Best Pet Friendly Summer Flowers

1. Keep a watchful eye on your pets when in gardens.
2. Cover the pond with fine netting to prevent your dog and cat access to licking the water.
3. Position any new pond being built in the view of the house.
4. Check the position of your compost heap and move if too accessible by your pets, to a safer, location.
5. Move the beautiful but potentially toxic patio pot plants that you’ve spent weeks nurturing to a safer higher level.
6. Train young pets not to dig into and play with your garden and patio pot plants. Use fencing around them, if still persistent.
7. Make a special area in the garden for your dog to be able to enjoy digging in and playing without being reprimanded.
8. Position an area that’s shady for your dog to be able to relax in, staying cool, without lots of falling branch twigs on the ground which can injure dog’s mouths should they try and chew.
9. Leave toys out in their garden designated area to prevent them from being bored.
10. Fence off any newly planted seedlings and vulnerable plants to avoid your dog digging them up.
11. Don’t leave any garden implements lying around that can cause injury to yourself and your pets.
12. Close your greenhouse door at all times to stop wandering pets in. Block any holes and gaps to prevent cats wandering in.
13. Cover children’s sand pits when not in use so your dog and cat cannot access to eat the sand which is dangerous, or poo in.
14. Don’t leave paddling pools out unless you’re watching your pet in them. They can easily get damaged unsupervised. Read more about buying the best paddling pools for your pet.
15. Store all gardening chemicals very carefully, safely, in a closed cupboard out of pets reach. Just because they are labelled ‘organic’ doesn’t mean they aren’t harmful to your pets.
16. Take care when visiting your friends and your dog is playing in their garden, or moving to a new home, to assess the plants already established and visible, and if there are any really toxic problems where plants may need to be dug up, moved or disposed of.
17. Don’t use chemicals in the garden or pond.
18. Have a pet first aid kit always handy. Read more about buying your pet’s first aid kit.

Having an evening sitting out during mid-summer, on the patio, with friends and family, a few drinks, barbeque and food, is most enjoyable. Candles lighting up the area when it’s dusk and dark adds even more to a magical summer’s evening.

• Train young pets not to dig into and play with your pot plants. Use fencing around them, if still persistent.
• Don’t ever leave your barbeque unattended.
• Don’t throw away hot embers anywhere in the garden as pets can easily burn their paws on these. Put them into a safe area to cool down.
• Don’t leave your alcoholic drinks and food lying around, not even for a minute. Pets love diving in to test out what you’re eating with dire, and sometimes, life-threatening consequences.
• Candles need to be positioned safely as cats and small dogs, in particular, can brush past lit candles and singe their fur causing them discomfort. Use old empty glass jars where candles can burn safely in them.