11 Petiquette Rules When Staying with a Pet in Shared Housing
With pet-positive attitudes continuing to spread throughout the world, it’s becoming more common than ever for dorms, co-living spaces, and shared rentals to offer reasonable accommodations for pets. This is wonderful news for pet owners who are in between long-term housing conditions, especially because they no longer need to consider giving up their cherished companions just to have a place to live in.
However, all shared housing situations require mindful behavior and compromises on the part of each housemate. The need for these only increases when a pet is brought into the mix. Every situation is different but, at the end of the day, you won’t go wrong by following these important “petiquette” rules whenever you share housing with someone else:
1) Obtain Their Permission First
Before bringing your pet into your new shared home, make sure that all your would-be housemates or property managers are fine with the pet being there. Even though attitudes toward pets have lightened up significantly over the past few generations, you should never assume that others are as comfortable as you are about sharing living spaces with animals.
2) Make Sure Your Pet is Chipped and Collared
The thing about shared housing is that people will be coming and going at all times, increasing the chances that your pet could escape.
Fortunately, having your pet microchipped and ensuring they have a consistent means of identification, like wholesale dog collars with tags containing your contact info, will significantly improve the chances of a safe return. Take these common-sense steps to show that you’re taking responsibility for your pet’s safety rather than just relying on your housemates.
3) Follow the House Rules
If the accommodations have a pet policy, you must make the effort to stick to it. In particular, be aware of the areas where pets are allowed, any noise restrictions, and any leash or carrier requirements.
4) Be Slow and Patient When Introducing Your Pets and Your Housemates
When meeting new housemates or their pets the first few times, introduce your pet gradually to mitigate stress and potential territorial conflicts. Even after everyone’s gotten used to each other, you should still take care to supervise your pet around your housemates and their own companion animals to avoid mishaps and misunderstandings.
5) Control Your Pet’s Anxious Behaviors
Barking, whining, destroying furniture, and other pet behaviors that people find disagreeable are often related to anxiety. Controlling anxiety will almost always address these unwanted behaviors and help preserve your pet’s mental health. Ensure your pet gets enough exercise and mental stimulation to avoid boredom or destructive behavior when they’re indoors.
6) Always Clean Up After Your Pets
Not cleaning up after your pets is probably going to result in tensions with your housemates that you won’t be able to live down. Make it a point to quickly and thoroughly address any accidents that your pet makes, particularly in common areas.
7) Minimize Allergens and Odors
Allergies to cats and dogs afflict up to 1 in 5 people the world over. If you live in any fairly tight housing situation, there is a non-trivial chance that there will be at least one person who breaks out when exposed to pet dander.
Moreover, there’s also a fair chance that some of your housemates won’t appreciate your pet’s natural odors. Regularly vacuuming your pet’s bedding and bathing them at least once a month should help control both dander and unpleasant odors that can put people off.
8) Provide Healthy Distractions
If you need to leave your pet home alone, provide safe toys or treats to keep them occupied. This can prevent disruptive behavior and keep your pet out of your housemates’ hair until you get back.
9) Respect Boundaries
Keep your pet out of other housemates’ rooms unless they’ve been explicitly invited. Similarly, common areas and fixtures that your pets can get to must be prioritized for the use of human housemates.
In particular, you should train your pet not to hog sofas and chairs to prevent fur and odor accumulation. If it can’t be helped, you’ll need to actively take charge of the furniture’s maintenance and upkeep.
10) Maintain Open and Honest Communication with Your Housemates
In the event that your housemates or landlord brings up a pet-related issue, it’s your responsibility to come up with an acceptable solution given that pets are a privilege, not a right. Be ready to consider any reasonable suggestions and avoid reacting rashly to any ignorant comments regarding your pet.
11) Be a Grateful Housemate
Lastly, don’t forget to thank your housemates for their understanding and patience. Small gestures of appreciation won’t cost you much, but they can go a long way in maintaining harmony and goodwill for your pet.
Take Responsibility for Pet-Friendly Co-Living
Your pet, while undoubtedly intelligent in their own right, is unable to speak for themselves or to make sense of the complexities of human interactions.
The responsibility of keeping them safe, comfy, and out of trouble in your co-living space, therefore, falls on you. A big part of it lies in maintaining a respectful, empathetic attitude, so keep this at the center of your interactions between you, your housemates, and your respective companion animals.
