Almost half of U.S. households have a pet, according to the American Household Survey, so it’s no wonder that pets are showing up in all kinds of workplaces, including on construction sites. And there are several benefits to having furry friends on a job site! Pets help reduce stress and enhance well-being; create a more social, friendly atmosphere; and increase employee morale and productivity, for starters. If you have a dog who is trained, it can even act as a cost-effective security presence.

However, pets on construction sites face serious risks as well — without the protections humans have. And as October is National Animal Safety and Protection Month, it’s a great time to discuss safety measures when pets are present on a job site — both for them and for humans working around them.

Coordinate With Clients Who Have Pets 

Given that almost 64 million households in the United States have pets, per the American Housing Survey, being a pet-friendly business can be a sales advantage. So advertise your pet-friendliness, including whether you or your subcontractors would like to bring your own pets to the job site.!  Specify the ‌animals you might want to bring and those you’re happy to work around. New construction leads will appreciate knowing you have experience and are comfortable working around their pets. In addition to noting your pet-friendliness on your website and in your promotional materials, make sure your customers know your pet policy ahead of time.

According to the 2024 U.S. Houzz Pets & the Home Study, nearly 3 in 5 homeowners on Houzz (56%) have two or more pets. And although dogs are the most common (49 million homes), followed by cats (28 million homes), per the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, it’s good to find out exactly which kinds and how many your clients have. It’s also a good idea to ask if any neighbors have pets. Ask about the number of pets, what breeds they are, and whether they will be allowed to roam the job site freely — according to the Houzz pets study, more than 3 in 5 homeowners allow their pets in all areas of their home! Ask if there is anything else in particular to know about interacting with any animals, or if there are any special instructions for entering the property. As 60% of pet owners also give their pets free rein over their furniture, per the Houzz study, it’s good to know whether pets also will feel free to interact with your equipment while you’re working there. Learn as much as you can about the pet situation before you come to the job site.

Similarly, make sure to give clients the same information if you or any of your employees are planning to bring your own pets to the job site, and make sure to get permission ahead of time to bring them.

Discuss Pet-Related Risks With Clients

More than three-quarters of pet owners (77%) are in the process of completing a home improvement project or have completed one within the past two years, according to the Houzz study. As you and your pet-owning home improvement clients share info on pet policies, it’s also good to be aware of and discuss the risks, both to the animals and to the work being undertaken. These include:

• Paint, varnishes and stains: Pets can inhale toxic fumes or can cause damage to finished surfaces while they’re drying.
• Chemicals: Pets can inhale toxic fumes or ingest toxic chemicals, or can cause dangerous spills.
• Loud or stressful noises: Pets can be agitated by loud noises or can cause disturbing or distracting noises themselves.
• Dust and debris: Pets can inhale or ingest these or can bring unwanted dirt, dust and debris to a job site.
• Tools and equipment: Pets can become injured or can cause dangerous damage.
• Plants: Certain plants being removed or brought in can be harmful if ingested.
• Human food: Certain types of food that are safe for humans can be toxic to pets.
• Materials: Pets can be injured by stepping on nails, screws or sharp objects.

Also discuss whether it makes sense for a pet to stay off-site for all or part of the project. Depending on ‌the size of the project, it might make sense to have the pets stay off site. In fact, according to the Houzz study, 43% of pet owners who remodel limit pets’ access within the home, and 6% temporarily move their pet out of the home. But broach this gently, as nearly half of renovating pet owners (48%) say that their pet is an important factor when they’re deciding on a design or choosing products or materials.

No matter how important pets are in terms of design, it’s better in the long run to keep them safely off-site if the risk is high. So don’t be afraid to recommend boarding or leaving the pet with a sitter somewhere else.

Meet the Pets

Nearly all pet owners (96%) say their pets provide companionship, according to a 2024 U.S. Houzz Pets & the Home study, but that doesn’t mean all pets are friendly to all strangers. So it can be helpful to meet them before work begins. Break the ice by asking clients if they have a treat you can feed their pet. You can also find out ahead of time if treats are OK and bring your own. Meeting the animals will give you an idea of how things might go for the rest of the project. As you do, make note of the following:

• Are the pets aggressive?
• Do the pets do well with strangers?
• Are the owners in control of their animals?
• Are the pets well-trained?

If any concerns come up during the meetup, be sure to discuss them before work begins. If the pets are aggressive or don’t do well with strangers, for example, you’ll want to discuss how to enter and exit the property and keep all workers and pets safe during construction. 

Also identify a designated contact to talk about any pet concerns with. There are plenty of times when it isn’t just the contractor, a pet and one homeowner. There may be several people at a job site with pets. If an issue comes up, you’ll need to have a direct line of communication with the person in charge of the pets. And if there is more than one person, find out contact info for each and whom you should go to first.

Discuss Pet-Related Risks for Workers

Just as there are risks to pets on construction sites, the pets can cause harm to workers — and you’ll need to discuss this with your team members. So make sure everyone knows the risks to pets and the damage they can cause to work on the job site as described above, as well as the risks that pets can cause to workers. These include:

• Damaging equipment or materials that can then pose a safety hazard
• Causing fear or anxiety in workers
• Causing stressful interruptions or distractions
• Causing allergic reactions
• Causing injury through aggression or by accident

Even if only one person on a team might be affected by these risks, it’s worth considering asking the client to keep any pets off-site while work is being completed.

Identify and Respond to Pet Injuries

Some pet injuries will be obvious, such as if an animal is harmed by a sharp object and is bleeding. However, harm related to ingesting something toxic isn’t always apparent, so it’s good to be aware of the signs of toxicity in pets. These include:

• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Lack of appetite
• Lethargy

Someone will need to alert the pet owner if they notice any of these symptoms, or if any pets begin behaving very differently from when you first met them. However, as only 14% of renovating pet owners have health insurance for their pets, according to the Houzz study, do not assume the costs will be covered if you have to take the pet for emergency veterinary services. We’ll discuss other steps to take in the next section.  

Have an Incident Response Plan

Having a response plan in place ahead of time will make it easier to navigate any problems that arise calmly and smoothly. Your response plan should include the following steps:

1. Get all pet(s) and people to safety if possible; don’t leave any person or animal in harm’s way. Be prepared to travel to an emergency hospital for a person or pet (but note the caution in the previous section).
2. Alert the pet owner immediately, and have the designated pet person take control of their animal.
3. Contact emergency services if necessary.
4. Document the incident: Take notes, snap pictures and record videos. Keep this documentation stored somewhere safe, like on your construction CRM or business management platform.

After an incident, ‌contact your insurance agent for more advice. Depending on the severity of the incident, you also may need to reach out to an attorney.

Have a Pet-Related Safety Checklist

• You already have a safety checklist for the job site and your workers as a whole, so you can add pet-related line items to that. Each day on a construction site with pets around, make sure to: Check that fences are secure
• Ensure that pet barriers have been installed properly
• Make sure that pets are not in the work area
• Secure anything that could cause injury before you leave

Even after you’ve completed your start-of-day routine safety inspections, you’ll want to make sure that the job site is pet-proof. Seal off construction areas just in case you get a surprise visit from a pet.

Clean Up After Work

Pets have a way of finding every little piece left behind and turning them into toys — and in the case of a job site, this can be dangerous. So with all the trash generated by construction work, it pays to be extra careful about cleaning up each day when pets are around, especially regarding hazardous items.

Remember to secure or remove:

• Scrap wood and other materials
• Loose plastic and packaging materials
• Food and drinks
• Nails and screws

Additional Pet Safety Information

Animal abuse might be more common or worse than some people realize. If you notice it occuring,  it is important to report it right away — In fact, acting quickly could save a life. Every state has laws against animal cruelty, which you can review on this website. Here are just a few examples of animal abuse: 

• Leaving pets in cars
• Beating and physical abuse
• Animal fighting and organized cruelty
• Hoarding or having excessive quantities of personal pets

For additional information on pet abuse, contact your local animal shelter or the Humane Society. 

Additional Related Safety Resources and Organizations

There are a lot of things to consider in keeping pets safe. Here are some additional resources that serve a broader audience and that you can recommend to customers with animals on a job site. Additionally, once you feel confident in your pet safety protocols, make sure to notef them in your construction advertising, as mentioned above. Pet owners may be more inclined to work with you knowing that you value their pet’s well-being.

Helpful Articles

• How to Care for Pets and Children During a Remodel | Houzz Pro
• Pet Safety in Emergencies | Healthy Pets, Healthy People | CDC
• Make a disaster plan for your pets | The Humane Society of the United States 
• SAFE (Temporary Emergency Housing) | The Anti-Cruelty Society
• Printable Pet Safety Materials | ASPCApro

Related Organizations

• Center for Pet Safety 
• Best Friends Animal Society
• Animal Protection and Rescue League
• Alley Cat Rescue
• Farm Sanctuary