Pet Safety & Dog-Proofing Essentials

Pet Safety & Dog-Proofing Essentials


Secure an ID tag to a buckle collar, and keep that collar on the dog at all times. Keep it "2-fingers" snug and check the fit regularly; don't risk your dog's life to a loose collar.

Always walk your dog on a leash for his own safety and everyone else's. Voice control is useless when your dog decides to chase a squirrel, knock down a child, or fight with another dog.
Microchips and tattoos: All pets should wear a collar with I.D. tag at all times, but in case they come off, microchips and tattoos offer added security. Microchipping involves a safe, permanent miniature implant injected beneath the skin over the shoulder using a hypodermic needle; the chips can be read by scanners found increasingly at animal shelters. Tattoos are easy to spot. For details, contact:
* Home Again Companion Animal Retrieval Microchip System l -800-252-7894
* AVID Microchip 1-800-336-2843
* National Dog Registry/Tattoos 1-800-NDR-DOGS
* Tatoo-A-Pet 1-800-TATTOOS
If your pet gets lost, contact the Missing Pet Network at www.missingpet.net



Don't leave your dog unattended in a car - especially in hot weather. Even with the windows open, a car can heat up like an oven in minutes. Hundreds of animals die in cars each year.

Make sure your dog always has free access to water - inside the house and out.

Before you let your dog in a yard, make sure the fence is secure. And keep watch! Unattended dogs can eventually dig under or climb/jump over fences, get injured or disturb neighbors.

Keep your pets off the grass if you've just applied weed killer. They may lick their paws and get ill.

Avoid heatstroke: don't leave your dog outside for long periods on a hot day. When outside, a dog must always have a shady shelter and access to water.

Don't chain up dogs. Chains and ropes cause injuries, and a chained dog cannot protect himself from stray animals. Chaining creates frustration that leads to aggression and other behavioral problems.

Antifreeze kills - and unfortunately its taste appeals to pets. Tightly close and store all containers away from pets, and watch for puddles when you're walking your dog.

Do not transport your dog in the back of a pickup truck. Hundreds of dogs die each year from falling out of trucks. Also, dogs get head and eye injuries from sticking heads out car windows.

Shield electrical wires and plug outlets in your home. Don't leave coins, clips, etc. on the floor.

Store cleaning products high or behind latched doors. Equip cabinet doors with child-proof latches.

Don't let pets drink from a toilet that has freshener in the tank or bowl. The chemicals are toxic.

Bones, especially those that splinter easily, can lodge in the dog's throat or stomach and cause fatal punctures. Give your dog rubber bones instead.

Even a small amount of chocolate can poison and kill your dog. Keep it away from your dog. Unless prescribed by your vet, don't give human medications like aspirin to your dog.

Identify and move toxic plants out of reach. According to the National Animal Poison Control Center and other sources, some toxic plants include:
Aloe Vera
Amaryllis
Apple seeds
Apricot pit
Asparagus fern
Avocado - fruit and pit
Azalea
Baby's breath
Bird of Paradise
Bittersweet
Boxwood
Buckeye
Caladium
Calla Lily
Carnation
Chinaberry Tree
Chinese evergreen
Clematis
Cordatum
Corn plant
Cornstalk Plant
Croton
Cycads
Cyclamen
Daffodil
Dieffenbachia & Dumb cane
Dracaena
Dragon tree Easter Lily
Elephant Ears
English Ivy
Fiddle-leaf fig
Foxglove (Digitalis)
Geranium
Ivy - Branching, Devil's, English, German, Glacier, Needlepoint
Hibiscus
Holly
Hurricane Plant
Hyacinth bulbs
Hydrangea
Nightshade
Oleander
Onion
Indian Rubber Plant
Jerusalem Cherry
Kalanchoe (Panda Bear Plant)
Lily of the Valley & other lily plants
Marijuana
Mistletoe
Morning Glory
Narcissus
Peach (pits and wilting leaves)
Philodendron (entire plant)
Plumosa Fern
Poinsetta (low toxicity)
Poison Ivy
Poison Oak
Primrose (Primula)
Rhododendron
Sago Palm
Schefflera
Taro Vine
Tomato Plant (all parts except ripe fruit)
Wisteria seeds
Yew







At Urban Out Sitters we continue to raise the bar above all our competitors to offer the best care for your dog. Each facility is clean, safe and certified by the Department of Agriculture offering stricter sanitary requirements; enforcing better screening for each dog; and selling a higher performance of daycare or kenneling. Our fully staffed facility is a smaller environment, specifically designed to maintain control, supervision and quality.

For more information about the services we provide visit our website at www.urbanoutsitters.com