Lots of us are tackling home renovation projects this summer, and wishing we could somehow make them easier on our pets. The noise, changes, and presence of strangers can be very upsetting to animals, and of course we can’t explain the situation to them in words. But that doesn’t mean we can’t prepare them.

Ronda Payne has a cat, a dog, and a house undergoing lots of work. The cat, Avi, usually hides during noisy times, then ignores any changes made, no matter how large. But the dog, Brandie,is more sensitive. She also has Addison’s disease and has to be kept as stress-free as possible. Ronda regularly gives both pets the Bach flower remedy “Change”.

“Routine almost never changes for us in terms of times for feeding, meds, etc.,” says Ronda. “We ensure that that one thing always stays constant.”

It helps that her husband is a professional renovator and knows how to make the process as non-disruptive as possible. Only one area at a time gets worked on, while others are left as havens for the pets.

“My biggest advice for dog owners planning a reno is to make sure their pets have a ‘low stress’ environment that they can access during the project,” Ronda says.

When the noise level gets high, Brandie gets to go outside away from it and relax in the grass.

Although most of the work is done by the owners themselves, occasionally contractors come in. Ronda makes sure Brandie is comfortable with these new people.

“As soon as the new area is complete and finished, welcome [the pets] into it with play and treats. This then can become their new low stress environment when you tackle the other areas of the house,” she says.

Lower stress in pets means lower stress in their owners — and we need that during renovations.