10 Ways to Safety Check Your Home To Keep Your Dog Protected

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Think about this; when you have a new baby in the house, you do a lot of baby proofing. You might not worry about it when the baby is brand new, but once that little darling begins to move around the house on his or her own, you probably start moving small tables, things that are on the floor, small items and you definitely start sticking outlet covers on your outlets. You probably also put something on your cabinets in your bathrooms and kitchens to ensure little hands are unable to get in and get into things that are not good for them. They’re your kids, and you want them to live long, healthy lives that are safe and protected.

The same thought should be applied to our dogs, as well. Just because they’re not really into opening cabinets and sticking things into outlets doesn’t mean that they are always protected and safe at home. In fact, there are many instances in which they are anything but. That’s why it’s responsible dog ownership to go out and make sure that your dogs are cared for in a way that will enable them to live long lives protected from things in your home that you might not even realize are a danger. Here’s a checklist of things you should look into to keep your dog safe at home.

Look for wires

Just like you don’t want your kids playing with wires and other objects that are lying around the house, you don’t want your dog to get a hold of them, either. These are dangerous, and can seriously injure or even kill your dog if he or she were to get a hold of them.

Check small spaces

Small spaces might not mean much to you since you are unable to get into them, but they can be very dangerous for your animals. If your small dog or even your big dog with thin legs were to reach in and grab small objects that have nested there, he or should could get them out and choke on them. It’s time to clean those out and ensure that your dog is not in any danger from this type of item.

Keep beauty products out of the way

Did you know that your beauty products can be dangerous to your dog? Try to think of it like this; you definitely do not want to have your dogs eating your shampoo or conditioner, since you definitely would not allow your kids to do the same, right? They’re dangerous items, and they can be very dangerous to the entire family.

Hide sharp corners and edges

These are just as dangerous for dogs as they are for kids, so cover them up and get them out of the way. You don’t want a dog to accidently poke an eye out playing around a coffee table with sharp corners, do you? No, you definitely do not want something like that to happen to your darling animal.

Check for open doors or windows

If a window is left cracked, a dog could become seriously hurt. It might not take much for that window to fall down on top of a paw, or even for a dog to push the window up further and fall out. It’s a dangerous concept, so it’s best to keep things as closed off and inaccessible as possible to keep your dog safe and out of harm’s way.

Check for cleaning supplies in reach

We don’t typically leave cleaning supplies in the way of a dog, but sometimes we do. We might not realize that leaving the bleach on the floor for a few minutes while we do something else is a bad idea, until the dog knocks it over without thinking and ends up injured severely. It is a definite risk that no one should be willing to take, and that means that you have to do what you can to make sure it does not happen.

Put small toys away

If you have kids, keep their small toys out of the way of the dog. He or she could pick them up and put them in their mouth and choke. Just like small kids, you don’t want your dog to have access to things of this nature, so go ahead and move everything out of your way and keep the dog safe from hazardous choking materials.

Get rid of certain plants

You’ll have to check with your vet to find out, but many of the plants that people keep in their home and yard are actually dangerous to certain animals. We want you to have plants and a beautiful garden, but we also want you to have a healthy dog, so we do advise that you speak to your vet about this so that you can keep your dog safe for as long as possible. You cannot always help what he gets into when he’s outside, but you can certainly do your best to keep him safe.

Remove any small objects

Your office supplies from your desk, items on the floor and anything that your dog can reach can prove dangerous for his health. This is not something that we think you’d do on purpose, but even leaving a hair tie lying on the counter where the dog can reach it is a bad idea if he or she were to swallow it. Dogs are curious, so try to keep things out of their sight and out of their reach as often as possible to ensure their good health.

Look out for bug killing devices

We use pest control, but some people use store bought devices to handle their pests. This might include traps and small poisonous items that kill ants or other bugs. While most of these probably will not kill your dog, they’re still poisonous, and should be kept away from your dog at all times. Make sure they’re not within reach to keep your dog safe at all times.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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