Paws for Thought: Caring for Your Pet When You’re Busy

Sometimes life gets busy. You’re consumed by work or perhaps a personal crisis, and you don’t have as much time as you used to. When you have a pet, it can affect your ability to spend time with them and care for them properly. Perhaps you might feel guilty that you can’t be there for your pet as much as you would like to. They require your love and attention, and it’s not very fair if you can’t give it to them.

But being busy doesn’t have to stop your pet from receiving the attention he or she deserves. If you’re having a busy period, there are several things you can do to ensure your pet is cared for.

Keep Your Pet Entertained When They’re Home Alone

Even if you’re not particularly busy, you probably need to leave your pet at home on their own sometimes. When you go to work, you might choose to leave them home alone, trusting that they will be safe in the house. However, you need to ensure that they’re entertained and that they have everything they need. You need to leave food and water and make sure that they have somewhere warm or cool to go. If you have a dog or cat, it’s especially important that they don’t get bored, or else you might come home to destroyed furniture. Leaving them with toys and things to do will keep them occupied until you get home.

Get Someone Else to Carry Out Essential Care

Sometimes you need a bit of help caring for your pet. If you’re very busy with work or other commitments, you might struggle to dedicate enough time to your pet. One way to ensure they get the attention they deserve is by getting someone else to help out. It could be someone who volunteers to do it for free, or perhaps someone you pay. For example, at www.friendsforpets.co.uk you can find dog walking services, pet sitting, small animal boarding, and house sitting. You can have someone come and collect your dog for a walk during the day, or perhaps send them to doggy daycare. Just having someone pop into your home for ten minutes each day can make a big difference.

Keeping Your Pet Happy When You Work from Home

Some people work from home, but still struggle to give their pets the attention they need. Much like children, your pet can demand your attention when you’re trying to work. One of the things you can do is make sure you schedule times in your day when you can step away from your work and give your pet your full attention. But even if you give yourself a schedule, your pet won’t necessarily want to follow it. So ensuring that they can occupy themselves while you work can also be helpful. Give your pet toys to play with that they can enjoy on their own, without you having to throw or wiggle anything.

Schedule Your Time Together

When you’re extremely busy, organising your time is one way to meet all your obligations. If you make sure to plan time for your pet, you will be more likely to give them the care they need. So, if your dog needs a walk, you can plan to do it in the morning before you go to work, or in the evening when you get home. Even if you only have a spare half an hour, you can squeeze in some time with your pet instead of looking for something else to do or spending it doing nothing.

Rearrange Your Schedule

It might be that you need to give your schedule a serious rethink. Instead of just fitting your pet around your existing commitments, perhaps it’s time to rearrange your priorities. Sometimes when you’re particularly busy at work, there’s not much you can do about it. But on other occasions, you have a choose as to how much time you spend at work. Perhaps you can bring some work home or do less work altogether. You can rethink other commitments too. If you spend a lot of time doing a certain hobby, maybe it’s time to spend more time at home instead.

Partner Up with Other Pet Owners

If you have a dog, they might have some other dogs they enjoy spending time with. Having some company can stop them from getting bored, so you could consider having one of your dog’s friends stay with them during the day. Being friends with another dog owner can also be useful because you can share dog care duties. If you help each other out by walking each other’s dogs or popping in to feed them when you can, you can share the load of caring for them. Your dog could get two walks in one day, while you only have to go on one of them, and your friend gets the same.

Use Your Time Wisely

When you do have time to spend with your pet, try to use it in clever ways. If your pet has a lot of energy, tiring them out might mean they sleep for a while so you can do something else. As well as helping them burn off energy, you should also try to occupy your pet’s mind, so they don’t get bored. You could try some training or perhaps put some treats in puzzle toys, or even make your own. Find ways to entertain your pet at www.puppyleaks.com.

Is Your Lifestyle Still Suitable for a Pet?

There are some times in life when you need to consider if you can still care for your pet. Many people see rehoming an animal as a big no-no, but the reality is that sometimes rehoming is better for your pet if you’re unable to make changes in your life. You might be dealing with an illness, about to face homelessness, or unable to reduce your heavy working hours. Sometimes, you need to consider if you’re doing what’s best for your pet.

It’s not always easy to care for your pet when you’re busy, but if you love them, you can usually make time.

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