Home Innovations Display Centre

Pet Friendly Homes

It's not really surprising that people are adapting their homes and lifestyles to accommodate their furry family members.
So what does it take to make your home 'Pet Friendly'? 

AT HOME DOGS

A simple way to allow your dog into your home without having them take claim to the couch as their own is to set a boundary of perphaps 1 or 2 rooms and have a special space for them to lie. You can buy some really nice sofa dogs beds and mats at most pet stores. Restricting your dogs to these beds only will give them a place to be close to their family and stop them from taking over your home. This is important if you value your furniture and do not want your dog or cat shedding their hair on, dribbling on, eat on or playing on it.

If you are worried about dogs bringing in puddles of mud all over your clean carpet, perhaps fence their outdoor play areas. Restricting them to verandas, patios or paved areas will ensure they won't bring in any unwanted mess.

Also, wet dogs can bring in a odour that will rub off onto your furniture and carpet. Make sure if your dog spends time outside it has somewhere to go to keep dry when it rains. Buying a kennel would be ideal for homes which do not have roofed outdoor areas.

Make sure you keep your dog entertained. If they don't have a big backyard to run around in, take them for walks. When they become bored and restless they will start to take it out on your belongings and furniture. This will most likely happen when you are not at home to get them to stop! If you are worried they might get into your shoe or clothes, consider storage tactics that will avoid this possibility. Firm sliding doors, locks, suspended cupboards, high shelving and lidded boxes are a few storage options that will keep your things away from the sharp teeth and claws of your dog.

COMFY CATS 

When a cat moves into a home, it will almost instantly take over. Doing whatever it wants, when it wants! The easiest way to prevent your cat from getting into mischief is to restrict them from areas where they could cause trouble. Shutting doors is the simplest way. Stop them from sharpening their claws on your couch and curtains by giving them a scratching post. These come in various designs and colours and can blend with your interior easily.

SET SOME BOUNDARIES

Teach your pets boundaries unless you want them to use the house like your family do. Teach them beds are a no-go zone, the laundry basket is out of bounds and the kitchen is not for lingering in! This way your pet will look forward to coming in at special times to spend time lying on their comfortable bed in the company of their family.

WHIFF & FUR FACTORS

Firstly lets start with the smell. Dogs and Cats as we know use their scent like we use our phones etc. for identification, communication and marking out their areas. Most people are not a fan of these odours, just like our pets hate the smell of perfume! To put an end to the pets smells use a simple mixture of plain bleach diluted in water. It works on most surfaces and kills smells and germs. For fabrics and other soft furnishings, use a product such as 'Febreeze' - an odour eliminating spray.

If your pets drop fur everywhere you may want to consider keeping them from carpeted rooms. Fur can be difficult to remove from carpets and can result in bad odour flowing from your carpet. Limiting them to tiles, floor boards, concrete or stone surfaces will enable clean up of fur to be easy.

MUTUAL RESPECT

Living in harmony with our pets requires a loving but disciplined approach to rules and behaviours that when laid down clearly and abided by should result in many years of joy.

HIDC Exhibitor(s) who specialise in this area;

HRV Australia

Rigging Dimensions

Sure Stone

Wardrobe World