When your family members include a four-legged friend with a wagging tail, it's important to take this into consideration when you shop for a new single-family home. Buying a home means that you'll need to carefully evaluate each of the home's features and how they relate to your family members — including your pet dog. While finding a dog-friendly home might seem less important than ensuring the home suits the needs of the adults and children who will live there, it's still valuable to keep in mind. Here are some dog-friendly features to look for.
Fenced Yard
Buying a house that has a fenced yard, even if it's just the backyard that is fenced, is a highly convenient feature when you have a dog. Without a fenced yard, you may have to take your dog outside each time that it needs to relieve itself. This is especially true if the pet isn't fully trained and can't be trusted to do its business and return to the door to be let inside. With a fenced yard, you can simply open the door and let the dog out, knowing that it will remain contained in the yard instead of wandering off. If the house you're interested in buying doesn't have a fenced yard, you may have to go to the expense of having a fence installed.
Mudroom
It's also ideal if the house you buy has a mudroom. This term describes a small room immediately inside one of the doors that is often used to store shoes and jackets. A mudroom is handy when you have a pet. When the pet has been outside in the rain, snow, or mud, you might not want it to walk into the main living area of the home with dirty paws. If the house has a mudroom, you can use the space to wipe off the dog's feet and even make the pet stay in this area until its fur dries; then, the dog can enter the rest of the house.
Proximity To Good Walking
It's important to walk your dog regularly, and the house's location can dictate the ease and enjoyment you get while taking the dog on a walk. If the house is near a park or a network of trails, you'll enjoy taking the dog to these areas. In a subdivision, you can still walk the dog along the sidewalk. Conversely, a house that is situated on a busy road with no sidewalks nearby can be a challenge, as you might have to walk the dog on the shoulder, which wouldn't be particularly pleasant.
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