The winter months are upon us and food is becoming scarce for a number of wild animals. It’s important to understand these safety tips to keep your pet safe from wildlife and wildlife safe from your pet. What kinds of animals are a potential threat to your pet? Any kind of animal that is typically a predator can be a safety risk for your pet, such as coyotes, wolves, bears, deer (during rutting season) and any snakes that might still be out and about. Depending on the size of your pet, birds of prey such as owls and hawks can also pose a risk for your pet.
Tips to Keep Your Pets Safe From Wildlife
- Here are some important tips to keep your pet and yourself safe from wildlife this winter season.
- Keep trash in sealed containers. Don’t leave food outside for your pet or any other animal.
- Remove clutter from your yard that could potentially give wildlife a place to hide out.
- Regularly clean up pet waste from your yard. The smell of your pet’s waste can attract wildlife.
- Never leave your pet unattended outside, even if you have a fenced yard. For most wildlife, fences are merely a quickly scaled obstacle when they are on the hunt.
- Be especially careful at dawn and dusk, when many predators are hunting for food.
- When walking, keep your dog leashed and close to you. Always carry a flashlight at night.
- Never run from a wild animal. Instead, slowly back away with your pet until the animal loses interest and moves on. If the animal follows you, try to make yourself seem as large as possible by waving your arms over your head and shouting as loudly as you can to scare the animal off.
- Avoid areas with dense hedges or thick vegetation where wild animals could be hiding.
- If you see an animal you aren’t familiar with that causes concern, call a professional wildlife removal service like Pee Dee Wildlife Control. Never try to handle a wildlife issue on your own.
It’s important to keep your pets safe from wildlife, but it’s also important to keep wildlife safe from your pet. Never let your pet pursue or chase wild animals and supervise your pet whenever they are outside to prevent them from injuring or harming small animals.