As a homeowner, you want to keep your yard safe and clean for your family. But apparently, stray animals always find a way to trespass your property. We love animals, but if they start to create a mess, that’s when things get serious. Some would scatter your perfectly hidden trash, some would mess with the pool, and some would ruin your garden. So it’s understandable if you want to keep them at bay.
If you want to prevent animals from getting in your yard without hurting them, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we will share different methods to stop them from making your yard their kennel. But remember that apart from your welfare, you must consider the animal’s safety.
Water Propelling
If animals don’t often come into your yard, propelling water can be the cheapest and the safest method. You can propel water from a cup, a water gun, hose, pitcher, or anything you can use. The water doesn’t need to get in direct contact with the animal. The motion will still send them a signal that they’re not welcome.
While this method works for almost most animals, it can be quite time-consuming. It would require someone to monitor the yard all the time, which isn’t convenient at all. Tossing water might also not be effective during winter.
Fence Your Yard
Fencing your yard is probably the most effective way to keep stray animals away. There are many benefits to getting composite fencing. The fence will not only put animals at bay, but it will also improve the appearance of your yard.
In choosing a fence, consider the types of animals you want to prevent from getting in. For instance, if you’re going to stop cats from getting in your yard, place some tape strips outside the fence. Cats don’t like the feeling of plastic on their paws, so they’ll stay away from your border after that.
Try Animal Repellent
Animal repellents don’t always work, but there’s no harm in trying. Repellents rarely work, and if they did, they only work with a few kinds of animals. Repellent devices work because of their triggering mechanism. Its light and sounds activate when it detects movements, force entry, or broken barriers.
The effects of animal repellents can affect your neighbors as well. So to prevent disturbing them, it’s important to check out your different options. Ask for recommendations from your friends and see which animal repellent works well with animals that do not bother other people.
Remove the Animal
If the mentioned methods did not work, the only option left for you is to remove the animal from your property. Call a local animal damage control company or animal control agency for assistance. They will safely remove the animal from your property and bring it to a place it belongs to.
However, remember that this option might not be valid for domesticated animals are they are considered properties. Trapping a domestic animal is illegal, and it might cause you legal problems regardless if you’re doing it with the utmost discretion. Removing an animal and allowing the animal control agency to take it to shelter can have legal consequences, so make sure that you’re only removing a stray animal.
Additional Tips
Removing animals from your property can be a bit of a hassle. Apart from the fact that stray animals can be dangerous, it also gets quite annoying in the long run. What you need to do is to make your yard less appealing to animals. Here are some tips that you might find helpful:
- Don’t leave food outside. You probably like spending some time in your yard to relax and eat snacks. However, foods are what attracts animals. After eating, make sure to bring all your leftovers inside, including the beverages.
- Keep the trash bin closed. The main reason why animals enter properties is that they are hungry. They might look for food in your trash bin, which ends up in a huge mess. Trash bins with locks are the safest ones to use to prevent them from digging into your trash.
- Spray vinegar on your fence. This home trick typically works with dogs and insects as they do not like the smell of vinegar. To do this, pour some vinegar into a spray bottle and spray your fences as well as your grass.
- Alert the owner. If the animal that keeps getting in your yard is domesticated, the best thing to do is call its owner. Let them know how often the dogs come into your yard and explain to them your concerns.
Hopefully, these pointers will help you prevent animals from getting into your yard. Do not try to get close to the animal, no matter how calm they seem. Above anything else, you must prioritize your safety rather than keeping your yard animal-free.
