How to Create a Pet-friendly Back Yard

You’ve heard the horror stories: Fences that trap dogs, indigestible fertilizers and mulches, chemicals left where pets can ingest them… Ouch. But with forethought and attention, you can create a pet-friendly back yard so those terrible stories never feature your pets.

  • Structures – Sheds and outbuildings can trap or injure pets or other animals. Replace missing windows and make sure doors close and latch securely. Check for ways an animal could get in but not out, including if he or she slipped in unnoticed behind you!
  • Chemicals – Anti-freeze, petroleum products, pool chemicals, and nearly all common cleaning agents, can be toxic or fatal to pets. Keep all chemical containers tightly closed and out of reach. Never leave pans of cleaning solution or chemicals where pets might try a taste-test. Beware of plastic bottles of glue, especially those containing polyurethane, such as Gorilla Glue. They are fun to carry off and chew on, but polyurethane expands dramatically on contact with moisture and can quickly fill your pet’s mouth and windpipe, causing suffocation. Contact with eyes could cause blindness.
  • Barbeques – Even people- friendly backyard barbeques can be pet-unfriendly! Every year pets fall into fires or are injured when unthinking guests:
    1. Feed them chicken or other splintery bones
    2. Give chocolate or raisin-filled treats, or foods containing pet-toxic ingredients
    3. Leave beer or other alcoholic beverages where pets can drink them
    4. Let indoor pets run away or get lost
    5. Accidentally step on, trip over, or run-over pets
    6. While you may feel like Cruella at the time, putting pets in a back room during parties is a good idea. If you can’t put pets away, post signs instructing guests not to feed them or let them out.
  • Fences – Make sure there are no gaps beneath or around fences. If there is any space between the bottom of the fence and the ground, anchor it immediately to prevent dogs from digging or squirming out.  If you live in snake-prone areas, block gaps with fine steel mesh or solid barriers.
  • Pools – All pools, spas, and fish ponds should be behind child- and pet-proof fencing. Drain plastic wading pools and turn them over when not in use. If you can’t fence off pools or spas, cover them with drown-proof covers. Fish ponds should have large rocks or steps underwater so that a pet can easily climb out if he or she falls in.
  • Gardens of Evil – Every year oleander, Carolina jessamine, English ivy, and other common house and garden plants poison pets and children. Remove plants you know are toxic. Before planting anything new, check with us or with the Pet Poisons Hotline to ensure your garden isn’t a Garden of Evil instead of Eden.

Bone meal, blood meal, fish emulsion, and other yummy (to a pet) organic fertilizers can cause poisoning or intestinal blockage that may require surgical intervention. Ditto for mulch, especially those made from coconut and cocoa beans.

Do’s

  • Make sure there’s plenty of shade and fresh water out at all times.
  • Use a raised pet-bed to keep your pet off the ground to avoid some parasites, and to stay cooler.
  • Check the temperature in dog runs or kennels for safety.
  • Get rid of packrat nests in your area to avoid kissing bugs.

When assessing your yard for pet-dangers, as the old saw says, “If it can happen, it probably will… .”

Of course we’re not saying don’t go in the back yard! We just want your back yard to be a safe haven, not a danger zone, for people and pets alike. If you need advice or have any questions, call us.  Now, when’s the barbeque?