No doubt you’re aware of the need to puppy-proof your home when buying or adopting a new puppy. However, regardless of the age or type of pet you have, the need for electrical safety is always paramount.
To this end, we’ve put together some tips to help ensure your home is safe for your pet to enjoy at all times.
Watch out for trailing electrical cords
These are dangerous for everyone, particularly in terms of tripping over. Tucking them well out of the way is the best way to ensure no one can trip over them – and in the case of your pet, chew them.
Check all plugs and wiring regularly
Do you see a frayed or exposed wire? Get it repaired or replaced by an electrician as soon as possible. Plugs should also be fully pushed into the wall and not partway in.
Can your pet get behind any cabinets where wires might be present?
Just because you cannot reach a particular power cord, it doesn’t mean your pet can’t get to it. Always check every area of your home with your pet in mind, and consider their size and what they could reach or get behind.
Keep all halogen lamps out of reach
Halogen bulbs can get extremely hot. If your pet can reach one, they could get a nasty burn.
Take preventative measures if you know your pet cannot leave something alone
If you discover your pet has a penchant for chewing power cords, even when you do supervise them and keep the cords out of the way, get a tough plastic sleeve to slide over them. You can also get sprays that pets hate (bitter apple works as a treat for dogs). Unplug the appliance, wipe the spray over the cord, and plug it back in again. Obviously, make sure you don’t get any of the sprays in the power outlet or on the plug itself.
Don’t leave any appliances running or heaters unattended
Anytime you leave something like this unattended, there is a chance your pet could knock it over. If you’ve left a lamp on, a boisterous puppy could knock it over while charging around the room playing. Similarly, they could knock a heater over and very quickly start a fire. At best they could severely hurt themselves – and you certainly wouldn’t want that to happen.
Focus on getting one room safe at a time
If you know you have a lot of work to do in this area, make sure you take one room at a time. Pet-proof one room while someone else watches your pet elsewhere in the house. Once the first room is safe, you know your pet can go in there without any problems. You can then move on to tackle other rooms in turn.
As you can see, there is perhaps more to focus on here than you might think. Make sure you tackle electrical safety in your home now.
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