Even though the list of the good things you get from owning a pet is long, the list of your duties as a pet owner is equally as long, if not even longer. Pets need to be fed, hydrated, groomed, cleaned, cleaned after, socialized, checked by vets, worked out, and satisfied emotionally. All these activities take up a lot of time in the pet owner’s daily schedule.

Even during the weekends, free time is a scarce resource. During the working days, however, it gets worse. How much worse? Well, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that, without some help or very careful planning, pet owners would be in serious risk of neglecting their pets. And if you want to make sure you avoid doing it, here are a couple of tips that will help.

Manage Needs and Expectations

People often think they’ll be able to spend way more time with their pets then they actually will. Or, they might simply underestimate how much time and attention their pets will need, and what will the consequences be if they don’t get that time and attention. It’s one of the more common mistakes new pet owners make, and it’s the reason a professional who works 60-hour weeks would ever consider buying a dog like a corgi, for example.

Instead of looking for extra minutes or hours in the day to spend with your pet, it would be much better to get a pet that doesn’t require more attention and time than you can afford to give. Some dogs are better at handling separation anxiety and having fun on their own than others. It also helps if your dog can be active in the backyard while you’re at work, and there are plenty of other things that determine canine wellbeing while they’re on their own. So, make sure you get the pet that fits your circumstances.

Find Additional Time

You can’t actually add time to a 24-hour day. But what you can do is make sure that you spend every hour of the day as efficiently as possible. It applies to the time you spend working as much as it applies to the time you spend on your leisure activities.

The way people become more effective is by outsourcing or automating some of their less important tasks. For example, you can use Handmadewritings for custom writing services if writing reports or other types of write-ups is the most tedious part of your day. What’s important is that by the time you're done with making your work and leisure more efficient, you should be left with plenty of ‘newly found’ time, and you can spend some of it with your pet.  

Bring Your Pet When and Where You Can

Your pet is a living being, so making sure you have its basic needs met should be one of your top priorities. But it’s sometimes hard to say how much time with you your pet considers its basic need, for example. And you shouldn’t set your pet-owner goals just above malnutrition or neglect. You need to do better.

If you want to spend a lot of quality time with your pet, you should consider taking your pet with you wherever it’s possible to bring pets and as long as it will be enjoyable to the pet. Your dog might want to join you on your morning jog, for example. But it might also be happy to go with you while you’re doing errands, shopping, or even spending time with friends in coffee shops. More and more venues are deciding to accept pets, so it will only get easier to bring your furry friends with you.

Reduce the Time You Spend Online or in Front of the Screen

If your perfect way to wind down after a hard day at work is to sit in front of the screen and read, view, or listen to content, you’re missing out on the main benefits of owning a fun and lively pet you need to walk. Your pet might actually help you live longer by making you get off the couch and going outside for a walk.

No matter how much valuable information you can find online, or how many hours upon hours of content you find interesting, you should know that spending too much time online hurts you and it hurts your pet. So why not do both of you a favor, watch little less of Netflix, and walk your dog for an extra hour or so?

Pet ownership is not for everyone. You can be the best person in the world and have almost a telepathic link with your pet, but if your job requires you to visit your pet only once every couple of days, your life has no room for pets. But if you’re willing to commit to your new friends, start by selecting a type of pet that would feel the most comfortable in your life, and then work your way from there.