5 easy ways to make your garden a great home for your pets
Making your garden pet friendly isn’t as tricky as you think.
- Desirable doghouse
Make sure the kennel is large enough for your dog to lie down and sit up comfortably, and small enough for him to keep warm with body heat. Use old towels and blankets for insulation and bedding – they’re easy to wash and keep flea free. Shelter the entrance from wind and raise the floor to prevent dampness.
- Fresh repellent
Fed up with a dog repeatedly digging up the same spot in your garden? Keep the dog away by scattering a crumbled cake of toilet freshener over the area – the smell really puts them off.
- Fruitful solution
Cats are repelled by the smell of citrus. To deter the local moggies from digging up young plants, poke pieces of citrus rind into the soil of flower and vegetable beds, then dust lightly with soil. Stockpile peel in the freezer for when the fruit is out of season.
- Ants can’t swim
If your dog eats its meals in the garden, stop the ants from taking over by placing the food bowl in a dish filled with water.
- No-tip dish
Put water for your dog in a ring-style cake tin – the type that has a hole in the middle – and place it in a shady spot in the garden. To anchor the tin and prevent spills, drive a stake through the hole into the ground below. No amount of pawing will upturn it.
Written by Reader’s Digest Editors. This article first appeared in Reader’s Digest. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, here’s our best subscription offer.