First Aid – Puppy Safety... Welcome Home

Puppy Safety,

‘welcome home’

Joanne Bibby – Fursafe®

This article is a go to checklist for welcoming a new puppy into your home to ensure their safety.

Before you pick your new puppy up from the Breeder, make your home safe.

I think I am the most blessed dog mother in the world!! I have Isabeau ‘Izzy’, in my life, and on the 11th November 2021, she will be 3 years old. Not only did we survive the puppy lessons such as biting, growling, chewing, going to the toilet whenever and where ever she wanted, we did it SAFELY! I waited patiently for Izzy to come into my life. I knew I wanted her to come from a registered breeder and learnt that the best place to find the right breeder, and as I live in Queensland, this was through Dogs Queensland.

Izzy, my stunning Silky Terrier, hails from Quinvale; it took two years for the litter and when the day came, I was not only over joyed, but I suddenly found myself overwhelmed. I began to worry about her safety before she even came home; she’s so little and all that. As a Veteran Safety Specialist, it is not a surprise that I would worry about her safety and till this day I accept that I am a bit of a helicopter parent.

During her first year, I would wake up in the night and wake her up, just to check she was breathing. Who said having dogs was great at reducing stress!!

The following is therefore really about what I learnt as a puppy mummy and as you read this consider what is around your home inside and out that could hurt your new pup. Imagine your new puppy walking around your home and in your mind watch how your puppy uses their mouth and tongue to check everything out!! Look how an 8-week-old can squeeze into every nook and cranny and shove their nose into every corner of your lounge etc.

Obviously not everyone is like I am, but as puppy owners it is our duty to ensure our dogs are safe from harm. By preparing your home for their arrival you start

HAZARDS AND RISKS A hazard is anything that can hurt your puppy.

The risk is the consequence of being impacted by a hazard.

In order to identify the hazards in your home, walk into a room and stand at the doorway looking at the lower area of the walls, floors, windows and doors. Imagine a human baby crawling on the floor; would you be ok if your baby picked up a needle and put it in their mouth? Of course not; well, same for a puppy; would you be ok if your human baby started chewing on a cockroach bate? Not at all!! Same for puppy!!

Go into the back yard and look at the fence, the garage or shed, the grass, the stones – what is there that could cause your puppy harm?

The following list are the hazards and risks I identified and cleared up prior to bringing Izzy home.

The list is not exhaustive, so add the hazards you find in and around your home; think about what could happen if your puppy bites, licks, chews, swallows or runs into a hazard and so forth.

For example; do you have sprinklers in your back yard? A puppy would not know that they could be seriously injured if they run into a sprinkler! Therefore, sprinklers are a hazard and the risk is being killed or permanently disabled from the blunt forced or penetrated trauma into the head, face or chest.

e.g., Sprinkler / puppy runs into it at full speed / killed or permanently disabled

• Electrical cables / puppy chew cables / electric shock (assuming there is an RCD in place). • Fuel / puppy drinks or licks / poisoned. • Ant rid / puppy licks or eats / poisoned. • Loose nails in the decking / puppy swallows / internal injury. • Christmas decorations that stick into cupcakes/ puppy swallows / internal injury. • Surface spray / puppy licks / poisoned. • Cockroach baits / puppy breaks bait housing and eats / poisoned. • Stones, pebbles / puppy chews or swallows / puppy breaks teeth and or internal injury. • Sewing materials like needles, pins, safety pins,

cotton, needle threader / puppy eats / internal injury. • Plastic bag / puppy plays with bag / potential suffocation.

• Toilet bleach bottle / puppy licks bottle / poisoned. • Stairs indoor and outdoor / puppy attempts to go up or down stairs that are too high for them / falls and breaks limb, hip, or suffers brain or spinal injury. • Furniture / puppy attempts to climb up or jump down off furniture (like bed or lounge) that are too high for them / falls and breaks limb, hip, or suffers brain or spinal injury. • Low garden pickets / puppy jumps / puppy experiences penetration injury. • Rat baits / puppy eats / poisoned. • Clothing / puppy chews and swallows / internal obstruction.

• Fly spray / puppy inhales / puppy is poisoned. • Food on floor / puppy eats toxic food / puppy poisoned. • Medication / puppy finds on the floor and eats / puppy poisoned. • Pool / puppy falls in / puppy drowns. • Water bottles, single use / puppy chews seal and lids / internal obstruction. • Cotton buds sticks / puppy chews and swallows / internal injury.