Keeping our pets safe from harm is as important as protecting the rest of our family from injury. For most owners of furry friends, they have become an integral member of the family. Many sharing the bed, meal-time and TV watching with their loved ones. The one major difference with pets is that they need some extra care to pet-proof the home, especially if they are left home alone and do not use a crate.
Here are some things you can do to ensure you home is safe for your pet – even when you’re not there to watch their every move.
Same Rules Apply
Just as with young children, you’ll want to consider keeping things that can cause harm out of reach and enclosed in a safe place. That includes cleaning products, medicines, pesticides and other sharp, tiny or dangerous objects that can easily do harm if mishandled or ingested. Our pets may be able to listen to commands, but their curiosity can also get the best of them and lead them to get into things they shouldn’t so being extra vigilant about what is in their reach is key.
Food
Leaving food on a countertop, or worse, the stove, unattended, is a huge risk in homes with active and curious pets. Not only could they potentially reach up and turn burners on the stove, but there are many human foods that we consume that can be fatal for our four-legged friends. As a responsible pet owner, you’ll want to be sure you don’t have any low set candy dishes (sugar is a terrible thing for dogs to ingest) and keep your floor swept of dropped foods. In addition to watching where you place food, you’ll also have to keep an eye on what others who visit may feed to your pet not knowing about the risks of certain foods or giving them too many snacks which can cause your pet to become unnecessarily ill.
Pet Containment Systems
Many people have used baby gates in the past to keep smaller pets out of certain areas of their home. But let’s be real, what pet’s don’t climb and jump? And if you’re not there to monitor them, that leaves a lot of room for risk. Having to unhinge or step over these gates to move throughout your own home can also get irritating. Instead of a baby gate to block off a section of the house, consider an indoor dog containment system where your dog simply wears a collar and can be set within boundaries using wireless technology. A small transmitter placed in discreet areas send signals to keep pets from passing through the boundaries you have set.
DogWatch of Western Mass provides user friendly products for the safe containment of your dog or cat. We make it so that your pet can roam around freely while still keeping them safe from harm. Contact us today to learn more about hidden dog fencing products from DogWatch.