Tips for Pet Proofing Your Home

    

 You wouldn’t think about introducing a baby to a home without making sure you childproofed it – installing covers for your electrical outlets, padding corners on coffee and end tables, and adding gates at the top and bottom of stairways. So why would you react any differently if the baby you’re bringing home has four legs instead of two? With babies, you get a grace period before they become mobile – you can take your time preparing for them to crawl or toddle around. With a dog or cat, you don’t have that luxury. You’ve got to be proactive and pet-proof your house from the start.

In the House

Some of the tips for pet-proofing your home closely mirror steps you would take for an infant:

· Childproof latches: Keep your animals out of cabinets, especially those that might have cleaning solutions and other chemicals. 

· Trash cans: There are two options – either keep them covered or put them inside one of those latched cabinets.

· The bathroom bowl: Babies love water, and so do pets. Keep the lids down to prevent them from drowning or drinking contaminated water.

· Wiring: Gather dangling wires from lamps, televisions, and other items and secure them out of reach of pets.

· Food: Keep all food in a pantry. Some foods – chocolate, for example – can be poisonous to dogs and cats. Cats also can be put at risk by eating bread dough, ethyl alcohol, and garlic or onions. Even if a particular food isn’t dangerous, its packaging may be. Pets can choke on plastic wrapping, in particular.

· Plants: Some houseplants are dangerous to pets – dieffenbachia and philodendrons come to mind. Make sure yours aren’t harmful.

In the Garage

Again, you likely don’t plan for your cat or dog to spend time in the garage, but it could happen. Prepare for any situation:

· Out of reach: Keep fertilizer, pesticide, paint, gasoline, antifreeze, and other dangerous substances on high shelves or in locked cabinets.

· Tool box: Use your tool box for its intended purpose – store sharp tools, nails, and screws inside it.

· Cut the clutter: Do yourself a favor and clear all the junk out of the garage. It will cut down on the number of hiding places should your pet make its way there.

   Worried you missed something? Get down on all fours and try to look at each room from your pet’s perspective. Look for stuff that’s shiny, dangling, and dangerous.

Don’t Forget the Basics

   Two primary ways to ensure the safety of your animal companion don’t actually involve changes to your house, but they have great importance.

·   Spay or neuter your pet. What do these procedures have to do with safety? Plenty. Spaying and neutering reduce the instinct to roam and improve the health and well-being of pets.

    ID, please. Even if you plan for your pet to stay indoors (in the case of cats) or on a leash when outside (in the case of dogs), be sure to provide the animal with a collar, ID tags, and, in the best-case scenario, a microchip that will access your contact information when scanned at a shelter or veterinary clinic. It only takes a second for a dog to get off a leash or a cat to dart through an open door.

     Finally, if you live in an area prone to natural disasters, such as hurricanes or tornadoes, keep your pet in mind when formulating a disaster plan. Understand that most emergency shelters won’t accept even the friendliest dogs or cats, so adjust your strategy accordingly. 

    Just remember – when you’re growing your family, your babies, whether they cry, bark, or meow, depend on you to keep them safe. Don’t let them down.

Written by Arthur Murray, HomeInsurance.com