Make the garden safe against escapes and poisons

The first safety of a garden is that the animal does not get out. A bored dog digs under the mesh, a cat slips through a gap a few centimetres wide, a gate that does not close well opens with a push. The perimeter must be walked in full, not looked at from a distance, because the weak points are always where nobody ever goes.

• Follow the fence inch by inch looking for holes, mesh detached at the bottom and points where the ground has sunk.
• Check that gates close by themselves and are not left ajar: a half open gate is the most common escape.
• Look up for cats and jumping dogs: low walls, stacks and outdoor furniture become springboards to the outside.
• Make sure it cannot dig under the mesh: where the dog scratches insistently, sooner or later it gets through.
• Ensure the animal is identified and recognisable, so an escape turns into a recovery rather than a loss.

Garden poisons are more dangerous than plants because they are designed to kill and are palatable. A slug bait, a rodenticide, a fertiliser or a plant pesticide can poison an animal that tastes them or licks them off its paws. The rule is clear: these substances do not coexist with an animal that uses the space.

1. 1

   Inventory everything chemical

   Gather in one place slug pellets, rat poisons, fertilisers, weedkillers and plant pesticides. Seeing it all together makes clear how much dangerous material is around.

2. 2

   Remove baits already spread

   Slug and rodent baits scattered in the greenery must be removed entirely if the animal has access: no spot is hidden enough from a searching nose.

3. 3

   Lock the products somewhere inaccessible

   Move everything to a closed store or a locking container, high and out of reach. A bottle left on the ground gets knocked over and licked.

4. 4

   Check re entry times after a treatment

   If you have treated the lawn or plants, respect the times on the product before letting the animal on the grass, and when in doubt keep it away until dry.

5. 5

   Watch standing water and puddles

   Saucers, buckets and puddles can collect treatment residue or antifreeze, sweet and deadly. Empty standing water and do not leave contaminated water available.

After poisons come plants and objects. Many common ornamental plants are toxic if chewed, and there is no need to know them all by heart: it is enough to know which are present and to check them. The physical hazards, instead, are the ones ignored because they have always been part of the furniture.

The rule for plants is not learning an endless list but starting from those in your garden: note the species present and check them one by one, removing or making inaccessible the toxic ones. For everything else the rule of clear space applies: the fewer dangerous objects left on the ground, the lower the chance the animal finds the trouble you were trying to avoid.

A garden made safe once does not stay safe forever: the fence gives way, the seasons bring new plants, a neighbour treats their lawn. The safety of the outdoor space is maintenance, not a finish line, and supervision remains the defence no fence replaces.

1. Repeat the perimeter inspection at every change of season and after heavy storms, which shift soil and mesh.
2. Do not leave a new animal or a puppy unsupervised in the outdoor space until you know it well.
3. Agree with whoever tends the greenery that no treatment or bait is used without warning you first.
4. Keep the vet's and a poison centre's contact to hand, so in an emergency you do not search in a panic.
5. After any change to the garden redo the round from the animal's height: every new thing can open a gap or a risk.