The Gardens at Twin Hickory

At The Gardens in Richmond, VA we are pet friendly, but did you know that pets can actually help you heal? Research shows that pets can provide physical health benefits and keep you emotionally healthy.

Not only do pets keep you connected to the world, they keep you connected to other pet people. While walking a pet obviously provides exercise, it has been determined that it is better exercise than walking alone. Pets keep you social. Think of all the conversations that start out on your walks with your dog that would not have otherwise begun. Pets offer a chance to meet people, to make friends.

But, beyond being a pet, service dogs offer an even additional support system. In addition to seeing and hearing dogs, people with other handicaps can benefit. Those with pets are approached more often for conversation than those who are alone.

Therefore, blind and wheelchair-bound kids with dogs get approached in public just for social interaction significantly more so than those without dogs.  Even Alzheimer’s patients have been shown to be more responsive when dogs are around.

If you are moving to a new area, wondering how to make friends, get a pet. Be sure though that when you are looking for an apartment in Richmond, VA that the apartment home community is pet friendly.

At The Gardens at Twin Hickory we welcome dogs (no aggressive breeds please). However, for your dog to be happy in apartment life, it is important that they get enough exercise but not only that; they need the right kind of exercise.

If you have a smaller dog, do not assume that because they are small they get enough exercise running around your home. For a dog, your home is like a large cage. The key to keeping any dog in an apartment is providing enough exercise. Dogs are canine animals which retain the instinct to migrate. So, even small dogs need to be taken out for daily walks. High energy dogs can live in an apartment if the owner takes them out for long walks or jogs. Enough daily exercise is the key to keeping any dog stable and happy. But, be sure it is the right type of exercise. The right kind of exercise drains both the dogs physical and mental energy. Only providing excited exercise, such as playing with other dogs or tossing a ball, does not drain the dog’s mental energy. Dog park exercise is excited exercise and it is not recommended as the only source of exercise a dog receives. It keeps the dog in an excited state of mind.

Almost any dog can live in an apartment, if they get enough of the right kind of exercise. You have a wide range of non-aggressive breeds to choose from if you plan on jogging with your dog. However, your dog must learn how to heel on the jog so the dog is not worrying about being your leader and is instead relaxing as he is following you.

 If you plan to jog every day you could even get a higher energy dog even though you are in an apartment. But if you plan on only jogging 2 or 3 times a week and walking the dog the remaining days, you should go with a medium energy or lower energy dog.

Excluding aggressive breeds, the thing to remember is it’s not necessarily the breed you are looking for but the energy level of that particular dog. There are pups born within every litter that are higher energy then other pups within the same litter.