Reducing Pet Stress During Renovations
As a pet owner, I understand how important an animal’s well-being is, particularly during stressful events like a home renovation. Most of the time clients like to keep their pets at a distance from construction which works well but we also welcome pets in our workspace as safety allows. In my experience they are excellent assistants who like to work very closely with us, like this awesome lab!
Left: (black lab) an assistant on a project.
Right: my wife working with some of our furry friends.
Since I started Tile Unlimited in 2006, I have worked in hundreds of homes with pets. My wife has experience training dogs professionally so I can appreciate a wide variety of needs for the various dog personalities in the world. She has imparted some wisdom over the years which comes in handy for me and my team particularly when meeting and gaining trust with pets.
We follow some basic tenets around the classic ‘Say what you’ll do, and do what you say’ and this extends to how we work with households with pets:
1. Make an informed plan
2. Communicate what we’ll do
3. Do what we said we were going to do
Before I begin a project, I ask about the animals in the home and their habits. For example; Are the cats strictly indoor? Do they like to escape? Where will the dogs be while we’re working? Shall I use some basic cues (sit, down, stay) and do you have treats I should use to try to make them comfortable with me? Also do any of the household pets like to mark their territory? We all like to avoid having our clothes or tools marked by upset dogs and cats!
I then communicate with the homeowners the sequence of events and when it is important to keep all four-legged friends away. I confirm my team knows our plan regarding the animals and make sure we all show up perfectly on time so there’s no need to keep the dogs and/or cats cooped up for longer than necessary.
Whenever possible, I try to create the barriers to allow for plenty of pet movement without stepping on the freshly set floor. They can’t really destroy anything, but I want to make sure they aren’t licking paws with cement or other material on them.
We’d love the opportunity to meet your pets!
