To help keep everyone happy and safe in your home, consider what might be potential hazards for your pet and take proper precautions.
1. Keep cleaners, laundry supplies, and medications on high shelves.
There’s nothing our curious creatures love more than snooping around. Keeping harmful chemicals and medications in low places — like the ever-popular under-sink storage — puts your pet at risk of exposure to these items. Opt for a higher-up shelf or cabinet for items you wouldn’t want them getting into.
2. Invest in a pet-proof garbage can.
You’ve probably heard — or, even worse, experienced firsthand — horror stories of dogs rummaging through the garbage, leaving a giant mess for their owners to clean up. Fortunately, this mishap is avoidable. For a quick fix, you can always add a safety lock to your existing trash can. (Think: baby-proofing. If it can keep a baby out, it can keep your pet out.) A metal step trash can is typically a safe bet because it’s difficult for pets to maneuver the step. To bring it up a notch, a step trash can with a butterfly opening will really keep your pets out.
3. Keep breakables where your pets can’t get them.
Even the best-trained pup can bump into an end table or two. If there’s something you absolutely do not want to get broken, play it safe and keep it out of harm’s way. A fireplace mantle is a great option!
4. Utilize a baby gate (or keep the doors closed).
Don’t want your pet getting into certain areas of the house? If it’s a specific room, oftentimes simply closing the door will suffice. However, if your home is more open, you may not have this option. Baby gates are excellent for keeping pets from going up or downstairs, or getting into other areas that aren’t typically blocked off with doors, such as the kitchen or dining room.
5. Control your cords.
Any pet, big or small, can be enticed by those cords dangling from your appliances. We might not see them as chew toys, but to your pets they probably look pretty appealing. Stop by your local hardware store and pick up a cord cover, or tape loose ends to the wall.
