6 tips for a pet friendly lawn

If you have pets in the house, a pet-friendly garden is a great way to let them safely play outdoors, get some fresh air, and stretch those furry little legs.

Your own garden should be a place of safety for your pets, and luckily it’s not too difficult to ensure this is the case, by creating a pet-friendly lawn and garden, and removing some of the risks that are often overlooked.

Here are six tips for protecting your pets from your lawn – and your lawn from your pets!

Risky chemicals

First and foremost, keep your pet’s safety in mind when making decisions about your lawn and garden. Pesticides and weedkillers can be harmful to pets, so check the labels and instructions, and make sure you use the recommended quantities in the correct way.

If you can’t tell which product will be safest for your pets, its best to choose the most organic option, or even better to make your own at home.

Risky wildlife

Protect against harmful wildlife and you can let your pet outside with more confidence. Slugs are an ever-present threat in many gardens and can pass on lungworm to dogs.

Use a pet-friendly slug repellent to control your garden’s slug population. Remember, slugs are more active at night and in wet weather, so be more careful if letting your dog out in winter or after dark.

Risky plants

Different plants can be toxic or otherwise harmful to different animals. This includes some very innocuous-sounding plants, such as tea tree, which can have severe health repercussions for cats.

If your pet is going to be roaming outside on their own, double check before planting anything new and weigh up the risks of having certain flowers, shrubs or trees in your garden.

Risky business

Your pet’s urine and faeces can be damaging to plants, especially grass, so if you’ve gone to the trouble of laying a pristine new turf lawn, try to make sure you don’t end up with yellow patches.

Encourage your pets to do their business somewhere other than the lawn. It’s not impossible to change their toilet habits and you can then get stuck into your own business of repairing any areas of dead or damaged grass.

Casting shade

Don’t assume your pet will come back inside if they feel hot on a sunny day. It’s often more instinctive for animals to dig to uncover some cool earth and create their own shady area.

That’s not ideal if they decide the middle of your lawn is the perfect place. Try to make sure there’s plenty of shade to choose from, with fresh cool water to drink, and you can dissuade your pet from digging a trench into your grass.

Repairing pet damage

If your lawn’s showing signs of pet-related wear and tear reseed in areas of minor damage, and your grass should grow back in without too much trouble.

We believe lawns are made to be used, which is why our Gold Standard Turf is grown to be both resilient and low-maintenance.

Carbutts Turf is perfect for those with busy lifestyles, who don’t have time for regular mowing and maintaining, and it recovers quickly from light foot traffic – including that of children and pets.

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