Your garage can be where you park your cars, a location for all your tools, equipment, and lawn care tools that you only use during the summer, a place to shop projects, and additional storage space. Some people use their garage as a place for their pets.
Our furry friends make our lives happier and more fun, but they also have their things and storage needs. Pet owners need to keep their garages clean and pet-friendly.
But if you prepare your garage first, your pets will be safe there. Because of the other things you keep in your garage, it could be a dangerous place for your pets.
In this detailed guide, we’ll talk about how to set up a storage system for your garage that meets your pet’s needs while keeping the area organised and free of clutter.
How to Make Your Garage Friendly to Pets
Your garage is an important part of your home. It may be even more important in the winter when your car, tools, and other supplies can go there to stay out of the cold. But the same things we use to keep our vehicles and houses running well can be dangerous for our pets.
Do you let your pet go into the garage? Whether your pet has access through the interior of the house or from the yard through a pet door, it’s important to ensure this space is safe for your four-legged family members.
Creating a Pet-Friendly Location
Before you start organising your garage, think about what your pet needs. Think about the kind and size of your pet, what they eat, and any regular tools or accessories they use. This evaluation will help you plan how to store things in your garage.
Find out how to make your garage safe for your pets below.
Remove Toxins
The initial step is to eliminate any dangerous things in the garage. If you keep dangerous things in your garage, your pets may eat or breathe them in. You might not know that your garage has pollutants, so the most effective way to find out is to have it checked.
Some products’ labels will tell you how to store them correctly. Materials like paint and some cleaners must be kept at the right temperature. If they are kept at too high or too low of a temperature, they will lose their shape, and you won’t be able to make use of them again. When putting chemicals away in your garage, make sure to read every label carefully.
Cabinets on the wall are an excellent place to keep dangerous chemicals. So your pets or kids won’t be able to get to them. Make sure there are latches or locks on these cabinets. Even though you shouldn’t leave your pets alone in the garage, you might not always be able to keep an eye on them. You can be sure your pets won’t get into the chemicals if you store them effectively up and out of the way.
Car Supplies
Contrary to what most people think, the most dangerous thing about a car is not the car itself but the tools you use to take good care of it. Veterinarians say that antifreeze is the most hazardous chemical cats and dogs can eat.
Antifreeze is dangerous to pets because, unlike other chemicals like rat poison, it smells sweet, so pets are drawn to it. The best way to make the garage safe for pets is to put all your dangerous garage supplies and car supplies on a high shelf, the prefered one which can be shut off with little doors.
Decluttering
Since people store many different things in garages, they tend to get messy quickly. Most of the time, it’s a wide range of things, like chemicals, other dangerous items, tools, or other things that could hurt someone. Make sure to clean the garage and remove anything that doesn’t need to be there. Look around to ensure your pet can’t get to anything that could hurt it.
Another good thing about getting rid of things is that your furry friend will have room to move around. Removing things you don’t need can keep the area cleaner and better organised. It will also make things easier if you can find what you need quickly and don’t waste time looking for it. If your garage is old and needs work, talk to garage builders about your options for a garage remodel.
Ensure Proper Ventilation
Most garages don’t have good ventilation, which can expose people to dangerous vapours or gases. Your garage should have plenty of airflow due to the large windows you can open. Also, you may put in fan vents or open the garage door to eliminate any fumes or dangerous gases that have built up in the garage. It lets light and clean airflow into the garage, which is good for a pet’s health.
Secure Tools and Sharp Objects
Pets can get hurt by sharp things. Keep lawnmowers, rakes, and saws away from where your pet plays. Sharp tools shouldn’t be within reach of pets. Tool covers are always a good idea in places where you keep tools. Sharp things should be covered with tool covers so your dog can’t play with them.
Make Use of Airtight Containers
A clean, well-organised garage for pets will help you and your pets. Use airtight containers to keep things more organised and for health reasons. Pests won’t be able to get to the food or other things you store, and neither will your pets. Pests such as mice, rats, and bugs can be drawn to food and other things. Only invite people you want by giving them a reason for coming in. Pests are not good for your property, your family, or pets in any way, so don’t let them in.
Ensure that any food you want to keep in your garage is in an airtight container. Check on them occasionally to ensure they haven’t been broken or cracked. You should get new containers as soon as you see signs of wear and tear. These steps will help make your garage pet-friendly because they will keep your pets from eating too much and keep animals away.
Provide Comfortable Bedding
To make your garage pet-friendly, you’ll need to organise the storage space, add ventilation, and give the pets enough room to rest if needed. If you will keep pets in your garage for a long time, give them a comfortable place to sleep. You can put blankets or pillows on the floor for the pets to sleep on to keep them warm and comfortable.
Sweep the Garage Regularly
It’s a good idea to sweep the garage at least once a week. It catches things like nails, broken glass, and other things that could be dangerous. If you sweep the garage regularly and have cleaned up all the junk in the garage, it shouldn’t take long.
Are Dogs Allowed to Live In A Garage?
Dogs can reside in garages as long as the garage has a way to control the temperature in the summer and winter. The dogs should only be kept within the garage for a short period. It’s best to keep them there when they’re sleeping at night or when you need to leave for a few hours and don’t want them running around your house.
The bottom line is that garages can be good places for dogs to live as long as they are safe and you are an ethical dog owner who doesn’t break the law about animal welfare. If the garage has been turned into a living space, that’s even better because the dog will be less likely to get hurt.
When you get a dog, it must quickly become a part of your family. (Within reason) Treat your dog like a regular family member. You shouldn’t do it if you think keeping your dog in the garage blurs the lines between responsibility and care.
Some irresponsible dog owners will lock their dogs in the garage and forget about it. Dogs are social creatures that need to spend time with people. If you don’t give them this, it’s cruel and will make them unhappy and sick.
How to Tell if Your Dog Shouldn’t Live in the Garage
Determining where a dog should reside in your house can take much work. Some people treat their dogs like family members, and the dogs live with their owners. Some think dogs must reside outside, in a shed, garage, or kennel. People in the third group have dogs that reside both inside and outside.
What’s the best thing for your dog? You should take your dog inside. Dogs that live outside are left in the heat and cold, which can hurt their health. Heat stroke can damage the brain, and dogs that are left outside in hot weather are at risk of becoming dehydrated. Dogs can get blisters and become too cold when it’s snowy or cold outside.
Dogs may be exposed to too hot or cold temperatures, even within a garage. Most garages don’t have climate control, so your dog will get too humid and stuffy in the summer, just like when they’re stuck in a hot car. Sleeping in the garage might be alright in wintertime, but if ice or snow gets in, it might be too cold to leave your dog without a bed.
In conclusion, garage storage is essential, but it can be a dangerous space for pets. To make it pet-friendly, remove toxic substances, store chemicals securely in lockable cabinets, and keep car supplies on high shelves. Declutter the space to prevent accidents and consider a garage remodel if needed.
Ensure proper ventilation with windows, fans, or open doors to improve airflow. Store food in airtight containers and keep sharp objects out of reach. If your pets spend time in the garage, provide comfortable bedding and regularly clean the area.
Dogs can stay in the garage with temperature control but should be treated like family, with care for their comfort and safety. Avoid leaving them in extreme temperatures, and ensure their well-being with proper bedding and attention.
