Today Phil writes:
While at work, my 100 lb American bull dog decided to go “through” my blinds. Whatever his reason, the blinds are ruined. So I have a problem. Four windows in one room with aluminum blinds, one of those blinds is ruined. Now I need your help. Do I try to replace the single blind with the closest styled blind possible or just replace all of the blinds with new window treatments?
Look on the bright side Phil, your dog only ruined one of your blinds! That’s pretty good so far! However if your dog is like mine, the next three blinds are soon to meet their match! I’m only kidding, usually there is no rhyme or reason to what or when our pets chose to “redecorate” for us!
With that in mind though, a very important question to ask yourself is if your dog does ruin the rest of the blinds, are you okay replacing them one by one, as needed. Or do you want to get something a little more dog friendly and start from scratch replacing all four blinds now?
If cost is important today in the here and now, I would suggest just trying to find something similar and replace the one ruined blind. Then in the future maybe you could keep your dog out of that space or raise the blinds while you are away. I have a cat who runs a muck in our house during the day and all of our blinds are kept just above cat height in the window sill. This has kept my blinds safe from any adventures he may have otherwise had.
If the above options are not viable, consider replacing all the blinds with a different style. Typically speaking faux wood blinds do well against pets. If your dog is a chewer, he can still chew faux wood blinds up. But will be unable to bend them like the aluminum blinds.
If you are concerned about the cords as well, I would consider going with a cordless faux wood or cordless wood blind. This will leave one less item hanging off the blind and will be safe for kids and pets alike! Faux wood and wood blinds are also more hearty when it comes to pets. Faux especially seems to take a beating when pets are concerned. These blinds are not good if your dog is a chewer though. Because he will be able to chew individual slats and you will be right back where you started!
Another option that can withstand a beating from a large dog is a vinyl roller shade. Because it is all one piece of fabric and hearty vinyl material it is harder for pets to damage roller shades. Though be careful if your pet pushes it open with his nose and the hardware is not very substantial the roller shade can be knocked down and fall on top of your dog!
No matter what option you go with, it is important to keep your dogs safety and your sanity in mind before picking out new window treatments! Sometimes we must sacrifice what we like for what we can have when pets are in the picture!
Do you have questions about the selecting or the installation of: tile, carpet or wall treatments (window blinds, etc)? Then email me your tale of woe(diva(at)homemakeoverdiva.com) and perhaps I will be able to answer your questions right here at the Home Makeover Diva Blog!
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