How to Make Sure Your House is Both Secure and Pet Friendly

Millions of families around the world have pets in their house. It’s fun to have a new family member – they’re cute, friendly and you are also doing a good deed when you take an animal into your house, which probably would have ended up wandering the streets otherwise.

In addition, the amount of money that people spend on their pets’ needs is enormous – did you know that Americans alone spend an annual sum of USD 52BN on pets? Most of it includes food and health care expenses. These numbers show just how much we love our pets and how they are truly a part of our family.

But having a pet as part of the family also means we have to consider it and its needs when planning to take steps to make our house secure. Modern reality requires taking safety precautions and putting security means in residences, but those don’t have to come at the expense of your pet.

Fences and Gates

Almost every private home owner puts fences and gates around their property. But when you have a pet in your house, things have to be a bit more carefully planned. For example, one might prefer putting a fence with pointy edges to prevent anyone from climbing over it. But what if your pet tries jumping over the fence as pets so often do?

If you have a pet and you’re still worried about your premises’ security, make sure your fence is sturdy and high enough to prevent any human being from climbing over it, but that it doesn’t have any pointy edges on top of it or pointy ends in its design. This way you’ll keep your pet from getting hurt.

Your front and back gate also require the same attention. Make sure they’re strong enough so your pet can’t push through, but that they’ll pose no threat for your pet should it try to jump over them or wiggle through them.

Special Pet Doors

These are often called dog doors, although they can accommodate a couple of other types of animals. This basically means that you put in a door with a small opening through which your pet can enter and exit the house. It also means that your house security is somewhat compromised. This is why it is preferable to install a dog door not in the main door, so it will be more difficult to spot. It should be far away from the door knob and latch inside the house, so even if someone will manage to partially squeeze through they won’t be able to unlock the door.

You should also bear in mind that when your pet gets old and it can no longer let itself in and out on its own, the dog door becomes redundant and it can be removed.

Remember that your pet is your family, take care of it and establish a relationship based on love and respect.