Dog ownership brings with it the load of a number of other purchases. You must have plenty of dog accessories to comply with your local laws, as well as correctly care for your dog in general. Some of these items are mandatory, others are just conveniences. It is important to understand exactly what you will need to correctly care for your dog.

The Bare Must Haves

The majority of the truly necessary items for dog care are quite clear. If you have a dog you'll need bowls for the dog's food and water. Mid size to massive dogs have a habit of moving their food bowls around the room as they eat. This may make a large amount of noise and have the frustrating outcome of requiring the owner to seek around for the bowl at feeding time. You can, therefore, opt to make it hard for your dog to move the bowl around by choosing a heavier one made from ceramic. A strong plastic bowl with a rubber lining on the bottom can be helpful too. As your dog eats, the rubber lining at the bottom will prevent it from sliding around.

You will need a collar and leash to walk your dog. You need to take your dog's size and strength into consideration when selecting these dog accessories, but you can go for different designs. Ideally, a license or ID tag should be included on the collar so you can supply your contact information, in case your dog becomes lost.

If you live in a massive town like new York, Chicago, or other urbanized area, you will need to get that miracle of modern doggie convenience the "pooper scooper." Most cities have laws against owners simply permitting their dogs to "foul the footpath" or leave small Poodle Bombs all over the city park. In some cities there is a big fine for such useless behavior.

Accessories You Can Go For

There are literally thousands of optional items available for folks to buy for use with their dogs. A number of these can be just plain silliness (like the dog bandana), while others can be really useful,eg gravity-refillable water dishes.

One item that some owners do find very helpful, especially those that live in a hot climate, are "dog booties." While they could seem like a simply precocious and comparatively pointless item, they do a good job of protecting the delicate pads of a dog's feet from coarse terrain, rocky areas, and hot pavement. The summer pavement in cities like Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Albuquerque can be hot enough to cook an egg, so this type of protection really does come in useful. You would not walk barefoot on such a surface and neither should your dog.