Family Pet Dog Drowning Safety Tips

It’s that time, again! Spring is here. I know what that means here in Houston. Open the swimming pool, break out the grill, light the fire, and let’s get the ribs cooking. While we are all doing this, let’s take a few moments and talk about something that’s rarely talked about… dog drowning safety tips.

Too Many Dogs Drown in Home Swimming Pools

It’s estimated that over 5000 family dogs per year drown in home swimming pools. The number of cats and other family pets that drown is unknown. And, theses numbers are considered low estimates because so many dog drownings go un-reported.

Dogs and our other family pets love to swim. However, it is a mistake to think that all dogs know how to swim. Dogs are known for their “dog paddle”. Most dogs will do this. On the other hand, dogs such as the Pekinese, Boxer, Bassett Hound, Pug, and Bulldog are not really physically built for this and have a hard time swimming.

Dog Drowning Safety Tips

Most of these safety tips are things that are once said, you will say, “Of course”. If you are not reminded of them, however, they are often ignored or overlooked. Let’s begin with:

1. Show Your Dog the Pool Steps – Take your dog to these steps several times and show him/her that these steps can be used to get in or out of the pool. One of the biggest reasons for a dog drowning in a home pool is that they are unable to get out once they have fallen in.
2. Learn Pet CPR – An absolute must if you own a home swimming pool and you have a family pet. No matter how hard you try, accidents are going to happen. A good place to learn pet CPR is at the American Red Cross. It’s quick to learn, easy to do, and might save your pet’s life.
3. Always Supervise – Never allow your dog around the home pool without supervision. It might not be adult supervision, but someone mature enough to get help when needed.
4. Pool Alarm – Consider installing a pool alarm. These will give off an emergency signal when the pool water makes waves when it shouldn’t.
5. Install a Safety Pool Fence - This is probably the most important dog drowning safety tip. Surround your home swimming pool with a really safe home pool fence. This means that the fence is made with a textilene® mesh or nylon material so the entire pool is visible. It means that it has at least one self-closing and self-locking pool fence gate. Unknown and uninvited visitors don’t have access to the pool. It also means your family dog or other family pets don’t have access to the pool.

There are many more ideas that I could list and put into these dog drowning safety tips, but the above are the most important… especially the safety pool fence.

Rely Upon Life Saver Of Houston for Your Safety Pool Fence

Life Saver Of Houston has been known in the Houston area for years. My company sells the safest pool fence in the industry. For those reasons, I can’t always compete on price, but when it comes to your family’s safety, I don’t believe a few dollars mean that much.

If you are ready for a really safe swimming pool fence, give me a call. I’ll come out, survey your pool area, and give you a free quote. My name is Wayne. I can be reached by dialing (832) 367-2377. Or, you can email me.