FrogLog and Other Ways to Stop Animals From Drowning in Your Pool

Pools should be a fun place to exercise, play, or relax—not a death trap for frogs, mice, and other animals! But as pool owners know, animals can and will fall in. Every summer, countless frogs, mice, birds, squirrels, and other animals drown in backyard pools after mistaking them for ponds or becoming trapped with no way out. Thankfully, with the right tips and tools, you can help animals escape the water and save their lives.  

Preventive Measures to Keep Animals Safe Around Your Pool

1. Keep Your Trees Trimmed

Young animals—often young birds, opossums, squirrels, and raccoons—can fall or jump from overhanging trees. Make sure that trees are trimmed so that branches don’t hang over your pool—or, better yet, aren’t anywhere near it.

2. Use a ‘Frog Log’ or Other Animal-Friendly Ramps

Animals can mistake a pool for a pond and jump in, but the steep edges prevent them from escaping. Pool covers also help prevent tragedy, and fencing around the pool area can stop larger animals from falling in.

Thankfully, several ingenious products can save dozens of animals’ lives over the course of summer:

• The FrogLog is a literal lifesaver for small animals. Its small platform floats on the surface of the water, and its mesh ramp provides a safe and easy exit from the pool that animals can use on their own.
• Pup Plank is a paw- and claw-friendly weighted mesh ramp that can help animals up to 100 lbs. safely exit the water—be it in a pool or a boat!
• Skamper-Ramp, which comes in two sizes (regular and super), hangs from the side of your pool and acts as a ramp from the water to the edge for a safe escape.
• The Paws Aboard Doggy Boat Ramp is more of a mini set of stairs that hangs off the side of your pool and dips into the water.
• The Critter Skimmer is a pool-skimmer cover with an attached spiral ramp, giving frogs and other small animals the chance to climb out of the pool to safety on their own if they get caught inside the pool skimmer.

3. Eliminate Food Sources Near Your Pool

Animals such as deer, raccoons, and dogs may stumble into the pool while seeking water or foraging for food. Since potential food sources attract animals, make sure that your garbage cans are securely covered and can’t be tipped over. Also, never feed your animal companions outside, as this attracts other animals to the area.

4. Design or Add to Your Pool With Animals in Mind

If you don’t have a pool yet but are planning to install one, design it in such a way that animals will be able to climb out more easily—for example, by including a built-in ramp, steps, or ledges along the sides of the pool. If you already have a pool, you can install covers or grates over pool overflow as well as pool skimmer baskets to prevent small animals from being swept in.

What to Do if You Find an Animal in Your Pool

If you find an animal trapped in your pool, offer them something that floats, such as a life preserver or a kiddie flotation device. You could also extend a pool leaf skimmer or a hose for them to grab onto. A pool chair placed in the shallow end may allow larger animals to climb out on their own.  

If the animal is injured or struggling to breathe once out of the water, use a leaf skimmer, shovel, or similar tool to gently place or guide them into a carrier or box and then contact a veterinarian or wildlife rehabilitator for help.

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