Having an outdoor area for pets to run and get fresh air is paramount for their wellbeing. Whether this is a dog run, a catio, or a full backyard, desert pets need that outdoor stimulation as much as any other animal. Allowing your pets constant access to fresh water while outdoors is common knowledge here and thorny plants are easily avoided, but how do you keep your pets protected against venomous critters? We have some safeguards to give your pets the defensive edge.

*Husky in the desert among saguaros and brush*

Install a Doggie Door

While putting a hole in your wall may seem counterintuitive to keeping critters out, installing a doggie door can help keep snakes and lizards separated from your living space. While they do create a tunnel through your walls into your home, navigating over the step and through the flaps is a task for these small animals without any reward. They are more likely to come into your home through an open human door or a garage where they don’t have to navigate through flaps or over steps.

All Hale pet doors come with a security flap to give you extra safety when you are not at home or asleep at night. This flap is usually installed indoors but can be added to the exterior facing part of the door as well. This will completely close off the tunnel, barring any critters from your living space.

If you don’t want to open the security flaps manually every day, we can also install an electric door over the tunnel. This increases the security of your door while still giving your pet the freedom to go in and out as they please, which offers less of a window for any desert dwellers to crawl into your home.

Snake proofing for yards, gates, fences, and drains

Rattlesnakes are one of the most worrisome desert dwellers for pet owners. Even a yard that stops larger animals like coyotes and javelinas can still allow snakes to crawl through small gaps that are needed for drainage and clearance for gates. They slip in unnoticed and camouflage easily to remain unnoticed for long periods of time. While not malicious, rattlesnakes do pose a significant risk to curious animals who just want to play, especially friendly ones who do not know about the dangers involved with harassing a venomous snake.

This is where snake-proofing comes in. At Tucson Doggie Doors, we use a small guage welded wire mesh to cover these holes. With wide gap fences, gate gaps, and drainage holes, we secure the mesh to the fence or wall with heavy screws so that it is sturdy and secure, but does not obstruct your beautiful desert views. Painting these meshes black stops a good portion of light reflecting off of the metallic surface, helping it further fade into the background, leaving your fencing unobtrusive but secure. These types of snake-proofing can also be added to catios and dog runs as well!

For the gaps below gates, we lightly grade the path and add a brick line to bring the path up to the base of your gate. The reinforcement of the path will stop dirt from building up and interfering with the gate itself or from quickly eroding and negating the snake-proofing. This will last, look great, and improve the function gate without needing to invest in a whole new system!

The best part about snake-proofing your yard is that it protects from more than just snakes! Other crawling critters like desert toads and gila monsters cannot climb the wire mesh, making the snake-proofing effective gila-monster-and-toad-proof too. With these precautions, your yard becomes safe all year, including monsoon season, mating season, and hatching season for these reptiles (and amphibian)!

Snake and toad avoidance training

Snake-proofing works wonders for keeping crawling critters out of our daily living spaces, but what if you encounter a snake while walking or when you are not at home? There are several classes around town that happen during spring and summer to teach dogs to keep curious muzzles away from venomous and poisonous animals out in the wild. Keep an eye out for notices or ask your vet and local dog hangouts. A few hours spent teaching them skills to avoid these critters may very well save their life and empower you to keep them safe.

*Gila Monster, Rattlesnake, and River Toad - a common sight in Arizona!*

Be sure to research these classes so you can be sure you can handle the class as well. Different trainers will use different training methods; some use rubber snakes and some use live, muzzled rattlers to teach our pups. Some use low voltage shock collars and some use vocal training only. Preparing yourself for the classes help you choose which training tools you are comfortable using and save you from going to a trainer who is unspecialized in how you want to train your dog.
Afraid of rattlesnakes yourself? No problem, these classes can help you as well! Exposure therapy will help prepare you for how to react around snakes and show you that these are not violent creatures, but just worried desert noodles that would very much prefer to be left alone.

Humans and animals alike have adapted to living in the Sonoran Desert. With these tools, we can coexist peacefully with each other as well. If you would like to see the benefits of these tools in person, give us a call! We’ll come out for a free in-home consultation to make sure you are getting the best protection possible for your home and your pets. And be sure to stay safe out there!

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