the layout of your space, there may be additional hazards for your pets. A fall down the stairs, for example, may result in a broken bone. Use a safety gate to keep them from falling. Other safety features to consider include:
#5 Exercising is a must.
Because of the limited space in apartments and condos, your animals can’t exercise as much as they could if they had a yard. While cats can make the most of any space and should be indoor-only animals, dogs need a bit more help. Schedule time into your day to exercise them. They could need anywhere from 20 minutes to more than an hour every day to get their energy out. This doesn’t include playtime with toys. Think about a minimum of two walks per day, even for small breed dogs.
#6 House train your pet!
House training is an absolute necessity when living in an apartment or condo, especially if you’re on an upper floor. House training a cat can be relatively simple, as long as they take to the litter box. Dogs are a bit harder, although training works well when you use a crate. There will be accidents along the way, but once they get it down, you and your pet will enjoy a solid routine. Then you can spend more time playing and less time cleaning up soiled carpets (here are some tips on cleaning those up too).
Written contribution by Andrea Davis, Home Advisor.
One of my foster dogs, Iggy, came to me as a super shy young dog. At the shelter, he cowered in the back of the kennel. He was scared of the water hoses used to clean the kennels, running water, people in uniform (like the kennel staff who sprayed the kennels down to clean them), loud noises, and a lot of other things — so essentially, my ideal project dog to foster! I love fostering shy dogs and helping them blossom into happy adoptable dogs. Each shy foster dog is like a puzzle that takes time, patience, training, and of course love. I’m always learning something new from my foster dogs, like when Iggy suddenly became terrified of something unexpected…
…getting his walking harness put on! I’d been fostering him for a few weeks and his confidence was growing every day. Then one day, something happened. I wasn’t even aware of it until I went to put his harness on him for a walk — his activity in the world aside from squirrel chasing — and he cowered in fear and submissive urinated all over both of us! We both seemed pretty surprised! I cleaned us both up and then went carefully again to put the harness over his head (no problem) but when I went to buckle it around his chest, he trembled and peed again, poor little guy. The next day, the same thing. So instead I slipped a martingale collar on him and clipped a leash to that and we went for our walk, no problem. But the harness had become SCARY! I must have accidentally snagged some of his fur when I buckled it without realizing. Since he can pull super hard when he sees a squirrel, a harness is a safer choice for him.
I needed to re-condition him to not think the harness clipping on was scary.
(Disclaimer: I am not a neuroscientist, so this is my layperson’s understanding of the learning and memory process!) Dogs and other mammals encode experiences as memories in their brains. A memorable event, like pain, causes neurons to fire more frequently. They make a “path” that will be followed again in the future. So in Iggy’s harness fear case, the harness being attached made a path of “That hurt that’s scary!” So the next time that event started to happen, his brain said, “this is going to hurt!” an he urinated in fear.
What I needed to do is make a new path. One way to do that with a food-motivated dog is overwrite the fear response with an equally or more memorable thing and action — like awesome treats for a different action!
For Iggy, since he was super good at the sit command, I tried that first. I put the harness over his head, and instead of reaching to snap it, before he had a chance to pee, I quickly stood up and gave him my hand & verbal signals for “sit.” He looked a little confused but he sat – and then I gave him a huge handful of awesome treats! He was like, “WHOA! What just happened?!?!? That was awesome!!” I then slid the harness off and did it one more time, then again slid it off and put the collar on instead and we went for our walk.
I don’t really know how many times it would take Iggy to “re-write” the bad memory, so I gave it eight times: just before our two walks a day with two oh-my-dog-tons-of-treats rewards each time. On day three I then started just pulling the buckle around his belly, not fastening it, and then doing the sit-treat. The first time I did that he moved and the one side of the buckle hit the other side of the buckle and he tail tucked (a precurser to scared peeing) but quickly recovered when I stood up. Did that for more two days and then tried to oh-so-casually clasp the buckle. He actually sat in anticipation of the sit/treats which made it easier and as soon as the buckle clicked, he got a HUGE handful of treats and off we went on our walk!
So now Iggy sees the harness and he sits! I reward him sometimes (slot-machine style) and he’s happily replaced SCARY with SIT for his harness behavior.
We LOVE a good adoption story, especially when Adopt-a-Pet.com helps to make that bond happen! Today, we hear from Ana who found her little Pru (formerly Sprinkles) with the help of our service. Ana writes:
“My husband and I recently got married in March and moved out to Santa Monica, CA for his job. I made one request upon the move to California – to get a puppy. The deal was made and as soon as I found a dog friendly apartment in Santa Monica, I went on Adopt-a-Pet.com where I found Sprinkles’ profile. I fell in love with her immediately and called the contact number. Tina from Little Pampered Paws Rescue answered the phone. Tina relayed the unfortunate news that someone else had claimed her. I was disappointed but continued searching. I couldn’t get Sprinkles out of my head, but luckily I got phone call two days later with great news! I picked up the phone and it was Tina calling to tell me that the other family decided they weren’t ready for a puppy and that she was all ours if we wanted her – I replied “Of course we do!” We met her that same day. As soon as I held her, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind if we would take her home – she was perfect. She came home with us that same day and we named her Pru after the Prudential Tower where my husband and I first met. Pru now lives with my husband and I in Santa Monica two blocks away from the beach and it’s true what they say: a dog makes a house a home. We are so elated that we found Pru and grateful that we were able to rescue her.”
We’d love to hear your Happy Beginnings story too! Send your pet adoption story to info@cms.adoptapet.com with a photo or two, and tell us how Adopt-a-Pet.com helped you with your adoption. Thank you for adopting a pet and saving a life!
Have you guys seen the commercial on TV for HomeAdvisor? You know, the one with the doorbell at the end that drives your doggies crazy?
It seems our friends at HomeAdvisor are #InTheDogHouse after disturbing the peace for some VIPs (Very Important Pooches) like yours. But, they want to take the bite out of the bark by raising money for shelter pets and Adopt-a-Pet.com. Join the campaign and HomeAdvisor will donate $1 on your behalf. They’ll even double the donation if you also share a pic of your pet in social media with the #InTheDogHouse hashtag!
Go now and help us receive the maximum donation of $15,000!
Finding a pet using Adopt-a-Pet.com seems like magic, but the real magic is our technology that unites good people with great pets! Check out Adopt-a-Pet.com’s latest video, where we show off some magic tricks and surprise some pet lovers by introducing them to their new best friend.
Want to create a little magic of your own? You can make a donation, feature adoptable pets in social media, add Adopt-a-Pet.com to your own website, and share this video with your friends and family and encourage them to do the same.
For more info, visit Adopt-a-Pet.com/Magic!