Pet safe pool covers: keeping dogs and cats safe around your pool
Every year Perth vets treat dogs and cats pulled exhausted from backyard pools. The right cover, used the right way, is one of the layers that stops that happening — and the wrong assumption about a cover can make things worse. Facts checked: 8 August 2026.
Quick answer
A floating solar blanket is not a safety device for pets — an animal can slip beneath it and become trapped. A fitted cover secured at the edges, such as a tensioned mesh winter cover, greatly reduces the risk of a pet ending up in the water. And no cover of any kind replaces the pool fence Western Australian law already requires.
Why pets and pools are a risky mix
Most dogs can swim, which is exactly why pool accidents catch owners out. The danger is rarely the water itself — it is that a dog which falls or jumps in cannot find the way out. Pool walls are vertical, steps are hard to see from water level, and a panicked animal will paddle at the nearest edge until it tires. Older dogs, puppies, and flat-faced breeds such as bulldogs and pugs tire fastest. Cats are more careful but less capable swimmers, and a cat that misjudges a leap onto a covered pool is in serious trouble.
Perth's climate adds its own wrinkle: pools here are used hard through summer and often left covered and unattended from autumn to spring — precisely the months when a quiet backyard accident is least likely to be noticed quickly.
How each cover type stacks up for pet safety
Solar bubble blankets: great for heat, not a safety device
A solar cover floats freely on the water. It keeps heat in and evaporation down brilliantly, but it will not support any weight. Worse, an animal that walks onto one can slip beneath the blanket and be held under it — the cover that looked like a surface becomes a ceiling. If you run a solar blanket, treat the pool exactly as if it were uncovered: fence secure, gate shut, pets supervised.
Fitted mesh and winter covers: a genuine extra layer
A tensioned mesh or leaf cover is secured at the edges and sits taut across the pool. That makes it far harder for a dog to push under, and because mesh drains, rain does not pool on top — pooled water on a loose cover is itself a hazard for small animals. These are debris covers rather than certified load-bearing safety covers, so the rule stays the same: no pet should ever be left to test one. But as a second layer behind the fence, a fitted cover is the strongest option we sell.
Thermal foam covers: between the two
Foam covers float like a solar blanket but are thicker and stiffer. They still are not safety devices and still must never be walked on, but their rigidity makes the slip-underneath trap somewhat less likely than with a thin bubble blanket. Treat them with the same caution as any floating cover.
The fence comes first: what WA law requires
Western Australia requires a compliant safety barrier around private pools and spas, inspected by your local council. No pool cover — ours or anyone else's — is a legal or practical substitute for that barrier. The honest way to think about pet safety is in layers: the fence keeps pets and children out of the pool area, the cover protects the water itself, and supervision covers the gaps. Every layer assumes the others will sometimes fail.
Five practical steps for pet owners with pools
First, keep the cover fully on or fully off — a half-covered pool is the most dangerous state, because a pet that enters at the open end can be carried or panic its way under the covered section. Second, show your dog the steps: walk it calmly to the exit point a few times so that if it ever falls in, it knows where out is. Third, check the cover after storms — debris load and pooled water change how a cover sits. Fourth, roll the cover off completely whenever pets are using the backyard pool area with you. Fifth, keep identification current: a wet, frightened animal that scrambles out and bolts is a lost animal, and a readable tag is its fastest way home — engraved ID tags are what our sister site Pet Tags Online does all day.
Choosing a cover for a household with pets
If pet safety is a priority, start with the fitted mesh and winter covers on our comparison page, where every Daisy and Elite cover is laid out side by side. Covers are custom-cut to your pool, so measure up first, and if you are budgeting, our pool cover cost guide prices every option for common Perth pool sizes.
Pet and pool cover questions
Are pool covers safe for pets?
It depends entirely on the type. A floating solar blanket is not a safety device: an animal that walks onto one can slip beneath it and become trapped. A fitted cover that is secured at the edges, such as a tensioned mesh winter cover, greatly reduces the chance of a pet entering the water, though no cover should be relied on to hold weight unless it is certified as a safety cover.
Can a dog walk on a pool cover?
Not on a solar bubble blanket — it floats freely on the water and will give way immediately. Fitted mesh covers are firmer underfoot, but they are debris covers, not platforms, and should never be treated as safe to stand on. The safe assumption for any cover is that your dog cannot walk on it.
Do I still need a pool fence if I have a pool cover?
Yes. Western Australian law requires a compliant safety barrier around private pools and spas, and a pool cover of any kind is not a substitute for that barrier. Think of a cover as an extra layer of protection behind the fence, never as a replacement for it.
What is the safest pool cover for a household with dogs?
A fitted cover secured at the edges — such as a tensioned mesh winter or leaf cover — offers the most protection, because it resists a pet pushing under it and sheds water rather than pooling it. Pair it with a compliant pool fence, keep the cover either fully on or fully off, and supervise pets around the pool just as you would children.
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