Pet Friendly Home

I received a weekend edition of The Examiner, and in it was an article about how to have a pet-friendly home, sharing tips on keeping your home clean while living with a pet. The story source was Scripps Howard, but I've been unable to find the article on line. With this attribution, I'm moving forward to share the text of the article here. The only change I've made is to put the tips I found most interesting at the top of the list. The cute picture comes from a long ago article in the San Francisco Chronicle.

• Use an angel food cake pan as an outdoor water dish for a dog. Put a wooden stake through the center of the pan to prevent the dish from getting knocked over.
• Add a couple of teaspoons of tomato juice to a dog's food to reduce the acidity of the dog's urine and eliminate brown burn marks on the lawn.
• To keep pets away from your plants, mix some lemon juice with water and place in a spray bottle. Periodically spritz your plants with the mixture; plants love the humidity, and your pets will avoid the citrus smell.
• If a dog is finicky about eating dry food, keep a spray bottle of chicken broth handy to spritz the food and encourage a dog's appetite.
• Remove odors in pet bedding by sprinkling with baking soda. Let it sit for a while and then shake out or vacuum. Put some into cat litter boxes to help eliminate those odors as well. This product is non-toxic and safe to use around pets.
• For pet-friendly walls, don't use flat finish paint. Semi-gloss is the easiest way to wipe down, but its sheen will call attention to every ding and irregularity in your walls. Satin or eggshell finishes are more elegant, and as easy to clean as glossier paint.
• Wait at least 24 hours after fertilizing a yard before allowing the pet back out to play. Always consult the directions on fertilizer before applying to areas where pets frolic.
• In the summertime, flea control is very important for your pet. The first defense against these insects is routine brushing and bathing, an excellent way of killing any live fleas.