Pets can fill your home with joy and provide you with unconditional love and companionship. However, they can also end up getting into trouble or being mischievous at times, which is why it's important to make your home as safe as possible. You can turn your home into a more pet-friendly place with the following tips.
Keep Hazardous Items Out of Reach
Cleaning products, medications and other items can be dangerous for pets to ingest. Go through your home, and make sure these items are stored in a place your pets can't reach. You can even put childproof latches on cabinet doors to prevent curious dogs or cats from being able to open them.
Cover or Hide Cords and Wires
Some pets might play with or chew cords and wires they find lying around your home, which can lead to electric shocks and burns. Place cords and wires out of sight and out of reach to prevent this from happening.
Secure Your Trash Cans
Pets shouldn't be able to knock over or get into your trash cans. Doing so can cause a mess, but it also makes it easy for your pets to eat something that could harm them. Make sure your kitchen trash can has a secure lid, or store your can in a closed cabinet.
Store All Food
Don't leave food out on counters or on the table when you have pets. Some pets can jump onto these surfaces to reach food, while others are tall enough to easily grab food items left out. Store all food in your pantry, fridge or cabinets, so your pets can't get any. This helps prevent your pets from consuming foods that could make them sick, such as chocolate and grapes, which can harm dogs.
Choose Houseplants Carefully
Some houseplants are toxic to dogs, cats or both, so choose these wisely. Research any houseplants you want to bring home first to make sure they're safe for your pets. When you do have houseplants around, put them in places your pets can't easily reach. Keep in mind you can decorate with silk
About the Author
Carolyn Andrews
Carolyn Andrews has over 30 years licensed Brokerage experience in both California and Colorado. Born in England, Carolyn moved to California in 1980, then relocated to Denver, Colorado in 1991. Carolyn has also received recognition for Top Sales at RE/MAX Alliance Aurora in 2007-2008 and is a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame & Chairman’s Club, as well as a recipient of the ReMax Lifetime Achievement Award. Carolyn has sold over 2000 homes personally in her career. Carolyn has been actively involved in many aspects of the Real Estate business including investment property, luxury homes, mountain resort property, skiin/ski out, REO/default management, loss mitigation, valuations, and disposition. She has been a speaker and panelist at several conferences and has been consulted on many occasions by various organizations in the REO/financial industries for her expertise and served on many boards. She has attended numerous ongoing classes to stay abreast of changes in the ever-evolving Real Estate industry. She is the prior State Director for Colorado for VAREP(Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals). She is a member of 3 boards of Realtors including Metro Denver, Colorado Springs and Summit County mountain areas. She heads up The Andrews Group and is or has been an active member of NAR, CAR,REOMAC, CIPS, CRS, AREAA, NAPW, NAHREP, and is an original member of the ELITEReal Estate network. She was ranked #1 for most homes sold in Denver 2007 by Denver Board of Realtors, #2 for 2008, and #2 for 2009, #5 in 2010 and #4 in 2011 and has been consistently in the top 10 ever since. Carolyn Andrews has been a top rated Endorsed Local Provider for the Dave Ramsey Organization and also a Top Producing agent for 2018 for the Homelight Company.
