K9 Magazine Guide to Turning Your Home in to The Perfect Pet Friendly Property
Published on August 28, 2009 by Freelance Contributors · No CommentsWhat makes a property pet friendly?
There are no divine regulations that stipulate a property to be pet friendly. 95% of looking after a pet is common sense. If you live in a house off a very busy main road, it doesn’t mean that your property isn’t pet friendly. Likewise if you live in a rural location with large enclosed gardens this doesn’t give you the right to wear an ‘I have a pet friendly property’ badge. It doesn’t matter where you live, if you don’t use common sense then you can consider yourself a non-pet friendly pet owner.
The Location
Financial constraints limit most of us to where we end up living. Week in, week out, I pick my lotto numbers and week in, week out I have to go back to work after my numbers are six of the 42 balls that remain jumping about in that stupid glass orb, blowing an imaginary raspberry at me.[private_Premier]
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If you are hunting for a pet friendly property at the moment then you probably have a budget in mind. You may have to spend some of that budget to make the property more pet friendly, or as pet friendly as you want it to be. The ideal location for you and your pet depends on a number of things – remember making it pet friendly is ideal, but being two hours from work or an hour from the nearest Indian takeaway would certainly increase your stress levels. Would you feel like walking your dog after a long stressful drive home from work? Consider yourself as well as your pet, after all, who pays the mortgage? If you are moving a long way from where you are currently, check the locality of the nearest parks, or woodland areas and have a look in the telephone directory for vets and grooming parlours in the area. If your property has a limited garden space then parks and woodland areas that are close by are a great source of exercise for you and your pet. Living off a main road may not be the ideal choice for a pet but it may be that you have found the house of your dreams and it just happens to be located off a main road. Don’t panic, as long as you use common sense it shouldn’t be a problem.
A back garden is an ideal place for your pet to stretch and play. Although a garden may have hidden dangers, (to be explained later) I would feel more comfortable with my pet playing in the back garden rather than the front, should the choice be there. Remember not all of us out there are pet lovers; a happy and contented pet may not cause as much mayhem to your house or make as much noise as an unhappy and discontented pet. Your neighbours don’t have to be of a pet friendly persuasion but if you make your pet as comfortable as possible you can make your pet ‘neighbour friendly’.
The Interior
Well, here you are in your new home, it looks so empty without all that furniture the previous owner had. Oh my god! That flock wallpaper just has to go and oh dear, lime green paint in the living room, I don’t think so.
It’s time to decorate your new home. Decorating is often an essential part of marking your territory; a bold statement that implies that it’s your place and your home. Pets also mark their territory in a slightly different way but in principal it’s the same thing.
Lively pets make your house a home, common sense suggests that if you have a pet then you haven’t got this pet just to be able to pick and choose the times that you want to spend time with it. If you have then go out and buy a Buzz Lightyear Space Cadet figure, which you will probably find residing in many bargain baskets at all good toy emporiums. Lively pets may have a tendency to cause wear and tear on some of your fixtures and fittings. But have no fear, with interior designers popping up everywhere from UK Style themed satellite channels to deep in the jungles of Australia, help and expert advice is only a three digit number, on your remote away.
Clean carpets and upholstery, intact curtains, electrical wires and your precious record collection of New Romantic (post Adam & the Ants of course) singles and albums can all successfully co-exist with your pet. Decorating with certain fabrics and materials, planning open and closed spaces and thinking about how each room is used can make a major difference to how you and your pet relate to each other.
Your home should be a haven for all family members, pets included. However their idea of home is a lot different from ours. Their basic animal instincts rule their feelings of comfort and security and if you can accept that then choices can be made that work for everyone.
You can make your house a pet friendlier place if you observe a few basic rules.
Pets that have been spayed and / or neutered become much calmer pets.
Pets that have been groomed shed less hair and clipped claws scratch less.
Certain pet foods are more digestible and produce less waste.
Pets that are given attention, played with and exercised on a regular basis are less likely to dig, chew and trash of their own accord.
Try to put yourself in the place of your pet and imagine how they see their new home. Exciting smells, quiet places and activity areas all appeal to most pets. Think about how your pet has related to specific objects, has your pet knocked over a floor standing lamp in the past, if so why not replace it with a sturdier base then the one before?
A washable slipcover may be useful if your pet sheds hair all over your light coloured sofa. If you want a pet and expect it to never move, or never come up to you wanting attention then you’d be better buying a framed picture of an animal and sticking it above your fireplace.
Also, consider the way your pet reacts to events in and around the home. Your pet sees your home as his territory and sees itself as the protector of his territory. Those expensive Venetian blinds you bought for the living room windows are now all twisted and bent just because there was a group of workmen working on the road and your pet was protecting his property. Also, your pet may choose to sleep on your favourite pillow or favourite chair just because it smells like you. You can train your pet to respect certain areas and objects but you can’t predict everything about an animal’s preference and you have to plan accordingly.
Most floor and furniture fabrics in a very light or dark colours show pet hair and little accidents that may have happened. A textured, stain-resistant material with a design hides a multitude of sins. Certain furniture can be dangerous to pets. Reclining chairs can trap a curious pet and rocking chairs can roll onto a pet’s paws or tail so make sure that your pet isn’t nearby when you decide to have a recline or a rock. Nylon pile carpets are apparently easier to spot clean and Sisal rugs are virtually impossible to clean once there is a spot. You have been warned. Beautiful polished hardwood floors are best for a household with pets, dogs imparticular but they must be treated with polyurethane to resist stains and if the floor is not well sealed then humidity can release an old pet stain into the air long after the accident has been picked up. However, rugs delicately positioned in locations on the wooden floor will reduce the potential for pets to slip and fall, especially young pets that will be unsteady on their feet at first. Wooden floors also make flea control easier as sometimes when you welcome a pet into your home it brings its near invisible inhabitants along for the ride, literally.
The stairs in your home, that is unless you live in a bungalow, could also be a potential hazard to your pet. Placing baby gates at the top and bottom of the stairs depending on where your pet is should reduce the risk of a nasty accident.
Your new thirty-two inch wide screen television arrives along with your PlayStation 2, Multi region DVD player and Satellite Digi-box. Now that is a lot of electrical wires for a pet to examine and get his teeth into, these need to be off limits as these could easily cause injury or in some cases worse. This goes for other electrical items dotted around the house. It would be advisable to conceal these in hard plastic or rubber runners, which can be purchased from your local hardware store.
Some pets like to chew, its what they’re good at. When they are in chewing mood, nothing is sacred. Try to keep small objects out of easy reach from your pet as small things can easily get lodged in their digestive tract. Coins, needles, paper clips, earrings and those small plastic soldiers that you used to play with when you were younger, are just a few samples of “small things” that can cause serious damage to your pet.
Try and keep the bathroom clean and tidy and only allow your pet into it as and when you want. Ensure that all medication is safely stored away and remove dirty clothes, also keep towels out of reach. It is imperative to ensure that after bleaching the toilet, access to this porcelain water vessel is impossible. Some pets don’t discriminate about what they choose to ingest so discard any bulky rubbish items into your outside bin immediately. Also, guys please remember to put the toilet seat down after you have finished. Thank you, (hands up, guilty as charged).
Be proud of your home but be proud to be a pet friendly pet owner. If you have plants inside the home make sure you know the effect that they can cause to some pets. Some can irritate your pet’s tongue and throat. Others have been known to cause intestinal upset or diarrhoea. Azaleas, Oleanders, Castor Beans, Sago Palms and Yew Plants can even be fatal.
Try to keep your pets food and water dishes away from the smell and lure of a rubbish bin, some pets have a greater sense of smell than us and may find rummaging through last nights curry much more appealing than some brands of pet food.
Add to these recommendations a large dollop of common sense, a slice of luck and a smidgeon of a prayer or two. This achieved, you are two thirds of the way to qualifying for ‘I try my best to be a pet friendly pet owner’ badge. There’s just the dreaded garden to attend too now …[/private_Premier]
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