If you’re bringing your pets along into your new home, you need to make sure that your backyard or garden is a safe environment for them.
Most animals love to spend time outdoors, especially when the whole family is outside exercising, playing, or lounging around. A big yard isn’t enough to keep your pets entertained nor does it make it pet-friendly. There are different elements that can harm them such as sun exposure, insects, toxic fertilizers, and an open gate.
So before you install that pet door, here are some tips on how you can make your backyard more safe and fun for your pets.
1. Provide a shaded area.
Even if your dog loves to bask under the sun, your backyard must have shady places for your pets to cool off and take a break from playing when it’s becoming too hot for them. It’s dangerous for them to overheat, so make sure to have trees, shrubs, or tall grasses to provide cover from the sun when they need it.
But not all yards have trees, bushes, or plants that can provide adequate shade against the sun. If yours is one of them, you can get a dog house to keep your pets from getting dehydrated.
Another alternative is this pet cot canopy which is portable and lightweight. With this, there’s no need to put a kennel or similar structure that can ruin your yard’s look. It comes in two colors and three sizes, so it can fit a large dog or a small cat.
Bring it on a camping trip or a picnic so your pets have a bed anywhere they go. It can be easily cleaned with a wet cloth and if you don’t like wrinkles, you can steam it smooth.
Or better yet, provide enough shade for the family by installing a sail to your patio or backyard. This sun shade comes in different sizes and designs. It can also be placed on your lawn, garden, pool, driveway, and yard.
2. Add a water feature.
With our Florida sun, our pets can easily overheat and get dehydrated. Keep them cool by installing a water feature in your yard or garden.
Get a decorative fountain since it can also double as a nice landscaping feature for your backyard. Your pets will get a water dispenser and it will give your garden or yard a unique look.
Aside from providing drinking water, you can also get a water feature for your pets to play in. It keeps them entertained and cool at the same time.
This small inflatable pool is perfect for your pets, and even kids, to play and cool off in. You can also use it as a bathtub for your pets who are dirty and smelly.
Just make sure to place these features in a cool and shady spot so they can take a break when the temperature is rising.
3. Buy fertilizers and herbicides that are safe for pets.
When you need to use fertilizers or herbicides, make sure that they are organic and safe for your pets. Most animals, especially dogs, tend to eat or place anything they find in their mouth. Even if these chemicals don’t have a high toxicity level, it can still be dangerous for your pets who frequently consume them.
If you’re getting a fertilizer, you can get this organic granular product that is safe for pets. It works for trees, plants, flowers, shrubs, and vegetables and doesn’t contain synthetic chemicals. This product also benefits your soil, making it resistant to insects and lawn diseases.
For herbicides such as weed-killer, this organic product quickly kills grass and weeds. It doesn’t contain toxic chemicals and is also pet-friendly. This can be used on concrete, pavers, flower beds, mulch beds, and more.
But the safest way is to keep your pets away from your lawn after you apply the fertilizer or herbicides. Let them out only after it has dried or after watering or letting your lawn get rained on.
4. Keep a watch out for pests.
It’s annoying to have pests and insects such as slugs, snails, fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, roaches, flies, and gnats in your backyard. Aside from these being harmful to your pet’s health, the chemicals in pesticides are also dangerous and even life-threatening if consumed by your pets.
If you need a pesticide, this product kills and repels pests and insects. It can be used on patios, gardens, lawns, vegetables, flowers, bricks, and paint. After spraying, your pets don’t need to wait for the affected areas to dry. It’s a safer alternative to foggers and zappers, and it won’t harm insects such as butterflies and bees.
5. Handle and store your garden and lawn tools.
Most yards require different lawn and garden equipment for maintenance. There are plenty of hazardous and powered tools that can be dangerous if not handled and stored well. If you have a lawn mower, leaf blower, weed wacker, or hedge trimmer, make sure that your pets are safely inside before using it.
Your lawn and garden equipment should be stored when not in use. Your pets can easily injure themselves if they play with your garden shears, knives, and other sharp tools.
If you don’t have a tool shed to keep your equipment, you can get a deck storage box. It will keep your contents dry and it has good ventilation. This product is made of durable resin that it doubles as a seat that can hold two adults.
You can keep it in the garage or leave it outdoors since it is weatherproof and UV-resistant. It also comes with a lockable lid to keep your contents safe and to prevent children from accessing your equipment.