We’re all concerned about home security and protecting our valuables from attackers. However, for many of us, our dogs, cats or other pets are far more important than physical possessions, so it’s ironic that we often overlook both their needs and their safety when we think about home security.

If you don’t already have contingency plans in place for your pet in the event of a break-in, you’ve come to the perfect spot. We’ve compiled a list of ten suggestions for keeping your pets as safe and secure as your stuff. Many of these are geared toward dogs and cats, as they have unique needs, but others are applicable to all pets:

Get & set an alarm

No, we’re not referring to training your dog to bark at strangers. While it’s the usual go-to for most households, it’s far less effective than a monitored alarm, and it could even be dangerous if an intruder decides to physically attack your barking dog. While an alarm will not prevent an intrusion, it will alert your dog, cat, or other trainable creature to the fact that something is wrong. A monitored alarm with cameras is especially crucial since a professional can remotely watch what’s going on when the alarm goes off and maybe acquire real-time information about your pet’s whereabouts. 

Make sure you get a pet-friendly alarm that is tolerant of the normal movement of pets around your home to avoid false alarms (and both annoying your neighbours and scaring your pets). Here at Ultimate Alarms we are specialists in the installation and proper set-up of pet-immune alarms to avoid this.

Microchip your pets

All dogs must be microchipped in the United Kingdom, although many pet owners have not done so. Unfortunately, if your home is broken into while you’re abroad, this might have major ramifications. Many dogs and cats go into fear mode when a stranger enters their home, and it’s impossible to predict how they’ll react. They, like humans, may go into fight-or-flight mode, with the latter implying that they will flee from the intruder’s open door or window. Cats are excluded from the microchipping requirement, although they should always wear a collar and ID tag. If at all possible, any other free-moving pet should likewise wear an ID tag.

Training

This is undoubtedly one of the most significant and effective ways to protect your pets, aside from having an alarm system and ID tags. It is, of course, one of the most challenging, so we recommend consulting with a certified trainer for assistance. If your pet is trainable, you can teach it to hide in a hidden “safe place” when your triggered alarm goes off. This can help you prevent problems like escaping through an open door, being robbed, or being attacked by an intruder. Teaching your dog to escape through a doggie door and proceed to a trusted neighbor’s front door is a more advanced training option. This can protect your pet while also alerting your neighbour to a problem.

Neighbourhood pet watch

If the following training ideas are too difficult for your pets, you can still keep them safe by enlisting the help of your neighbours. Introduce your dog to them on your walks, or even organise walking trips with other dog owners on your block. Do you have a cat or another animal as a pet? You can still invite a friendly neighbour over to meet them (after all, who wouldn’t want to cuddle a kitten?). The objective is to make sure that if your pet escapes, there are individuals in your neighbourhood who can recognise it and either warn you or, better yet, feel confident enough to pick it up and return it to you.

Hide your pets from view

This suggestion is primarily for pets in enclosures, but you may also use it to keep dogs and cats in a secure (and large enough) room while you’re away. Unfortunately, there are many opportunists out there who would gladly break into your home if they spotted exotic birds or rare rabbits, so keep your pets away from windows that face the street. Give them a safe, well-ventilated, bright space at a temperature that is ideal for their requirements, but make sure no one can see them from the outside. Additionally, keep them away from places with direct outside connections, such as doors and ground-floor windows, to make them less vulnerable to intruders. Burglars typically use these to gain entry before moving on to the living room and master bedroom, so keeping your dogs in secondary bedrooms or hidden alcoves may be a better option.

Keep blinds & curtains closed

Closing the blinds while you’re away, in keeping with the previous recommendation, is an excellent technique to prevent opportunist intruders from breaking in. If your pet’s room receives a lot of direct sunlight, which creates passive solar heat in your home, this is particularly important for its overall health and safety.

Install CCTV

These can be used to catch an intruder or a pet thief in the act. Perimeter protection cameras can also capture your pet’s escape route, or at the very least, show you which direction they ran off in.

Monitor air quality including smoke & carbon monoxide

This is more about your pet’s health while you’re away than it is about invaders. It’s hard to know if there’s a gas leak or a fire in real time without an alarm monitored by a specialist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Although a standard fire alarm will sound whether or not you are at home, this does not guarantee that your neighbours will hear it in time to save your dogs from smoke inhalation. When the air quality reaches dangerous levels, a monitored alarm will sound, alerting a specialist who will then contact your local authorities. It’s a faster and more reliable way for your pet to safely exit a dangerous situation.

Don’t leave pets in your front garden

Unfortunately, if your pet is seen playing unattended out front, opportunists are considerably more likely to take it. Some of the saddest stories include small puppies being kidnapped by a passer-by while their owners are away. Some films demonstrate how rapidly it occurs, so just because you’re out there with them doesn’t mean your pet is safe. Of course, backyards are preferable, but if you only have a front garden, keep them on a leash or keep a close eye on them

Don’t leave them alone for an extended period of time.

These suggestions are all beneficial, but they aren’t foolproof. In general, it’s not a good idea to leave any pet alone for long periods of time, especially overnight. Any pet necessitates a certain level of dedication, which involves spending extra time at home. This is vital not only for their health and well-being but also for their safety. If a break-in occurs while you’re at home, you’ll be in a better position to protect your pet from the invader.

We all love our pets and leaving them at home when we go to work always used to leave us with a dilemma. Leave the alarm on and risk annoying the neighbours with false alarms caused by our fur babies or switch the system off and leave our pets and home unprotected. Thanks to the modern pet friendly alarm systems fitted by Ultimate Alarms in Glasgow and throughout central Scotland you no longer have to face this choice. Call us today to protect your home and your pets.