#73. Potential Dangers to Pets left Outside Unattended

Whether a pet is a dog, cat, bird, rabbit or other small pets there can be dangers outside the home that sometimes we don’t even realize or think about. I have heard of enough sad stories that I thought I should blog about it & maybe in will prevent at least one tragedy from happening. I personally don’t believe it is safe for a pet to be left outside unattended for any extended period of time. I mean while your at work or gone for the day, it is always safer for them to be inside & hire a pet sitter or neighbor to let them out to the potty if it’s a dog, or feed your cat ect… There are some safety measures you can take to help if your pet is going out for a potty break in a fenced yard or to sunbathe on your deck while you’re inside making lunch or doing whatever. I’ll talk about these things in a little bit.

Some potential dangers to unattended pets:

1. Cats can be in danger from other cats, whether a fight (injury)or disease that can be spread from contact or close contact. Cat saliva contains an enzyme that can more easily cause infections.
2. Cats can be a danger to other small animals, birds, rabbits or other small animals whether domestic or wild.
3. Pets are at risk of getting loose from a leash, or out of a fenced yard or if let out in a yard with no fence, which could lead a host of potential dangers from being hit by a car, lost, picked up by Animal Control or injured.
4. Small animals are at a potential risk of attack from large birds such as Hawks, Crows, Eagles, Owls or other Birds of Prey that might live near you. I live near a river & have seen them flying over the house & watching my neighbors puppy & small dogs in my area.
5. Dogs that are not kept in a secure fully fenced yard are at risk of a strange dog entering their yard & potentially hurting your dog. A dog kept on a tie out unattended can’t get away from the approaching dog. If this happens this dog may develop some anxiety that will change it for life when interacting with other dogs & being left alone in the future.
6. Pets left outside unattended may be at risk of being stolen. There was a man not far from where I live that it was his source of income. He would pick up pets he saw unattended & sell them to a research lab. I heard about him more than once when I was in rescue & from different sources. Yes, there are research Labs that use dogs & cats to test products on. If you’re willing to test on animals you probably don’t care where they really come from.
7. Pets can be at risk from wild animals such as Coyote, Fox, skunks (being sprayed) or other animals like Cougars, Bears, Wolves or Bobcats depending on where you live.

I will share a story that was told to me not too long ago. A guy I know has a friend in WI who has the job of keeping or removing birds nests from poles where there are lines. The nests can cause disruption of power I think. Sorry not sure of the exact details/risk. I know he has to check nests & if no young in them he removes them. He tells my friend the saddest & hardest part of his job is when he inspects the nests, he often finds pet collars & if a tag or phone # is attached he has to call the owners & tell them their pet was killed by a Hawk, Eagle or other bird of prey. Please don’t get made at the Bird of Prey it is just doing what they need to do to eat & provide for their young.

There are some safety measures you can take to help keep your pets safe if they are going to be outside unattended. Again I hope pets are not outside unattended for an extended period of time, but I know it is not illegal & to some people it is normal.

1. Be sure your fence is secure & escape proof. There is a dog in my neighborhood that escapes his yard & he is small & has gotten through an area in my fence where it meets my home. It is too small for my dogs but not this dog. Luckily I saw him in my yard before I let my dogs out, not so sure he would have fared well if Echo decided he was a threat to my yard or me. If you have a dog that digs under a chain-link fence then place metal horse shoe shaped stacks into the ground to secure the fence. I have these every 8 inches or so because I fostered & wasn’t sure if I’d get a digger. If you have a wooded fence you can attach chicken wire type wire to the bottom of fence & stake that into the ground.
2. If your dog is going to be tied out on a lead, use a harness versus a collar, if the leash gets hung up on something the dog may get choked or hung. Sadly I had a cousin who had a dog who was a jumper & it was on a leash & jumped over the fence & the leash got caught & the dog died. She came home & found the dog dead. There are also safety release collars made, they will break away if get caught up. Do your research as their may be a variety of types of use a secure harness. I also recently heard of a dog on a collar attached to a leash in their yard who ran fast to chase an animal, & the dog ran out of leash, its neck snapped back & the dog broke its back & is now partly paralyzed at it was only 9 months old.
3. Cats who are allowed outside unattended & not on a leash should wear a break away safety collar with an id attached or phone # written on the collar. Maybe consider a bell on the collar as well to help birds hear your cat coming. Microchipping is also a very important safety thing if your cat were to be found. I’m not condoning cats being outside unattended at all, but I know people do it. I also know that barn cats & cats at salvage yards are working cats & need to run free, these often are not house cats & are more outside savoy.
4. Small dogs that are outside alone can be kept potentially safer by putting on a bright colored yellow or orange vest, raincoat or sweater on them. These can be ways to deter wild animals as these are not a natural color of prey & they may be less apt to try & attack your pet.
5. Reflective collars may help as well, blinking or light up collars when out at night are a great way for you to see your pet & to deter predators. They make these in a variety of sizes, collars & the ones I have are rechargeable. Many come in 3 size lengths & instructions of how the cut to fit your pet.
6. My dogs are not small dogs & I have a fully secure 5 foot tall fenced yard & they like to go out more often when the weather is nice. I go out with them most of the time, but sometimes they want to hang out there longer than I can, so I like them to be outside together. Safety in numbers, like we tell kids. Echo is an alert barker, so when I am not out there, I listen & I know his perceived danger bark, so I go investigate if I hear it.
7. If you want to take your caged pet (bird, rabbit, guinea pig, ect…) outside for some Vitamin D be sure you have them secure in a cage & you never leave them at all. Have shade available, water & monitor them at all times, don’t do yard work or go inside to get lunch. It only takes a couple seconds for a predator to come in & try & get your pet. Even if not successful it can be extremely stressful for your pet.

I hope this post has given you some safety tips to help keep your pet safe when outside unattended even for a brief time. I love hearing your feedback so please comment & let me know what you learned. You can always email me if you have a question echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com My goal of this blog is to educate & help people better care for the pets in their lives. I want pets to thrive & not just survive. You can help get the word out about my blog by sharing it on your social media sites, liking posts, visiting often, subscribing & commenting. I have 72 other published posts & you can see the table of content list on my home page under the 3 lines on the upper left. Thank you, Debbie