Finding a home that is perfect for your human family members is difficult enough. Finding a home that’s just about perfect for your pets as well? Only harder still! Thankfully, if you know what to look for, the task is not insurmountable. If you have multiple different animals as pets?
Then their varied needs add a whole new dimension of depth to the problem. And even if you don’t manage to find a home that ticks all the requirements on our list, you can still get some of these features added yourself. Having said that, let’s get into the top 5 pet-friendly home features you want to look for when buying a house or considering a renovation!
The right type of doors
The first of the pet-friendly home features you want to be on the lookout for are doors. Sounds odd, right? Well, there are two types of doors you want to have in your home. First, of course, there are doors with built-in pet flaps. They make it so much easier for your pets to come and go as they please, and helps keep them from panicking or having bathroom malfunctions in the case of cats who have yet to be properly potty trained inside.
The second type of doors you want to have are Dutch doors. They are great for having some separation from your pets while not blocking them off completely. Of course, for cats and larger dog breeds they are more of a deterrent rather than any real obstacle for them. But they can be trained to respect the doors and keep their distance when needed!
A roomy and closed-off yard
Of course, doors with pet flaps means that your pet can go outside whenever they please. As such, you need to be sure that they are safe out there. Hence why the next of the pet-friendly home features on our list is a walled in or fenced in yard. Preferably a roomy one! If you have a sufficiently large yard, then even if your home itself is somewhat smaller, you can still make your kid’s birthday memorable and get them the pet they’ve been begging for without feeling guilty over keeping the animal cooped in.
If your child is asking for a puppy, search for chocolate lab breeders near me. Labradors are fantastic pets for children and they’re easy to train. So, if it’s important to you that your home remains clean and your dog knows exactly where to go to the toilet and get a little exercise, the breed of dog you choose is important.
Whenever the pet feels claustrophobic, they can go outside and run around to their heart’s content until they feel ready to return inside and be sociable again. And the fence will keep them safe from wandering off or getting snatched up by someone. In this case, you can absolutely have the best of both worlds!
Easy-to-clean flooring
It is a fact of keeping a pet that you will not be able to keep your home perfectly clean. Especially if you do decide to allow them to freely go in and out of the house. And while the experts from usantini.com point out that you can easily move your old furniture into storage safely if you know what you are doing, replacing the flooring is hardly as easy.
Which is why you really want to ensure that the house has easy to clean flooring from the get go. This means that carpets are right out from the start. They are difficult enough to clean even when they are not filled with dirt and pet hairs. Even wood flooring isn’t exactly optimal. If you want the best options, you need to look for a home with tiled or vinyl flooring since they are the easiest to maintain and clean.
Pet washing station
If you are serious about keeping a pet and letting them stay inside, then baths will likely become a regular thing for them. At least if you don’t fancy living in a home that’s constantly dirty! However, washing your pet in your bathroom is a messy and often frustrating task.
Their hairs easily clog the drain, it can be hard to find the right angle to approach them, and if they want to, they can absolutely make a mess out of the entire room just by shaking themselves off. Most of the time they choose to do this when they’re soaped up, too! As such, a dedicated pet washing station built into the house is a lifesaver. It will let you wash your pet easily and with minimal consequences for your home. In fact, even a standalone pet washing station is one of the best gift ideas for dog lovers.
The nearby amenities
The final of the pet-friendly home features you want to look for aren’t actually inside the house. Instead, it’s all about what you have in its vicinity. Of course, it’s generally one of the best tips for families to pay close attention to amenities near their home. But if you want your pet to stay happy, this is all the more important. Especially for pets such as dogs, who require regular physical activity and outings. Having a dog park nearby, or even just a regular park, is incredibly useful.
In addition to that, you may want to ensure there’s a pet grooming salon and a vet somewhere in your vicinity. When your pet really gets themselves too messy, a groomer is the only real solution to the problem. Unless, of course, you want to spend several hours trying to clean them up on your own.
Final comment
If you follow our list of the top 5 pet-friendly home features, no matter what sort of pets you have, you’ll end up with a much more comfortable home for them. Of course, there are a couple other features which can be useful for pet owners. An example would be having a roomy house, since no matter the animal, they all like to have space to sprawl and explore.
Still, our list covers the essentials, and whether you want to remodel your current place, or look for a new home altogether, you can’t go wrong by following this advice! These features will not just make your pets happier, but they’ll also make taking care of them much easier, too.
