‘I have six dogs and these are ten things every owner needs’

A woman from America who has six dogs has shared ten essential things she believes every owner needs.

Having a dog, or any pet, means putting in time, effort and consideration into giving the animal everything it needs to have a good life, from necessities like food and water, to things that will help its development, such as toys. Those who have dogs know they need regular exercise so many owners walk their pets daily.

Dog parents often get a leash and collar for their pets to keep them under control, especially for when they are going for walks in public places, including parks. Owners typically get their dogs food and water bowls, a bed and hygiene and grooming products, like shampoo and conditioner, nail clippers and brushes.

Tracy Fosterling, from Jacksonville, Florida, has six dogs and two cats and is a dog foster. She is also a self-proclaimed “rescue advocate” and uses social media to share her journey as a foster dog mum and encourages others to foster dogs as well.

To help dog owners, she posted a video on TikTok where she said: “Here are the ten things that every dog parent needs, let’s go. And this is coming from someone who has six dogs. I use all of these things, none of it is sponsored, they’re just lifesavers.”

1. Mudbuster

The first item Tracy recommends for dog owners is the Mudbuster, which she bought from Amazon. She explained that you “shove your dog’s feet in it” to clean their paws and get rid of the mud as it’s filled with water.

Tracy said that it “cleans up perfectly.” According to Amazon, the Mudbuster has gentle silicone bristles that help to remove dirt and mud from dogs’ paws.

2. K.O.E cleaner

Moving on, the dog mum added: “Number 2 – K.O.E cleaner. If you want your house to smell like you don’t have dogs you need to get this disinfecting spray.

“It’s amazing and this bottle will last forever.” K.O.E. stands for Kennel Odor Eliminator and it is designed to remove odours from cages, kennels, floors, tables, walls and other large areas.

3. Good de-shedder

Tracy’s next recommendation is a “good de-shedder brush.” The one she showed in her TikTok video is from Uproot Clean.

She remarked: “It’s amazing. I swipe it through my dogs once and a huge clump of hair comes out.” The foster dog mum shared that she tries to brush her dogs with this product every day.

4. Dental water additive

Tracy then moved onto dental water additive and revealed that she uses one by Arm & Hammer from Amazon. She adds some to her dogs’ water bowls every day as it “really helps with their dental health.”

The additive helps to reduce plaque and give dogs fresher breath. It serves as an easy way to improve dogs’ oral hygiene.

5. Slow feeders

Tracy continued: “Slow feeders. Even if your dog is not a fast eater, putting their food in here is good enrichment, mental enrichment and it’ll tire them out along with filling them up.

“I absolutely love slow feeders.” Slow feeders make it more of a challenge for dogs to get their food, providing enrichment.

6. Air purifiers

Next, Tracy claimed that if you have dogs and you have air purifiers in all your main rooms at home, this will help to cut down on smells, hair, dirt and dandruff. She elaborated: “It’ll make your house just seem a little bit more fresh and clean.”

Tracy revealed that she has air purifiers in her bedroom and all the main areas of her house. Air purifiers clean and filter the air in a room by removing airborne particles, pollutants and allergens.

7. Snout Soother

Tracy carried on with her list of items every dog owner needs as she mentioned: “Snout Soother. I talked about this in a couple of my other videos.

“This is for dry skin on dogs, on their nose, on their feet.” The dog parent said she puts Snout Soother on areas of her dogs that are dry or red, and it “works really well.”

8. Handheld vacuum

Tracy stated that every dog parent needs a “good handheld vacuum” and she uses hers every day, several times a day. She has one made by Dyson that comes with a few different attachments, making it easier to get dog hair out of small spots that an average vacuum can’t reach.

She described it as a “lifesaver” as she uses it all the time. Handheld vacuums are ideal for cleaning tricky to reach areas.

9. Mr. Sticky

Tracy noted: “Another cleaning product – the Mr. Sticky. It’s like a giant sticky lint roller and I use it for my walls, the floors, it gets everything off like sand, dust, anything like that.

“You just clean it with water and roll it and obviously, I used mine recently and it’s full.” The Mr. Sticky rollers can be used to remove pet hair from surfaces, like walls and floors.

10. Patience

Tracy ended her video by telling dog owners that the last thing they will need is patience. She added that dogs “test” their owners’ patience “all the time”.

It’s important to have patience when training a dog and managing their behaviour. It also builds trust and helps dogs have good relationships with their owners.