all the features she wanted, including a beautiful
back yard swimming pool. She planned to have
lots of fun times there with her family. But she
remembered to factor in the pets when she
considered pool safety. Here are some ideas
about keeping that pool safe for the pets.
your pets out to the pool and let them go in the
water, then watch carefully. Make sure they can
swim comfortably, and at ease navigating around
the water. Especially as dogs get older, they
become weaker and might have trouble
swimming. Once you have determined that they
can swim safely, you've gone a long way to
providing a safe pool environment.
dog in the water. Consider putting large potted
plants on either side of the steps, to clearly mark
the exit. While the dogs are in the water, call
them out, while standing next to the steps. Do
this several times until the message becomes
clear that this is how they will get out of the pool.
When they are back in the water, stand next to
the back door of the house, and call the dogs to
you. If they swim right to the steps and come to
you, that's great they can find the exit.
the pool. Pet ramps are constructed to assure the
pet an easy way out of the pool, and are easily
visible if the pet is in the water.
they can't enjoy the back yard. More importantly,
you want the dogs to be safe while they are in
the yard. In addition, if a neighborhood dog ever
found its way into your yard, they are not
exposed to a potential hazard. The type of cover
is important. A floating cover is not recom-
mended for pet owners a dog could mistake it
for a solid surface, run onto it, get entangled and
be in real trouble. A mesh cover allows the pool
to breathe and doesn't collect rain water on top
of it, but a dog could become caught in the mesh
and panic. A solid cover is the best choice they
attach to the sides of the pool, and are rated to
hold up to 4,000 pounds, so they can easily stand
even the weight of a big dog. Deploy it when you
aren't using the pool, and there's another layer of
safety for the pets.
your dogs out of the water and have them get a
drink, which cuts down on the likelihood that the
dogs will drink pool water. It also assures that
they will stay well hydrated it's hot and humid
on summer days, and while playing in the water,
the dogs will build a big thirst. Once the dogs are
conditioned to use that water bowl, they will be
more likely to drink from it regularly.
watch the kids and the dogs splashing around in
your new pool, knowing you've provided a safe
place for them to have fun.