pets Archives - My Homie

As the spring time approaches and the weather warms across the U.S., one thing is on everyone’s mind – spending more time outside. I even gave up an hour of sleep last night for an extra hour of daylight! That’s how you know its getting serious. As we clean up our yards and make plans to enjoy them, be sure to think about fencing solutions for dogs. Fences are not only a great way to keep unwanted wildlife and people out of your yard, but also an excellent way to protect your dogs!

Fencing to Keep Pets Safe

Keeping our dogs (and other pets) safe is a serious concern. According to LostPetSearch.com, 11-16% of pets will go missing at some point withing a 5 year period. Furthermore, depending on the study, only somewhere between 70-90% of these dogs are found. Data like this puts into perspective the importance of keeping your family pet safe and secure. These backyard fencing solutions will help you achieve that level of safety while giving your dog (or cat, lizard, or whatever you have) the ability to enjoy the outdoors with the family.

Best Backyard Fence for Dogs

In my experience as a home and dog owner, the hands down best fence to keep your four legged best friend safe is a six foot privacy fence. The privacy fence is an excellent fencing solution for dogs because of its height and design. The typical privacy fence is constructed with solid wood boards positioned one next to the other. This design provides for an increased level of privacy, and even more important, security for you and your dog. Neighbors or people driving by cannot see into your backyard and your dog will have less temptation to escape. Again, I have found this is the best backyard fence for dogs in regard to security. Privacy fences can cost you about $15 to $25 per linear foot depending on the features.

Split Rail Fencing

The house I’m in now has a combination of split rail and privacy fence in the backyard. The back of the property has privacy fencing that my neighbor installed before I moved in. I decided to fence off the other two sides of the backyard with split rail due to the cost as well as the landscaping (we like to see through the fence across our neighbor’s green, sprawling yards.

The split rail fence consists of posts evenly placed about 10 feet apart, 3 wooden rails between them, and a 2” x 2” mess wire fence attached to it. I was not as concerned with privacy in this house because of how far apart our homes are and how they are situated. We are also fortunate to have a (somewhat) well behaved pooch -and she’s only about 20 pounds.

I’m not concerned about her jumping over the shorter, 4 foot tall split rail. Although we are happy with this style fence, the lack of privacy can be a concern for some dogs that are prey driven as they can see animals outside of their backyard and be tempted to escape – just something to keep in ind. If you’re to have someone install split rail fencing, it will set you back about $20 per linear foot.

Chain Link Fencing for Dogs

Chain link can be an excellent choice for fencing in a backyard with animals. Most chain link fence is 4’ tall and again lacks the element of privacy, but is more affordable like split rail. Maybe you have moved into a house that already has chain link, or the yard is partially fenced and you want to complete it. Some may just prefer the look of chain link fencing – either way, this is a durable fence solution that will keep your dogs just as safe. A quick look on the web shows that chain link costs about $10 – $20 per linear foot installed.

Temporary Fencing Solutions for Dogs

Not everyone is ready to spend the money or tackle a project such as installing a backyard fence and that is 100% understandable. This does not mean your dog cannot safely enjoy the outdoors with you the spring and summer. I’ve put together some quick dog fence ideas to enable maximum fun with your four legged friend.

Temporary Vinyl Fence

For less than $1 per linear foot, you can construct a fairly sturdy fence that will contain your pet – and the best part is, you can easily take it down when you’re not using it. Lowes sells 100’ rolls of 4’ tall vinyl fencing for about $40 per roll. Pair that with some a 4’ U-post every 10 feet or so and you have a temporary setup that costs a fraction of what permanent fence would cost.

I have even found this setup to work well within the confines of my backyard to keep my dog out of gardens or mulched areas. Last year I put up a 3’ tall fence around our raised beds and it worked wonders.

Outdoor Kennels and Fence Panels

Another temporary option is to get a pre-fabricated outdoor kennel. There are many options out there that include modular fencing panels – you can add to or take away panels to make the kennel the right size for your dog. They come in different heights, some even have tops like a cage. Again, I endorse this as a temporary option, I wouldn’t advise keeping your dog unsupervised in something like this.

Tie Outs

Let us not forget about the original low budget solution to getting fido some sun without him/her running off into said sunset – the tie out. I love being able to put my dog on a tie out when we are working in the front yard, or when we take her to a friends house that doesn’t have a fence. Tie outs work great for well-behaved dogs, but if your dog is prone to running away or is super afraid all the time, you may want to ease your way into this one. Tie outs are only as good as the anchor – if you tie your dog to a plastic chair, your dog may run away with the chair attached!

Fencing Solutions for Dogs – Takeaways

There are many ways to make sure your family pet is able to get outside and enjoy the weather without getting lost, stolen, or attacked. Solutions range from 20’ security fences to tie outs, all of them having a different level of security and freedom for you buddy. I present you with these options as a way to explore what’s out there and how it can help you and your pets in the future. This list is not exhaustive as there are hundreds of solutions in between – let us know if you have a fencing solution for dogs that I haven’t covered – we’d love to hear your ideas!

Growing up, my family always had pets. We had cats, a dog, sometimes a rabbit or a lizard – we always shared our home with pets. Now that I’m an adult, and I choose to do the same, having a pet comes with a few more complications than it did when I was a child. Over the years we have found that prepping your home for pets is a must – it not only makes clean up easier, but life can be more efficient as well. Let’s talk about a few ideas for pet owners that will make life easier.

Build a fence

If you’re a dog owner and you have a backyard, installing a fence will make your life so much easier. Don’t get me wrong, my dog loves a good walk – she gets to sniff every tree and claim her territory along the way, but she loves to be able to roam free as well. I understand the pain of having to walk a dog every few hours. I’ve lived in a dozen or more places and only 2 of them have had fences. Those late-night walks in the rain are a thing of the past now (unless you’re into that kind of thing of course).

If you’re worried about how much fences cost, you’re in luck, there are many different types of fences that vary in price. There should by a style and price point that will work for you if you do your research. I chose to build a fence myself, which is another great way to save money. Check with your local government or home owners’ association and make sure you’re meeting all of the requirements or restrictions and give your dog some freedom!

Replace your floors

This is again tailored to dog owners – Dogs have the uncanny ability to destroy carpet in the blink of an eye. They always find a way to scratch hardwoods, and I’ve even had a dog knock over a table and crack tile in my kitchen. The easy solution to all of these hazards is to replace your flooring with luxury vinyl plank (LVP). Many brands of LVP tout a 100% waterproof product with up to 20 mil scratch barriers. LVP is made up of multiple layers of different materials, including polyvinyl chloride (PVC), cork, fiberglass, and foam. The construction of the product makes it impact resistant as well.

Again, if you’re worried about the cost of LVP, take a look at what your local flooring store has to offer. There are products anywhere from the $1 per square foot range and up. I also chose to install the flooring myself after receiving a few quotes from professionals. There are tons of DIY videos out there and you can save tons of money.

Install outdoor lighting

In my neck of the woods we have coyotes. An increase of new construction has limited their natural habitats and driven them into more populated areas. I wouldn’t necessarily mind sharing my space with coyotes, but they pose a danger to small pets. Although coyotes are mostly scavengers, they will attack and kill smaller dogs. What I have done to protect my pets is install outdoor flood lights that are motion sensor activated. Get on amazon – there are plenty of cheap, solar powered, LED flood lights that will do the trick. Coyotes get spooked by lights and this should do the trick to keep your pup safe at night. Plus, the lights will provide another layer of security to your property to keep out unwanted humans as well!

Did I miss something that you think belongs on this list? Let me know if you have any ideas for pet owners that I didn’t cover! Sign up here to get helpful emails!

Tag: pets

Fencing Solutions for Dogs