Every day all over the world families leave their homes to go to their jobs, school or other activities that require them to leave their pets at home alone. And although we don't like having to do that it is something over which we have little if any control. Pets stay home alone for extended periods of time and without supervision. That can be the beginning of a disaster and one that unfortunately happens all to often. The family returns home and finds that something has been broken, chewed on, eaten or destroyed. Nobody is happy about the situation but in truth the pet doesn't have a clue why you're upset and is just happy to have you home. So what can be done about this dilemma that is played out each day? There are answers to this and we're going to explore some of them within the next few pages. Basically I can tell you that it isn't the pet's fault that things get destroyed while you're away. Okay, yes they are the perpetrator of the act but in reality they are animals and have a certain amount of anxiety while you're away. Even small children tend to act out when the parent isn't visible in the home and it is no different with your pet. What's worse is that there is no way for you, the pet owner, to communicate what is going on or why you leave the house each day. Indeed it would be nice if we could simply send a short text to our pets during the day and assure them that all is well and that we have not abandoned them. Perhaps we would even text them saying that we will return and maybe even bring with us a treat especially for them. But alas that is not possible so we are faced with either confining the pet to a particular area of the home or garage or simply "pet proofing" the home with the hope that everything will be as we left it when we return.