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The Basics of Proper Shelter for
Your Pet
At the risk of
sounding too elementary, there are two basic types of
shelter: Outdoor shelter and indoor shelter. Outdoor
shelter for a dog or cat should, at the minimum, have four
walls, a roof, and an entrance large enough for the animal to
enter the shelter. In short, a "dog house".
A properly furnished shelter should also have a solid floor
separating the animal from the ground itself. No one enjoys
sleeping on dirt and neither does your dog. An old blanket
or other form of insulating material makes a house a home for the
appreciative occupant. Ideally, an outdoor shelter should be
large enough for the animal to stand up in without major portions
of his body hanging out the entranceway.
An outdoor
shelter should be close by a food and water supply if the animal
is accustomed to eating outside. The dog will probably want
to defend his food and water from nosey competitors, so keep it
next to the shelter if possible.
Weather extremes
absolutely dictate that the animals should be relocated to a
safer, more comfortable shelter, preferably indoors. This
will afford the animal more protection and insulation from bad
weather.
Although the
basic requirements for an outdoor animal shelter seem like little
more than common sense to most people, you would be surprised at
the number of (otherwise intelligent, even affluent) pet owners
who essentially sentence their beautiful dogs to endless days of
misery in the backyard. No water, no shelter from the baking
sun, and tied to a leash that's all of six feet long -- not
to mention little or no opportunity to exercise. Thankfully,
most municipalities impose fines on pet owners who do not provide
sufficient shelter (and water) for animals that are kept outside,
even if just during the daytime hours.
If your pet is
confined to an area on your property by a fence make sure there
are no openings or poorly secured gates that might permit escape
by the animal. Make sure that children and other family
members understand the importance of keeping gates closed and
locked in order to protect the family pet.
How to Prepare
Your Pet's Indoor Shelter
An indoor shelter
for an animals is a little easier to control and maintain, but
there are some important things to consider to make your home
"pet safe". First, keep all liquids or other
materials that are toxic to your pet stored safely away and out of
reach. This is particularly true if the indoor shelter is
the garage where there are likely are sorts of fluids that could
be harmful to your animal such as paint, motor oil, antifreeze,
and cleaning fluids. Care should be taken to make sure
fluids leaking from vehicles onto the garage floor are removed
immediately before your pet gets curious and takes a few
licks. Antifreeze, in particular, has an odor that is very
sweet-smelling to a dog, but is extremely lethal to the animal's
system.
A garage also
harbors potentially harmful hiding places for animals. More
than one pet has found a warm place next to the engine block of a
car only to find himself trapped inside a moving car the next
morning. A car should never be started and moved until you
know where your pet is. Honking the horn once or twice will
encourage most pets to take notice and move to a safer place in
the garage.
Electrical cords
offer a special fascination to both dogs and cats. They
sometimes enjoy chewing on the cords until the live wires are
exposed. This could either cause electrocution of the animal
or a house fire if the wire comes in contact with a combustible
material (animal fur comes to mind). Make sure pets cannot
reach electrical cords of any kind -- whether the cords are
"hot" or not.
Never leave a
candle burning unattended in a house where a pet lives.
Always put all candles out before leaving the house.
Make sure that
your pets cannot get to fireplaces that are burning. A
sturdy fireplace screen that completely blocks a probing paw from
touching hot coals is always an excellent idea. Disaster can
strike if even a single animal hair catches on fire. Animals
actually like the warmth of a fireplace and are usually attracted
to them, so take steps to protect your entire house as well as
your pet.
Portable heaters
are dangerous enough even without a pet in the house.
If an animal trips over a heater at night and tips it over this
can spell disaster for everyone in the house.
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Outdoor
shelters for your pet. Common sense goes a long
way in helping you construct a shelter for your pet that
will protect him from the elements. |
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Indoor
shelters should be "pet-proofed" before your dog
makes it a home. Eliminating opportunities for
disaster takes a little time, but the result is a safe home
for you as well as your pet. |
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