Have you decided on a New Year’s resolution yet? The beginning of the year is a great time to make changes, get healthy, restructure your priorities, and generally press the big red “reset” button on your life. But you don’t have to go it alone! Whether it’s eating at more regular times, getting better rest, or going on extra walks, your pet probably has some positive changes they’ve been thinking about implementing as well. So, this year, we decided to let our furry friends in on the action too!
Here are five New Year’s resolutions you and your pet can share:
1. Get Active
Getting more exercise is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions. For a dog owner, this can mean going for longer walks, or maybe even seeking out hiking trails to spend hours venturing into the great outdoors. For cat parents, this could be as simple as taking 15 minutes a day to engage in active play with a string toy. Buying a new toy to engage with like a new ball or frisbee can help you get started!
2. Improve Your Eating Habits
Even if you’re not looking to lose weight, eating a diet high in protein, vegetables, and whole grains is a healthy habit that you’ll thank yourself for later. For your pup, better eating habits might include chewing on less plastic, gnawing only on toys meant for gnawing on, and not eating the cat food (again). For cats, if they could just promise to stop eating stray lizards, frogs, and/or crickets, everyone would thank them.
3. Focus On Self-Care
Self-care can be slightly different for each person, but in general, good self-care can mean getting better sleep, less screen time, and learning when to say no to unnecessary things. Your furry friends will be happy to lead the way on this one and show you how easy it is to ignore your responsibilities and sleep all day long in the name of self-care.
4. Learn New Things
Resolve to learn something new every day. Go sniff the car until you find something unfamiliar, dig in the backyard until you find something interesting, or stare at squirrels until you can understand their language. Or, alternatively, you could subscribe to an educational podcast, get a library card, or watch more documentaries.
5. Make New Friends
You know what that means… Dog park! A dog park is a great place for your pup to make friends with lots of other dogs and get a good workout into the bargain. If you’re really feeling brave, you can even use this as an opportunity to chat with other dog lovers. Who knows, you might make a new friend.
If all else fails, you’ve totally given up on New Year’s resolutions, and getting your furry friend to commit to anything seems hopeless, never fear! You can always look your pet sternly in the eyes, and after a short discussion, agree:
“This year, we promise… that only one of us will poop in the house!”