As pet professionals we care for the pets of others every day. Because my business keeps me so busy I sometimes feel that my own pets get less attention than they deserve.
One very simple way to care for our pets is to make sure that our home is pet safe. The addition of the home office that we use to run our pet business can easily introduce new hazards to the home that can pose a threat to our pets safety.
On Kristie T’s Home Business Blog I found 9 great tips to pet proof your home office to make sure your pet business isn’t hazardous for your pets!
1. Protect your pet from power cords. Tuck electrical cords out of site when possible. You should block power strips so that your pet can’t access them. Put outlet covers on any unused outlets to prevent electrical shock.
Here are some products to protect your pet from power cords.
- A clear cord protector that goes over power cords to prevent your pet from chewing on it and getting shocked.
- 1.2 inch flexible plastic tubing - You can pick this up at Menards or Home Depot. Just take scissors and cut the tubing open. Use the opening to insert the cord. That way when your pet bites the cord, they bite the protective tubing instead and won’t get hurt.
- Bitter Apply spray - You can get this at any pet supply store. Spray it to stop dogs from biting furniture, cords, and other items. It has a bitter flavor and will discourage them from biting again.
2. Remove small items from the floor. If you have any paper clips, binder clips, loose change, staples, push pins or other small items your pet could choke on, remove it from the floor.
3. Secure any bookshelves to the wall. If there is something tempting on your bookshelf that your pet my want to climb to get, make sure your bookshelf if secured to the wall so that it won’t tip over on them.
4. Set ground rules. Tell your pet what behavior is a “no no” in your home office. If they chew on something, climb, or do something you don’t want, say no. It may take some reinforcing, but they’ll get the rules if you are consistent.
See IAMS free dog training videos to teach your dog to behave in the office and the whole house
5. Keep messy items out of reach. Store ink cartridges, white out, pens, markers, highlighters, stamps up on shelves where pets can reach.
6. Keep computers and equipment up high where pets can’t reach.
7. Contain pets if you can’t supervise them. If you are working intensely on a project and can’t keep an eye on your pet, you may consider putting them in a kennel, play yard, or fenced in area where they will be safe.
8. Store office cleaning supplies up and away. If you have special cleaning solutions for your laptop screen, your desk, and other areas of your office, keep it out of pets reach. These items can be toxic and possibly deadly to your pet.
9. Shredders. Keep shredders unplugged and put away so pets can accidentally access them.
10. Sharp Stuff. Take extra care to put scissors, letter openers, and other sharp items where pets can’t reach them.
Make sure that your home office is pet safe by checking these 9 suggestions next time you are working in your office. Leave these tips for customers if you notice that their home office could use some improvement or if you see a safety hazard. Be aware of common pet safety hazards when you are on the job and help others keep their pets safe.
These tips are especially important for offices tht let their staff take their pets to work. If you know people in this type of workplace pass these tips along and keep more pets safe!