Sep 24

Paws, Claws, and Teeth: How Animals Can Damage Your Garage Door

If you ever go on websites like Imgur or Pinterest, you know that people love furry animals. House pets like cats and dogs are posted up every day with funny captions and interesting stories. However, our love isn’t constrained just to the domestic kind of animals. There are tons of websites that are dedicated to cataloguing adorable pictures of a more dangerous kind. Bears, coyotes, and cougars are all huge animals that lurk around the edges of urban cities and can cause destruction. As the world shifts from a more nature friendly place into a sprawling urban landscape, some animals are even forced from their homes and head to cities and suburbs as a refuge. This has led to some surprising side effects. You may occasionally see a news story about a bear who has climbed a tree or broken into a home to eat some tasty treats out of the freezer. You could also hear about a cougar prowling through backyards looking for something to eat. Sometimes these are weird events that don’t really affect our day to day lives, other times they can actually lead to serious consequences. Commercial contractors are finding themselves dealing with the effects of these animals. Garage doors are one obvious target for their misplaced mayhem, but there are other issues caused. Here’s how an animal can damage your garage door, and what you can do to fix it. Commercial contractors can be the only way to undo the damage that this little fellow can cause.

Not all Intruders Have Two Legs: Small Pests That Cause Trouble

When you think of small animals, you probably think of a cuddly kitten or a prancing, well groomed puppy. Instead, turn your mind to some less reputable animals. Raccoons, opossums, squirrels, bats, and rodents are extremely talented at taking any small hole in your building and turning it into a big problem. The main entry point for these animals is whatever is available to them – then once they’re inside, they unleash chaos and havoc. One of the main entry points in a residential home is a window or doggy door; commercial and industrial buildings lack that easy entry point. When a door, window, or other small opening isn’t available, these crafty animals will just create ones of their own. A garage door is one of the weakest points in a building that animals will target. Once they’re inside the building, they become little ninjas. They find ways to get inside walls and vents, look for food, and will happily tear your building apart to find it. Wiring in your garage door and your building becomes a delicious snack, plumbing can be knocked array, etc. A small little raccoon can cause enormous amounts of damage. Commercial contractors can be the only recourse for someone who needs to correct all these issues in a hurry.

How Can I Keep These Animals At Bay?

When you see a hole torn in your door and the marks that grubby little paws leave on your floors, your first instinct might be to pull an Elmer Fudd and grab a shotgun. However, an ounce of prevention can be a worth a pound of cure. There are steps you can take that will make a building a far less attractive target for animals and pests. Limit food sources – if there’s bird seed or food around your building, clean it up. Put garbage in secure plastic containers with a locked lid. Don’t leave garbage in thin plastic bags outside. Animals like raccoons will see a food source and decide they want more; that’s when they start to focus on getting past the barrier of your garage door. If you’re feeling particularly nervous, set up motion sensors that will show bright lights and play loud noises if an animal approaches. It will learn the lesson and skitter away quickly.

Even Household Pets Can Cause Issues

Your lovely dog and cat are not completely innocent. They are less dangerous, because their basic need for food, shelter, and water is taken care of. However, if you allow them to stick their nose and paws where they don’t belong, you can encounter issues. Pets have done things like chewed wires or knocked things out of place. Luckily, the solution to this issue is quite simple. Don’t let your pets in the garage, and keep an eye on them. This level of supervision is sufficient enough to stop them from getting into real trouble.

The Rarest Attacks of All Cause the Most Damage

It is extremely rare that your garage door comes into an encounter with a bear or a cougar, but it is possible. These animals have been driven out of their natural habitat to some degree, and so are wandering places where they shouldn’t be. Curiosity, hunger, thirst, or a desire for shelter can lead to them causing issues. Commercial contractors have seen bears break into garages or basements for a lovely nap. Do not attempt to shoo these animals away themselves; call in the experts or you may lose more than just a garage door to these large beasts.

Commercial contractors have found themselves taking care of projects where they repair more than just the daily wear and tear of life. Unfortunately, urban spreading means that some animals are displaced, and may find their ways into suburbs and city streets. In this instance, they may cause damage to your building, and a garage door is a likely entry point. When this is the case, call in the experts for repairs. You may expect an intruder to have two legs and be looking for something to steal, but surprisingly enough, it may just be a raccoon looking for his dinner.

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