A lot of us 20-somethings dream of having our own pet. Whether it's just a fish, or a cat, or a dog, we all fawn over our friends' pets and say how much we wish we could have one. Research has been showing as of late, that our generation of 20-somethings are having kids a lot later and our pets are our children for now. It's so true, and honestly, they are a lot of work, almost like a kid! Obviously kids are a lot more work than pets, but having a pet isn't a cake walk either. There's a lot to think about when you go in to get a pet from what kind of food you're going to feed them, toys, vet visits, treats, training, and simply just finding time to spend quality time with them. I love my dog so much, and he's seriously my best friend. He really is my child, and I adore taking care of him. It's worth every minute of every day to see him happy and healthy. Here are some of Wrigley's favorite things that make him the oh so happy pup that he is and makes me love living the pup life!
Food: Taste of the Wild.
Wrigley prefers the bison and sweet potato mix, but there are plenty of other options, too. It's an all organic brand, makes Wrigley's coat so beautiful, and works for his sensitive stomach. We switched him to this brand after we had some trouble with him getting sick on Iams. Not to knock down the major dog food brands, but they can be filled with some not so healthy fillers for your dog. Some dogs can handle the stuff that gets put in those mass produced brands, but Wrigley couldn't, so we switched him over to Taste of the Wild. It's worth the extra $5 a bag. The 5 lbs bag lasts Wrigley about a month, and he eats about a cup of food a day. $13 a month to keep my pup happy and healthy? Totally worth it.
PS - Don't feed your dog hot dogs, burgers, etc. One burger for them is like the equivalent of you eating 5 Big Macs. Enough said.
Available at small pet shops & Pet Supplies Plus
Treats: Buddy Biscuits & Baked Delights by Beneful
Wrigley loves peanut butter, cheese, and bacon. The peanut butter buddies are soft and chewy for him and the baked delights are little hard biscuits, so he gets a nice mixture throughout the week to always make them a "treat." Both are a tad bit expensive (Wrigley is high maintenance), but they really do last a long time. I maybe buy dog treats once a month if not every 2 months. Ask for them for Christmas and your pet's birthday. Wrigley got so many boxes of treats and bones for Christmas that I didn't have to buy treats for him till May!
Available at small pet shops and Target
Wrigley prefers the bison and sweet potato mix, but there are plenty of other options, too. It's an all organic brand, makes Wrigley's coat so beautiful, and works for his sensitive stomach. We switched him to this brand after we had some trouble with him getting sick on Iams. Not to knock down the major dog food brands, but they can be filled with some not so healthy fillers for your dog. Some dogs can handle the stuff that gets put in those mass produced brands, but Wrigley couldn't, so we switched him over to Taste of the Wild. It's worth the extra $5 a bag. The 5 lbs bag lasts Wrigley about a month, and he eats about a cup of food a day. $13 a month to keep my pup happy and healthy? Totally worth it.
PS - Don't feed your dog hot dogs, burgers, etc. One burger for them is like the equivalent of you eating 5 Big Macs. Enough said.
Available at small pet shops & Pet Supplies Plus
Treats: Buddy Biscuits & Baked Delights by Beneful
Wrigley loves peanut butter, cheese, and bacon. The peanut butter buddies are soft and chewy for him and the baked delights are little hard biscuits, so he gets a nice mixture throughout the week to always make them a "treat." Both are a tad bit expensive (Wrigley is high maintenance), but they really do last a long time. I maybe buy dog treats once a month if not every 2 months. Ask for them for Christmas and your pet's birthday. Wrigley got so many boxes of treats and bones for Christmas that I didn't have to buy treats for him till May!
Available at small pet shops and Target
Collar & leash: Kiss My Mutt.
Wrigley's favorite thing in the world is to go for walks. As I'm sure you all know from "being a morning person" thing, I walk Wrigley in the mornings before I start work. He LOVES it! We walk about a mile on weekdays and 2 miles on the weekends. It's good quality time together and great exercise for the both of us.
Available on their website and at small pet stores.
Bones: Rawhide.
Wrigley's 2nd favorite thing in the world is bones. He will chew them for hours. This is one thing I have to buy almost every week to 2 weeks. They are only about $5 though, so no big deal, I just add it to my grocery list! He loves them, and they're so good for this teeth. Anytime we go to the vet, one of the things that's always mentioned is how he has some of the cleanest teeth the vet has ever seen. Yeah, it's the bones...and carrots. Carrots are really good for your dog's breath and keeping their teeth clean. Add that to your doggy shopping list, too ;)
Available at any pet store or grocery store.
Tennis ball: Penn or Wilson.
If Wrigley isn't chewing a bone or sleeping, he's playing. He loves tennis balls. Especially the small little ones that have the squeaker in them. Big mistake on my part getting those things, but he loves them, so I'll deal with it. He will throw it up in the air, push it off the bed and run after it, or make us play endless hours of fetch with him. He's quite simple when it comes to toys, which is awesome, because dog toys can be overly expensive. Try out something simple like a tennis ball or a rope with your dog first before you go out and buy all those crazy expensive loud squeaking toys.
Available at Walmart, Target, Mejier, etc.
Wrigley's favorite thing in the world is to go for walks. As I'm sure you all know from "being a morning person" thing, I walk Wrigley in the mornings before I start work. He LOVES it! We walk about a mile on weekdays and 2 miles on the weekends. It's good quality time together and great exercise for the both of us.
Available on their website and at small pet stores.
Bones: Rawhide.
Wrigley's 2nd favorite thing in the world is bones. He will chew them for hours. This is one thing I have to buy almost every week to 2 weeks. They are only about $5 though, so no big deal, I just add it to my grocery list! He loves them, and they're so good for this teeth. Anytime we go to the vet, one of the things that's always mentioned is how he has some of the cleanest teeth the vet has ever seen. Yeah, it's the bones...and carrots. Carrots are really good for your dog's breath and keeping their teeth clean. Add that to your doggy shopping list, too ;)
Available at any pet store or grocery store.
Tennis ball: Penn or Wilson.
If Wrigley isn't chewing a bone or sleeping, he's playing. He loves tennis balls. Especially the small little ones that have the squeaker in them. Big mistake on my part getting those things, but he loves them, so I'll deal with it. He will throw it up in the air, push it off the bed and run after it, or make us play endless hours of fetch with him. He's quite simple when it comes to toys, which is awesome, because dog toys can be overly expensive. Try out something simple like a tennis ball or a rope with your dog first before you go out and buy all those crazy expensive loud squeaking toys.
Available at Walmart, Target, Mejier, etc.
Dog tote: Manhattan Portage Pet Carrier Tote Bag
Not 100% necessary, but nice for when you live in a big city like Chicago. A lot of places will let you bring your dog inside if you carry them. So voila, a tote! They're perfect because there's a little hole for them to stick their head out of or if they don't want to be bothered, they can just hunker down inside and sleep. Obviously this only works for small dogs, so if you have a small dog like I do, I highly recommend it!
Available on Amazon.
Shampoo: Buddy Wash by Cloud Star.
Wrigley hates baths, but this shampoo has a lavender and mint in it, which is a mixture of "soothing" smells. He's still anxious in the tub, but he will stand still for me when I use this shampoo. His fur is so soft after I give him a bath, too. I usually give him a bath about every other week, because I don't want his skin to dry out. Of course if he gets dirty before that, then he gets a good scrubbing, but otherwise the every other week regime works out well.
Available at pet stores and Whole Foods.
Flea/tick protection: K9 Advantix
Wrigley hates this stuff, but it's necessary. The one day that Wrigley is uncomfortable overpowers getting fleas or ticks. Just be watchful of how your dog reacts to it. If you are getting too anxious, wash it off of them and try something else or call your vet and see what they recommend. Wrigley gets very antsy with this stuff, and I will be the first to tell you wash it off if you think your dog is having a reaction to it. I know Wrigley does sometimes, and it's okay to take a break from it every once in a while. Lots of baths and checking their coat will suffice for protecting them from fleas and ticks for a little bit.
Available at pet stores and grocery stores.
Not 100% necessary, but nice for when you live in a big city like Chicago. A lot of places will let you bring your dog inside if you carry them. So voila, a tote! They're perfect because there's a little hole for them to stick their head out of or if they don't want to be bothered, they can just hunker down inside and sleep. Obviously this only works for small dogs, so if you have a small dog like I do, I highly recommend it!
Available on Amazon.
Shampoo: Buddy Wash by Cloud Star.
Wrigley hates baths, but this shampoo has a lavender and mint in it, which is a mixture of "soothing" smells. He's still anxious in the tub, but he will stand still for me when I use this shampoo. His fur is so soft after I give him a bath, too. I usually give him a bath about every other week, because I don't want his skin to dry out. Of course if he gets dirty before that, then he gets a good scrubbing, but otherwise the every other week regime works out well.
Available at pet stores and Whole Foods.
Flea/tick protection: K9 Advantix
Wrigley hates this stuff, but it's necessary. The one day that Wrigley is uncomfortable overpowers getting fleas or ticks. Just be watchful of how your dog reacts to it. If you are getting too anxious, wash it off of them and try something else or call your vet and see what they recommend. Wrigley gets very antsy with this stuff, and I will be the first to tell you wash it off if you think your dog is having a reaction to it. I know Wrigley does sometimes, and it's okay to take a break from it every once in a while. Lots of baths and checking their coat will suffice for protecting them from fleas and ticks for a little bit.
Available at pet stores and grocery stores.
After you have all your essentials, you need to think about a vet. Having a vet you trust is so important. My best advice for this is to ask your friends. Don't look up reviews online. Most of the time they're all going to be negative. No one is going to take their time to go write out a moderate to high review for a vet...no they're just going to tell people about how awesome their vet is. However, if someone has a bad experience with a vet, of course they're going to go rant about it on the internet. Word of mouth is the best way to obtain information like this. Your friends and family have true first hand stories that you can trust. For my central Iowa readers, I took Wrigley to the Boone Vet Hospital. Best vet in the world. I miss it. For my Chicago readers, I take Wrigley to the Care Animal Hospital in Arlington Heights. If you want to know more in depth information and about my experiences at either of these places, please feel free to ask!
My one last "tip" for living the pup life, adopt if you can. Every dog deserves a home, and every home deserves a dog. Save their life, and they will save yours :)
Check out PAWS Chicago to find your new best friend!
My one last "tip" for living the pup life, adopt if you can. Every dog deserves a home, and every home deserves a dog. Save their life, and they will save yours :)
Check out PAWS Chicago to find your new best friend!