Making your home pet-safe

The general rule is: most accidents happen within your own four walls.

Unfortunately, there are also numerous household hazards for pets. FOUR PAWS offers practical tips on how to make your home a safe environment in which your animal housemate can move around without risk.

Dogs should not only feel comfortable, but also be safe.

The best tip is certainly to look at your home from your pet's perspective. Ask yourself, quite generally, what you would find interesting as a dog, cat, guinea pig, rabbit, bird, etc. — and what you could theoretically reach by climbing, jumping, hopping, or flying. This simple assessment from an animal's point of view can help you identify a number of potential hazards and take appropriate action.

Janine Cirini, Campaigner at FOUR PAWS Switzerland

FOUR PAWS checklist for a pet-safe home

• Secure windows, doors, and balconies so that animals cannot escape or injure themselves. A cat net is strongly recommended.
• Place all toxic plants out of your pet's reach, such as aloe vera or boxwood.
• Make sure your pet cannot chew on electrical cables. The best solution is to run cables through protective conduits.
• Remove any loops or cut them through (curtain cords, etc.) to prevent strangulation.
• Keep rooms such as garages and workshops, where hazardous substances are often stored, locked. Toxic cleaning products should also be safely secured away.
• Watch out for “ladders” that curious pets can climb to reach elevated areas such as worktops and tables.
• Beware of hot hob plates! Keep pets away from the stove while cooking.
• Do not leave medications where pets can reach them.
• Keep all food out of reach (in boxes, cupboards, or a pantry). There are foods that can cause serious harm to animals. Examples include chocolate in larger quantities or xylitol (birch sugar) in dogs.
• Puppies require special caution, as they want to explore everything and put things in their mouths.
• Keep bins covered or store them in a cupboard.
• Keep toilet lids closed, as cats in particular love to try drinking from them and can fall in.
• If you have a garden, make sure your pet cannot escape. The fencing should be sufficiently high.
• If you have a pool or any other open body of water in your garden, make sure to cover it or provide an exit aid.

Specific risks depending on the type of animal

Janine Cirini also emphasises: «These are very basic things that every pet owner should take to heart. Depending on the type of animal, there are of course also specific risks that you should absolutely inform yourself about.»

The safety of one’s own pet should truly be a concern for every person. «It is doubly painful to lose a beloved four- or two-legged companion, or to see them seriously injured, because one did not take sufficient precautions. With a little mindfulness, you can spare both the animal and yourself a great deal of suffering», says Cirini. Anyone wishing to learn more about animals in the wild will find numerous articles at wildbeimwild.com. The topic of animal rights also plays a central role in responsible pet ownership.

Further guides can be found at FOUR PAWS Switzerland.