Living an independent adult’s life often involves doing things you were never allowed under your parent’s roof. One of them could possibly be, keeping a pet. Petting the neighbour’s dog never felt truly fulfilling, so when you started paying your own bills, you decided to get a furry friend. Happy as you may have been to hold the puppy/kitten/dog in your arms and receiving licks all over, you missed your roommate standing at the corner trying to comprehend the situation.

There is little to be done if you have already walked home with a beady eyed pet, those eyes and wagging tails always wins. Before you go around the apartment placing toys and bowls it is preferrable that you sit down with your roommate and lay out a plan on how you want to bring up your pet. Never forget that your roommate will also be directly or indirectly involved in the process, his degree of involvement should ideally be his decision.

When you are on the other side of the table, you may or may not approve of your roommate’s decision but it takes a gentleman/lady to respect his choice. Feel free to tell him/her about the places you will be uncomfortable with pet presence, like kitchen, your bed and others. Although there will be fur presence all over. Keep a brush handy before you step out.

A pet’s habit depends on its owner’s training. An untrained dog can be something of a nuisance to live with, so make sure your pet receives primal training, potty training being of foremost importance as well as socializing with other humans. You can always customize his food habits from pet food to house meals depending on your budget and preference.

Pets can be great sources of passing time. Instead of treating your roommate’s pet as an alien, try befriending them. While you may not cuddle him in bed (or may not get to), you can occasionally throw balls for him and take him out for walks. If the dog is active then it can be a great companion for sports like jogging, running, or plain tug of war over the sofa cushions.

Life with a pet will bring in a few changes for better or worse even if you are not the owner. There might be innocent requests from your roommate to feed him when he is caught at work or letting the pet have your green t-shirt because he feels safer with it when it is thundering or Diwali, oblige him with the acceptable ones. At the end of the day, when you return to your apartment after a long day at work, there will be a set of happy eyes and wagging tail to welcome you regardless of whether or not you are his master.