The following is a guest post about pet organization from regular contributor, Kristin at The Gold Project.
A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to share a blog post or video about pet organization. At that moment, I realized I have never talked about pet organization and that is because I really do not have a lot of pet supplies. I have two pets at home. I have a 13-year-old male Pomeranian named Armani and a 5-year-old female ragdoll cat named Grizabella (Bella, for short). Bella pretty much takes care of her own maintenance and Armani is pretty easy to maintain. He literally weighs 6 pounds soaking wet. Bella is an inside cat, uses a litter box, and can be grouchy. We laugh and call her Queen B because she still has pink paws.
Even though my pet supplies are pretty minimal, I wanted to go ahead and share that information today in case one little thing can inspire someone else.
Food
We are going to start off with the most important thing first, food. Both of my pets’ food tubs are stored in the bottom of our pantry. It took me forever to find pet food containers that I liked, matched the white storage containers in my pantry, and were food grade quality.
It is funny how you can find the best organization systems when you aren’t even looking. I was at Wal-Mart shopping for groceries when I happened to walk down the paint aisle. There on the bottom shelf were white paint buckets that were under $5.00 each. I looked to make sure they were food-grade quality and it was marked in big bold black letters on the side. Score! Two great pet food storage containers for $10.00.
For the labels, I used adhesive pockets that I purchased from The Container Store, scrapbook paper, and my label maker. I like the adhesive pockets because I can easily change the information if I decide to change the purpose of these containers.
Supplies
The supplies I have for both of my pets are really minimal, since they do not require a lot of maintenance. I have a small Elfa unit from The Container Store placed in the bottom of my pantry that holds all of their supplies. I should probably say my dog’s supplies because my cat doesn’t have anything, but a brush, in the drawers.
These type of units can be purchased at various retailers. I am using the Elfa one because I had originally purchased it for a different area of my home. When I changed organization systems, it freed up this organizer. So, I decided to use it as my pet organizer.
The top drawer holds my dog’s nail trimmer and his travel food items. He travels almost everywhere with me. So, I have a food container and water bowl that I take on trips with me.
My second drawer just holds medications. My Pomeranian was put on liver enzyme medication two years ago. He takes this medication every morning. He thinks it is a treat and I don’t let me think otherwise.
The bottom drawer has extra treat containers, my dog’s shampoo, and a pet brush. I could still fit more in this drawer but right now I don’t need the extra space.
You might wonder where I keep my dog’s leash. The truth is Armani does not go outside with a leash. He does not like to go outside and literally as soon as his front paw hits the grass, he is doing his business. Sometimes that means on the concrete.
When I lived in a big city, I did have a leash for him and walked him using it daily. I lived in an apartment complex with lots of traffic. Now, he doesn’t enjoy the outside. I am not sure if it is because of his age or not. When I let him outside to use the bathroom, two seconds later he is barking at the door.
How do you organize your pet supplies? I would love to hear all about it.
My name is Kristin and I am a middle school career education teacher by day and a mommy/wife/blogger by night. I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have two loving children. We recently made a life-changing move to Arkansas, so our new house is always under construction. I get excitement out of finding new creative, functional, and cute ways to organize things! I also enjoy writing and documenting life as it happens. So, I put these loves together and created The Gold Project. With the help of my husband, I am attempting to turn our house into a home. So, check out this special place of mine and take this journey with me!
Wait, you may also like:
For additional ideas, visit this post to see how Morgan uses a drawer to organize all her pet things.
Praye says
I have an over the door coat hook or towel hook not really sure that I hang on the inside of my coat closet where all leashes and doggie water bottles are hung for a warm summer walk. I also have their sweaters hanging with them for cold mornings. Works great for me.