Pet Safety – Protecting your Pooch

Properly ensure your pet's safety in your home.

Our pets mean the world to us. More than half of American households own a pet and seven out of ten have a canine. Our four legged friends are not just our house pets, they are our best friends and a member of the family. When it comes to our dog’s health, most of us take our pets to the vet for checkups and vaccinations more often than we take ourselves to the doctor. Even the way we feed our canine, countless of us give our pets more nutritious food than the food we put in our own bodies. The love we feel for these amazing creatures is limitless, and it’s important to think about their safety and well-being while we are not home.

The average American works a 9 to 5 job and averages 35 - 50 hours a week at a job outside of the home – that’s a long time away from our pets, but nothing beats walking up to your front door after a long and stressful day at work to be greeted with barks, kisses, and that wagging tail. You know that this is the best part of your day.

There are many pet safety precautions you can take that will give you the peace of mind that your pet is in good hands while you are away from home. For instance, Protection 1 Security Solutions offers monitored smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

We all have smoke detectors in our homes that make those loud, irritating, high pitch noises when it comes in contact with smoke; however, a regular smoke detector only warns the people inside. That means that if you are not at home to call for help and evacuate your pets, they are left to fend for themselves. Protection 1 monitored smoke detectors will send for help from the fire department immediately and contact you at any sign of a fire in your home. Carbon monoxide poisoning, also known as the “silent killer” can be prevented with a monitored carbon monoxide detector as well - at any sign of a gas leakage, you and help will be contacted promptly.

Protection 1 can also keep your pets safe from home intruders. A burglary happens every fifteen seconds and usually occurs while the home is vacant of humans. The safety of your home and valued possessions are a huge concern, but as a pet owner, your dog’s safety is also a primary concern. The American Dog Kennel Club has announced an increase in pet theft each year since 2012. Purebreds are at more of a risk to be kidnapped than mixed breeds; however, this does not put mixed breeds in the clear of dog theft as ten percent of reported missing dogs are actually stolen. Protection 1 can provide monitored indoor and outdoor cameras for your home.

The best part of having 24/7 monitoring cameras is that they can be monitored by you from your smartphone/device or computer with the help of alarm.com. For example, if there is break in, or a disturbed sensor in your home, Protection 1 sends an alert to your smart phone or device that takes a picture of the disturbance. You can find out immediately if your home and pets are in danger from a burglar or if it’s just a false alarm caused by your pet getting into mischief while you’re away.

Besides allowing Protection 1 to monitor your home, it is recommended to be very observant of your dogs and what they do while in a frightened state. Know their hiding spots so when you are contacted by emergency workers, you can inform them where you pet may be hiding. You can also help emergency workers find your pet from the outside of your home by keeping a pet decal near your front door or windows that indicates how many and the type of pets that are in the home. These are available at most pet stores. If you keep your pets in a kennel, keep that near to a main entry door so emergency workers can find your pets quickly, instead of playing the hide and seek game.

Another way to keep your pet safe is to train your dog under pressure for dangerous conditions. If you are not an admired dog whisperer like Cesar Millan, have you and your pet start with a few training classes. It also helps to have a pet emergency kit in your home filled with any pet medication, a couple days of pet food, water, spare pet dishes, a first aid kit, blankets, and a couple toys or treats to help the dog feel at ease in the case of an emergency.

Our pets mean the world to us. Yes, it can be difficult to think about, but we must be prepared for the worst. Taking these precautions in home automation and pet safety will assist you and your wet nosed family members to ensure the protection you deserve.