How to Keep Pets Safe While You're Away

Image by Lisa Simmons from Pixabay

While house hunting, it’s always a good idea to drop your pets off at doggy daycare or get a pet sitter for the afternoon. If you have no choice but to leave them at home, you can keep them safe by properly preparing the space ahead of time. Here’s a look at just what it takes to create a safe area for your pets to stay while home alone.

Always Secure Them in a Safe Area

Even if they are trained to behave while having the full run of the house, pets are best kept in a safe area while you’re away. You can put them in a bedroom, for example, or block off a section of the living room instead.

Pets that are not fully house-trained or cannot resist the urge to chew stuff up are best kept in a crate while you’re out. Either way, limit your time out to about a few hours or so to avoid mishaps as your pets grow lonesome.

Get Down to Their Level

Given just a little time unsupervised, pets can get into a lot of trouble. Chewed furniture, pilfered snacks and messes on the carpet are just a few ways pets can wreak havoc while you’re out. Thankfully, you can prevent a lot of issues by getting down to their level and looking for ways to misbehave.

While looking around, you might find:

• Exposed cords
• Loose shoes
• Errant throw pillows
• Low-lying snacks
• Vulnerable plants
• And more

Think like your pet and just imagine what trouble you could get into with the items you find. Then, put the items well out of reach to help all your pets remain on their best behavior.

But Don’t Underestimate Their Abilities

Pets are natural athletes who are frequently known for their incredible feats and daredevil antics. Dogs chilling on top of refrigerators and cats standing on the tops of doors are not an uncommon sight, after all.

So, as you button up the house for the safety of your pet, keep that in mind. It may not be sufficient to simply put items a little higher than they were. It’s often best, in fact, to hide the items behind closed doors and in cabinets fitted with child locks. 

Skip the Toys and Chews Until You’re Back

Although it seems wise to keep your pets preoccupied with toys and chews, most of those items are meant to be used under strict supervision. Pets can easily bite off more than they can chew and choke even while gnawing on the toughest of pet-friendly objects.

Instead, wear them out before you leave the house to encourage them to rest while you’re away. Then, give them a toy or chew when you return home to reward them for staying out of trouble. With that move, you create a positive connection with your absence and return that encourages them to behave each time you go out.By moving through these steps, you can keep your pet safe while you’re out looking for your perfect house. You won’t be distracted by worries about what they are up to or come home to disaster when you’re done.