Heartopia Pet Guide: How to Unlock, Level Up, and Use Pets

Jessica Turner

Jun 17, 2026

Heartopia pets are one of the most rewarding parts of the game once you finally unlock them. These companions don’t just sit around looking cute — they grow through daily care, bring you gifts, follow you around the house, and add real personality to your home in ways that make everything feel more alive. In this guide, you'll learn exactly how to unlock pets in Heartopia, level them up through smart daily routines, and use them properly around your world.

While you're working on resources like hobby tickets or pet food to keep everything moving smoothly, many players find it helpful to check out Lootbar for Heartopia resources when they want a little faster progression.

Reaching DG Level 12 to Unlock Pet Care

You can't just walk into the pet shop on day one. Heartopia pets are locked behind D.G. Member Level 12, and that level takes consistent work. I remember pushing through the early days doing every resident request I could find because the contribution medals add up slowly. Story quests give decent chunks of XP, but the real progress comes from dailies and those little tasks around town.

Once you finally hit level 12, a quest pops up pointing you straight to Mrs. Joan. That's when the real fun (and the daily responsibility) begins. Don't rush this part—missing dailies just stretches out the wait even longer.

Unlocking Cat Caring and Dog Caring Hobbies

At Heartopia DG level 12 you'll also get the chance to unlock the Cat Caring hobby using one of your Hobby Expansion Tickets. This is non-negotiable if you want pets. After you unlock Cat Caring and actually adopt your first cat, the Dog Caring hobby becomes available right after.

I learned this the slightly annoying way—some players try to grab a dog first, but the game makes you go through cats before dogs open up properly. Once both hobbies are active, you can start adopting and the pet care loop really kicks in.

Adopting Your First Pet from Mrs. Joan's Shop

Mrs. Joan's shop sits near the town center, and this is where everything happens. Every single day the selection resets with fresh cats and dogs (usually a handful of each). There are tons of breed and color variations—I've seen everything from tiny corgis to big sled dogs, plus all kinds of cat patterns like calicos, tabbies, and even panda-looking ones.

When you interact with a pet in the shop, a little bubble shows the breed, gender, and two personality traits. This is the most important part. Take your time and actually read the traits before adopting. Once that pet is home, you're stuck with it for a while (rehoming costs gold and only unlocks much later).

Pet Personality Traits and How They Affect Daily Life

All Heartopia pet comes with two traits that change how they behave and how much work they need. Here's what I've noticed matters most:

Clingy pets follow you everywhere and can accidentally damage furniture (you'll be repairing a lot).
Energetic ones want to play constantly and level up faster if you keep up with them.
Sensitive pets get picky with food and need better quality stuff or they won't eat happily.
Indifferent or Unsociable types are low-maintenance and great if you're busy with other hobbies.
Naughty pets misbehave more and need training to keep things under control.
Sociable ones crave attention and build affection quicker with regular petting.
Chatterbox pets make noise but sometimes help point out hidden items.
Quiet pets keep things peaceful.

Cat-only traits like Slow or Sluggish mean they stay full or energetic longer. Dog-only ones include the rare Lone Wolf which needs almost no social time.

Leveling Up Pets and Building Real Bonds

The Daily Care Routine That Works

This is where most of the progress happens. Do these things every day and your pets will grow steadily:

Petting — Simple daily tap that gives solid affection and hobby XP.
Feeding — Buy food from Mrs. Joan. Favorite foods (cats often like fish-based, dogs like fresh crops) give bigger affection boosts. Experiment a bit—your pet will react differently to certain foods.
Playing and Training — Use toys or just play. Dogs can learn things like "Give Paw," "Seek Treasure," or "Shake Head" once the bond is strong enough.
Collecting Gifts — When a gift bubble appears above their head, grab it. It helps them grow and sometimes gives gold or wish stars.
Bathing and Hanging Out — Keep them clean and spend extra time together for faster bond growth.

How Growth and Hobby Levels Actually Work

Your pets have their own growth through interactions, and the Cat Caring or Dog Caring hobby levels up from the same actions. Higher hobby levels unlock more adoption slots (up to 5 cats and 3 dogs on your home plot) plus better care items like auto-feeders or special food.

Bond level goes up to 10. The more you feed favorites, pet daily, play, and train, the faster it climbs. At higher tiers you start seeing real rewards.

Affection Tiers and What They Unlock

This is one of my favorite parts of the Heartopia pet system. As affection rises you unlock passive bonuses and nicer interactions. Cats might bring extra gifts more often. Dogs can start helping find hidden items while you're out exploring. You also get new animations, grooming options, and special play activities that just feel good to watch.

Higher tiers sometimes give immediate rewards like gold or items too. It genuinely feels like your pet is growing closer to you instead of just being a stat.

Using Your Pets Around Heartopia

Once they're leveled and bonded, pets actually do things:

They follow you around the house (especially clingy ones).
Dogs can go on walks with you when you leave home.
Some cats will even jump on your head if they're feeling extra clingy.
They occasionally bring useful gifts like gold, wish stars, or materials.
Oak-Oak (the special tree companion from the forest quest line) gives daily roaming oak timber for crafting nature furniture.
You can buy outfits, collars, beds, and cat trees from Mrs. Joan's shop to customize them.

Teaching tricks and taking photos of poses also gives extra rewards in some cases. It's the cozy little details that make having multiple pets feel worth the daily routine.

Final Thoughts

Heartopia pets turned out to be way more than I expected when I first started grinding toward that DG level 12 unlock. The daily care feels meaningful because you actually see them grow, learn tricks, and bring little surprises. The personality traits make each one feel unique, and the affection system gives you real reasons to keep coming back.

And when you're ready to keep your pet care routine going without slowing down, checking Lootbar for Heartopia top ups is one of those simple options plenty of players use to stay on track.