Your Pet as Fire Hazard

Did you know that pets start nearly 1,000 house fires each year? Hopefully, you got through the Fourth of July accident-free; but this is evidently a year-round danger, according to the American Kennel Club.

July 15 is officially National Pet Fire Safety Day, so the AKC issued the warning along with an offer.

The warning: "Not many pet owners realize that their pet can actually be the cause of a devastating fire," says AKC spokesperson Lisa Peterson. "Simple preventative measures, such as flameless candles and stove knob covers, can mean the difference between life and death for your four-legged friends."

The danger to and from cats is fairly obvious: Their tails can brush against lit candles, knocking them over. More surprisingly, dogs can accidentally turn on a stove knob while trying to reach some succulent treat sitting on the stove. Another danger you might not have thought about: A glass water bowl left on a wooden deck can concentrate the rays of the sun and set it to smoldering.

The National Fire Protection Association recommends you either remove stove knobs when you leave the house or invest in pet-safe covers for them. If this seems extreme and hard to get everyone in the household to do, consider confining rambunctious pets to a single room near the entrance to your home. Keeping your pets near the entrance makes it easier for firefighters to rescue them.

And here's the offer: A sign by your front door can alert safety personnel to the presence of pets inside. On July 15, you can get a free Pet Fire Safety Window Cling at local volunteer firehouses. You can also order a free one online from ADT Security Services.

While we wait for our own window cling to arrive, we're trying to figure out how we can get Fifi to turn on the stove and start cooking the dinner casserole before we get home from work.