As the new year approached, my inbox filled with dozens of personalized suggestions for New Year’s resolutions. The American Veterinary Medical Association, for instance, sent me “New Year’s Resolutions for Veterinarians.” Google’s AI generated an eleven-point list of common resolutions in case I couldn’t think of any on my own! Even Blue Apron, my meal kit delivery service, sent a list of suggested resolutions. Well, now it’s my turn: I’ve curated the resolutions recommended to me and adapted them for pets and pet owners in the blogpost below.

The Common Resolutions for Pet Lovers

I found two resolutions appeared across all lists: eat better and volunteer more. When it comes to your pet eating better, you are in the driver’s seat, since no pet can use a can opener and only some pets will rip open a bag of food and help themselves. In a New Year’s blogpost series in 2022, I detailed my suggestions for how to choose a good food for your pets.

The volunteerism resolution hit home for me. The obvious opportunity is to walk dogs or groom cats at your local shelter. If those activities don’t work in your schedule, I have some other suggestions for you. Cleaning out closets? Check if your local shelter accepts donations of used towels, sheets, blankets and other bedding. Do you have pet food your pet has decided never to take a mouthful of again? Drop the leftovers at your local shelter or a food pantry that stocks pet food along with human food. This type of volunteerism can happen all year round, not just in January.

Focus on Your Four-Legged Loved Ones

The New York Times suggested we focus on our loved ones rather than ourselves. The author of the article suggests happiness can come from investing in interpersonal relationships. I contend happiness and healthy living can also come from focusing on your pet, not yourself. Spending time with your pet helps you improve your social network. Everyone on the street or in the dog park chats about cute pets. Your daily dog walks can help you meet your daily step goal. You could combine a focus on your pet with volunteering and enroll your dog in a program to become a therapy dog. Your cat will have fewer mats if you resolve to make daily brushing a habit. Studies show that simply having a pet helps mitigate cardiovascular stress.

A Resolution to Skip

My personalized lists also contained a resolution I think is a bad idea: cutting out social media. If that means you no longer read the AMC blog, listen to Ask the Vet or follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram, you’ll be missing the high-quality, veterinarian-approved information we provide to help keep your pet healthy. I think a better resolution is to direct your screen time to high-quality pet health feeds. And of course, keep one or two Instagram feeds of cute pets.

Finally, from all of us at the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center, we want to wish a Happy New Year to you and your pet families