There is no shortage to the joys that come with having a pet. Adopting a cat or dog into your home is a wonderful and meaningful way to expand a loving family. But the effort involved in keeping a home and a family can be exhausting. At the end of a long workday spent caring for yourself, your kids, and your pets, the last thing you want to do is have to worry about keeping your yard looking nice and tidy. Making a healthy and secure home is taxing enough. Those who have enough time and energy to keep their yards beautiful must be superwomen, right?
Wrong! There are plenty of ways to keep both your front and back yards looking tip-top year around. There are more than a few good reasons to spend the energy maintaining a gorgeous outer area to your home. For one, it is the first impression you make on visitors. It also reflects on your neighbors. They will be happy to live next door to someone that cares enough to landscape.
And, most importantly, a well-kept yard will boost your mood. What could be better than having a sanctuary to turn to when you need a break from the outside world? Having a dog or an outdoor cat can complicate this dream, however. You definitely do not want your precious pet trampling all over your hydrangeas. Here are a few ways you can start pet-proofing your yard to keep it looking fresh year round.
Prevent Pests
First and foremost, you want to prevent problems before they spring up. Pests can negatively impact your plants in the same way that they can negatively impact your pets’ lives. Even worse, nuisances like raccoons can actually endanger the health and wellness of your pets and children. “Raccoons in Houston are known carriers of diseases such as leptospirosis and rabies. Likewise, their feces may contain roundworm eggs, which are easily passed to pets and humans,” says Critter Control, a service that performs raccoon removal in Houston, Texas.
Clearly, there are a lot of reasons to invest in preventing pests. Keeping trash out of your backyard and secured in trash bins away from the reach of any animals is a good start. Another important facet of pest prevention is the swift and complete removal of animal waste from your yard as soon as it appears. Speaking of which…
Proper Pet Waste Disposal
Disposing properly of your pet’s waste is imperative in the fight against spreading disease and other maladies from spreading to all areas of your yard. Pet feces can harbor roundworm for years to come, along with other nasty things like the bacteria that causes toxoplasmosis. It is important to prioritize its immediate removal, as disgusting as it may be.
If you’re too grossed out by the sight of pet waste to remove it properly, or you simply can’t make the time to dispose of it on a regular basis, consider a pet waste removal service. There are plenty of companies that will clean up your backyard for you and discard of animal waste in the proper manner. You don’t even need to think about it!
Invisible Fences
Invisible fences are a great option for those with particularly curious pups who can’t resist the allure of digging around in a newly tended garden. There is no word that can perfectly encapsulate the disappointment felt by gardeners who have found their well-kept gardens destroyed by an overly eager dog or cat.
Invisible fences are reliable and aesthetically pleasing. There are plenty of reasons to consider one for the health and wellness of your pet—especially if you do not have a fenced-in yard—but protecting your garden is not the least among them. An invisible fence will also aid in keeping your pets from gnawing on any plant life that might be dangerous to them.
Identify the spaces that you are comfortable with having your pet roam freely, and, in the same vein, identify the spaces of your yard that you would like to cordone off as off-limits to your critters.
Keep in mind that your pet will require training to make the most out of your invisible fence. Likewise, you will have to take other measures to ensure that they are safe from other environmental dangers, such as coyotes or other wildlife. After all, an invisible fence will keep your pet in—but it won’t keep other animals out!
Conclusion
At the end of the day, there is no shortage of ways to streamline the maintenance of a beautiful yard. Having pets is a great commitment. However, having a dog or cat doesn’t mean that you can’t get full and regular enjoyment out of your yards.
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