Bringing home a new pet can be fun, nerve-wracking, stressful, joyful – any of the above, or all of the above. It’s not rare to find a new pet owner standing in the middle of their living room, watching their new pet run around in circles sniffing at everything and trying to figure out where it just landed. In order to keep the stress down, here are a few things you’ll need to do when you bring your new best friend home.

First, you’ll want to pick a name. Obviously. Some people like to pick names before they bring the pets home. Others like to wait until they’ve gotten to know the animal a little bit and find a name that fits its personality. Animal name? People name? Generic name? Named after a favorite food or character? There are so many ways to go! Personally, I like people names for dogs. The three I’ve owned as an adult and been responsible for naming have been Glen, Oliver, and Archibald. On my street, I know of a Princess, Juniper, Beowulf, and a Clementine. I recommend at least two syllables. I learned with Glen that calling out one syllable doesn’t really have much of an effect, especially when it ends on a “N” sound and cuts off. “Olllliiiiiiivvvverrrrrr!!!! Arrrrcccchhhhhiiiiiballlllld” carry much better than “Glen!” ever did.

Speaking of their names, another thing you’ll want to do right away is get them a name tag. This is an absolute must. Most shelters these days will microchip your pet before you take them home, but it is still essential to give them a collar and a tag with their name and cell number at minimum. Some people also include their home address; that’s a personal preference, but the pet’s name and a phone number is the minimum. If they find your pet wandering late at night, it’s a lot easier to expect someone to read a number from their collar and call you than it is to expect them to pack your pet up and take them to the nearest open vet to find out if they’re microchipped. Make it as easy as possible to get your buddy back to you safely.

If you have small children or other animals, you should decide how you’ll introduce them before you get your new pet. When you bring them home, it’s time to implement this strategy. Even if they meet at an adoption event or a neutral place like a dog park before you finalize your decision, it will still be a different story when the new pet “invades” the current pet’s territory. You may have some battles on your hands. But have no fear. If they got along in the neutral place, it’s likely they’ll eventually get along in the home, too. It may take a few days for the new world order to settle in, but they’ll get there. It’s important to let them have their territory battles and decide amongst themselves who will be the pack leader. Don’t let anyone get hurt, but let them battle it out. If you have dogs, take them on walks together so they start to feel like a pack.

Food:  I usually recommend asking the shelter/rescue what they feed the animals, and starting with that. If it’s a food or a brand you don’t like for any reason, I still suggest getting a small bag and switching later. The new pet is going to have a lot of changes and upheaval to deal with. Don’t introduce a new food on top of that. Your carpets and floors will thank you. On the topic of food – I don’t want to be judgmental or controversial, so all I will say is if you are a vegetarian or a vegan, please, please, please, do some research and talk to your vet before you decide to go that route with your dog or cat. There are vitamins and minerals and proteins that they must have in order to survive that they cannot make on their own and need to get from their food, preferably animal products and meat. I’m not saying it’s impossible to go the vegan/vegetarian route with your dog or cat, but please keep your veterinarian in the loop and heed their advice carefully. Pets, well-loved, adored pets, have died or become very ill because the owners just went for no animal product at all without talking to their vet. Again, I’m not telling you to not do it, just get advice on how to do it correctly.

Get your new pet some toys. You might pick some up before you bring home a new pet; most people pick up at least one or two. Once your pet in the house, though, you can see how they interact with what they have and decide how to go from there. If your new puppy rips open that stuffed Yoda doll within minutes of getting it, vacuum up the stuffing and go get some rubber balls and Nyla bones. Every animal has their own preference on what they want to play with and they’ll end up with a well-loved favorite out of whatever you bring them.

Bringing home a new pet should be exciting and fun. If you have a plan ahead of time and stick to it, it will go as smoothly as possible and before you know it you and your new best friend will be settled into a routine. How about you? What have you done to make bringing home a new pet easier?