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If you have pets you love as well as want an impressive and safe outdoor living area, you need to consider your pets' needs along with your own when designing your landscape. We try to build in as many of the following areas in a pet-friendly landscape as possible.
Many dogs like to patrol their yard and will create a path along the fence. Any landscape beds in the way will get run over and destroyed. The path can get muddy when it rains. To keep your dog from destroying your flowers or tracking in mud, create a two-to-three-foot mulch path around the perimeter of the fence.
While cats will go into raised beds as readily as level ground, dogs will often leave raised beds alone. A few lessons with your dog where you tell him “No” when he tries to enter a raised bed will keep your expensive plants safe.
We have all seen dogs with the zoomies. Dogs like to run. It is a good idea to leave a long straight area in turf grass so the dog can run there instead of in your flowers. A dog with a good place to run will choose to stay out of landscape beds.
Most pets like to bask in the sun. See where your pet likes to lay and cushion the spot with mulch. The mulch will keep the spot from getting muddy when it rains and is just nice for the pet to lay on.
Shade should always be available to your pets. Summer is hot, and they need a cool place to go to stay safe. Shade cloth or an awning can make instant shade and still look nice. Of course, if you have an open-air outdoor living area, the pet can sleep there. Keep cool water available for them, too.
Toxic plants do not have any place where your pets can reach them. Cats and dogs have different toxic plants, although they have some in common. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has a list of plants to avoid on its website. You should also avoid plants with thorns or other dangerous parts where the pets will play. Running into a thorn can blind an animal while stepping on a sticker hurts.
Mulch is good, but mulch made from cocoa bean shells will kill a dog. It has the same substance in it that chocolate does. Use a mulch made from hardwood or pine.
Pesticides, including both insecticides and herbicides, can make your pet sick. When using them, be sure to consult the label for the re-entry time. Keep your pet inside for that length of time to make sure he doesn’t get pesticides on his coat and become sick. Cats will lick themselves to groom, so anything that gets on the fur ends up inside the cat.
If you have an area that is too shady for turf, you can use artificial turf or mulch to cover the ground. Both can be cleaned by hosing them off on occasion. Bare ground gets muddy and can erode, damaging tree roots and structures.
Running barefoot in a yard with dog waste isn’t safe and isn’t pleasant, even with shoes on. Dogs can be trained to use a designated potty area before being allowed to run loose in the rest of the yard. Pea gravel on the ground will allow liquid waste to drain, while solid waste can be picked up easily. Simply hose the gravel off once a week or so to keep it clean.
Our office dogs, Lexi the mini Golden Doodle, and Reign, the Yorkie
We love pets at Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping. Because of this, we can take your pets' needs into consideration when designing and installing an outdoor living area. Tell us what kind of pet you have, and we will help all of you enjoy your outdoor living area. Simply schedule a consultation and we will get right to work.
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