While you love your four-legged friend, a dog can be pretty destructive to your home. From chewing on wires to getting into household chemicals and more, all it takes is one mishap to ruin your home’s style and harm your pet. With a little puppy-proofing, however, both the dog and the home can be safe. Read on to discover three stylish ways to do it.
The Right Floors and Rugs
Dogs can track mud throughout the house, but you don’t have to resign yourself to scrubbing the floors every time he or she leaves any sort of “present” behind. You can prevent them with well-chosen floors, the first of which to consider is a good rug. Opt for low-pile versions with dark colors and minimal patterns, as any stains will be harder to notice and thus less worrisome. Also make sure the rug is color-fast and safe for scrubbing, so that anything you dog messes up can be fixed with relative ease.
Similar suggestions exist for flooring. The less carpet, the better; harder floor surfaces will be easier to keep clean. Ceramic is an excellent option, whereas some stones like marble will react poorly to pet vomit. Consider businesses such as Metro Tile who sell tile Salt Lake City, to install quality floors that match your sense of style. Such companies can do the job in whichever rooms get the most traffic from your dog. Make sure hard surfaces don’t bother your pet’s bones and joints too much, though.
Check Out Throw Blankets
They aren’t just for keeping yourself warm: throw blankets can be both eye-pleasing and pet-safe. The right one can accentuate furniture already in your home, making the colors and designs pop; it’ll serve as a cozy snuggle spot for your pet. It’ll also protect said furniture from dog hair, fur, and tracks; if a stain gets involved, you can hide it until you’re better able to address it. If there’s a piece of furniture you just don’t find all that attractive, maybe your throw blanket is best suited to covering that instead!
Savvy Storage
Moving toxic or dangerous items in the home is a no-brainer, and you can do it without sacrificing your home’s good looks. There’s a wide range of functional storage available, from cabinets and desks to shelves designed to be out of reach. You can consider putting child-proof locks on them, but if you’d rather something less clunky, plenty of closed cabinets and credenzas will work just fine. Don’t forget fashionable crates and matching containers, as these can be low-cost options to keep things away from your dog without clashing with the rest of your home.
Be wary of anything you don’t store, as well. While it’s common sense to put things like chemicals away, some dogs simply have a propensity for chewing and tearing things up. This includes everything from art to metal furnishings to appliances if you think your dog might try his or her luck finding out if they’re toys. Anything that presents a choking hazard also bears careful consideration, because your dog might not realize it’s dangerous until too late.
Sometimes getting a dog changes your design plans for your home, but it doesn’t mean you have to give them up altogether. Between cushy toys and comfy furniture, your pet won’t care; you can keep things neat and sophisticated with a minimum of effort. The tips above are just some of the ways to do it, but you can worry less about your dog’s inside safety with them. Take care of both, and they’ll both be fine.
