Dog Safety Essentials

Follow these simple dog safety measures to guard against the most common dangers.

1) Escape: The single greatest danger to your dog is the possibility of escape from the garden. Many dogs are talented escape artists. If there is a gap, they’ll find it.

A dog running loose on the streets is in serious danger of being run down, becoming lost or being attacked by other dogs.

In addition, stray dogs are a hazard to both traffic and pedestrians, and should your dog bite someone, especially a child, there is a strong chance that it will be euthanized.

It is therefore imperative that you regularly walk the perimeter of your property, check for weaknesses in the boundary and fix them.

Common escape routes are gaps under gates, breaks in hedges and eroded boards in wooden fences. Secure these areas with a fine wire mesh, or if you have a hedge consider putting up a wire mesh fence as well.

2) Garden Chemicals: Many garden chemicals are highly toxic. Keep them locked up in a garden shed or greenhouse.

Also keep rubbish bins in a secure area as they contain objects like tins, glass, toxins, and plastic packaging which can injure or kill a dog.

3) Toxic Plants: Many common garden plants are toxic to dogs – in particular all kinds of fungi, mistletoe berries and plant bulbs.

Other toxic plants include include clematis, columbine, hemlock, ivy, lily of the valley, oleander, and yew. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, so do your research.

4) Ponds and swimming pools: Contrary to believe, not all dogs are strong swimmers. And even if you have one that is, like a Labrador, you should still cover ponds with a mesh, and pools with a pool net.

A dog that falls into a swimming pool can panic if it is not able to find the steps to climb out, with tragic results.

5) Barbecues: Never leave a barbecue unattended while cooking. The smell of cooking meat is irresistible to a dog and he could sustain severe burns.

Things like fire-lighters and lighter fluid are also toxic and should be stored away.

6) Extreme Temperatures: Not all dogs are equally adapted to heat and cold.

If your dog spends some of its time outside make sure that you have a dog house which provides adequate shelter from the elements.

Always provide water, and be particularly careful with short faced breeds, like Pugs and Bulldogs, in hot weather.

These simple dog safety measures will ensure that your remains safe outdoors.

Via (dogsanddogtrainning)