I am a computer geek who has always wanted a dog but felt that apartment life made it difficult. However, I am finally ready and plan to obtain a dog very soon. But can anyone suggest solutions/mitigation methods for my problem: clutter!
First, I am generally a pretty lousy housekeeper. It does not help that I am a bookworm and computer geek. That means I keep an awful lot of gadgets around. That includes power chords, cables, adapters, routers and internet modems. Also, my natural tendency is to leave things around,,something I’m going to have to curtail obviously…
In the TV area, I have two power chords which now I keep on the floor near the TV. Both chords have an average of 6 chords connected to it. I may not have much flexibility in their position because of where the outlet is.
My router is located near my TV. I have a long cable extending from the kitchen to near the TV on the opposite side of the apartment which connects to 1)the power chord, 2)the router and 3)the modem itself.
My computer desk (adjacent to the kitchen) has a power chord to the left of it, with 6 cables. Generally, around the computer area, I have lots of cables,wires/and charges at the desk label, some of which hang down from the desk (the usb hub). I am worried that the dog will jump on the chair to mess around with equipment around my desk. Does this kind of thing happen?
In addition I usually keep a space heater with a long chord and a floor lamp with a chord.
(I should say that the apartment is rather small, but it’s located inside a lovely apartment complex and across the street from a spacious park).
How much should I worry about these things? I can try rearranging cables somewhat and lining them along the ceiling, but the modem/router is going to be a problem. And I would hate to come home and find that the dog has electrocuted himself!
Are there any steps (physical or behavioral) I can take to prevent these sorts of mishaps? (even if we’re only talking about property damage). I realize that the obvious answer is to hide the chords, but I have to deal with the space I live in. I can reduce the amount of chords which is visible, but I’m not going to be able to eliminate the risk altogether. Another factor is that I don’t have much furniture to keep these things above dog level; even if I did, I’m not sure I will be able to prevent the modem/router chord from being dog-accessible.
One possibility I’m debating is getting rid of the couch (my only bit of furniture besides the kitchen table and recliner chair)to free up more room for dog-related stuff. On the other hand, if I leave a dog bed/crate there, I still will have cables crisscrossing the room.
I appreciate any suggestions you can offer and practical experience with the issue. Also, I’d like to know what is typical dog behavior for this kind of equipment. Should I just assume that dogs will play with anything? Or should I assume that dogs will leave alone things which smell like plastic or metal?
Thanks for your help.
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