Organizing Your Pets

No, I didn't exactly have this in mind. If you have one dog out in the yard, you probably don't care whether or not you are organized in this area. But I would advise you to take your poor dog to a rescue shelter and just buy a concrete dog sculpture. Because dogs are living, breathing creatures and they need their people.

I have 5 little ones that depend on me. There are dog toys, leashes, collars, flea and tick treatments, toe nail clippers, doggy toothbrushes, (my sister rescues Pomeranians so she has a lot more grooming supplies than I do), medicines, dog food, dog dishes, dog clothes (winter and summer), diapers and belly bands, etc.

I keep files on each dog. These file folders include the information on their microchips (their numbers, phone number, website, etc), all their itemized vet bills, rabies certificates, their adoption (purchase) papers. I have a basket in the refrigerator with their meds. I have a drawer that holds their grooming supplies and I have leashes on hooks in the coat closet. I have several pop up crates for travel.

For dog clothes I have a closet hanging sweater organizer. Each dog has 2 shelves, one for winter coats and one for summer shirts. I have a plastic box in the closet for dog costumes (for Halloween). I have a larger plastic box in the coat closet that holds their outdoor winter coats. When I put them outside I put a fluffy dog bed out for each dog on the patio in the shade. When I bring them in, I poof the beds to shake out any dirt or bugs and bring them in and stack them in a basket by the door.

You can use Google calendar to remind you when to apply their flea/tick treatments, when their annual vet visits and shots are due. I had to give one of mine medication twice a day for 5 days. I could have used Google calendar to remind me of that. Or use my cell phone to notify you. (Same with your own medications and doctor visits.) You can find pet management software. It ranges from free to expensive. If you have a rescue organization or are a dog show-er or breeder then a good software can really help.

The objective is to find ways to organize your pet supplies and accessories that works for you. Where do you groom your dog? Then that is the place to store your grooming supplies... a basket, drawer, plastic container? Medications should be kept in the refrigerator and you want it stored in such a way that children can't get ahold of it so top shelf in a clearly marked box. My traveling bags and pop up crates need to be close to the door. I have shelves in the garage and I place the crates in a garbage bag to keep the dust off of them. It's just a matter of pulling them out of the bag and popping them in the car. So think of how you can organize and store your pet supplies. Then remember... always put it back where it belongs! It doesn't do any good to organize and clean up if wreck your hard work by neglecting to put things back where they belong. And keep after your children and spouse to do the same. It's called training and they need to learn too. If you take the leash off it's hook and walk the dog only to throw the leash on the floor by the couch when you come back, what good did it do you to pick up earlier? And when you ask Junior to walk the dog and he can't find the leash because it's in the den on the floor beside the couch??? He's hollering, "Where's the leash?" and you can't remember where it is and everyone is searching for it. It's created chaos that you didn't have to have, so put things back where they belong.


















I use these to hold my dog food. Don't buy too much at one time because it can get stale and keep it in something that will keep it fresh. You don't want an open dog bag because it can draw bugs and mice.



Here is a good popup crate for multiple little dogs. I might have to look for one of these myself!