Pets are part of the family for many people. But how much do you let them take over the house? Do you let them go upstairs, on furniture, on beds even? What is dog hygiene etiquette?
Of course, dogs and cats roam about outside, and that means that they are bringing the great outdoors inside on their paws and fur. You can’t control what is coming in if you have a pet that goes outside, however much you try.
Cats and kitchens
Cats in kitchens can be a hygiene problem because of jumping on surfaces which could be later used for food preparation, and I have had visiting dogs who don’t mind a bit of reaching over on worktops to grab any food that has been left out! I somehow managed to keep my cat off the worktops, but if you can’t then you just need to make sure that if you are preparing food, you sanitise the surface first, and keep the lid on the butter!
Allergies to pets
Some people have allergies to pets, and for that reason may try to keep them just downstairs, but others may like their animals to snuggle up at night time to keep them company. In times before central heating people used to use dogs as hot water bottles – maybe with energy costs that will be back in fashion!
Beds and furniture
If your dog or cat comes on the bed, then you need to accept that it is going to get grubby and smelly quite quickly, and bedding changes need to be more frequent. You could have a blanket on the bed which marks where they should sleep and this can be washed every few days. Equally if you like cuddling up with your pet on the sofa, it is worth having a throw for the dog on there too so you can wash it frequently.
Dog toys
Dog toys can get extremely dirty and smelly, so I wash them with an anti-bacterial additive to get them clean, and then dry them on the line.
Visiting others
Of course, you may run into difficulties when visiting others’ houses if their rules are different to yours, so it is always worth checking and being considerate.
Overall, how you manage your pets in your house is up to you, and so long as you take some precautions when it really matters (such as disinfecting kitchen surfaces, or changing bedding regularly) and keeping them regularly wormed and treated for fleas, then there is no real health risk and the benefit for the owners’ mental health and well-being is immeasurable.
