Pets and Home Electronics

The other day I was at a restaurant where I saw a lady sitting on the patio with a black lab. Since I bought a lab-border collie puppy last weekend, I stopped to ask her if the dog chewed a lot as a pup. She said, "all the time." What does this have to do with televisions? Everything. The lady said the dog ate a TV remote control a day earlier.

Luckily, the dog was okay.

Regardless of whether or not the lady erred by allowing this dog unrestricted access to her home is moot. As pet owners, we need to ensure that our home is safe for our four-legged friends. As a result, I will take notice of her mistake and take certain precautions with my new friend and home electronics equipment. Here is how:

• Crate-train my dog so when I'm not at home he doesn't run free
• Keep all remote controls and small components out of reach
• Tie down cables - this might include taping them to the wall, carpet or entertainment center. My thought being if the wires are dangling it might provide unnecessary stimulus to a dog.
• Enroll my dog in a puppy training class

This way I will not only ensure the safety of my expensive electronics equipment, but that of my new best friend.