I'm having real problems with slugs in the garden at the moment, but I'm reluctant to put slug pellets down because we often have friends dogs in the garden and I'm worried they would eat the pellets.

Is there any pellets on the market that are harmless to animals such as dogs and cats? If not, what is the best way to get rid of the slugs safely?

I don't know about animal friendly pellets, but you can get small tubs that you fill with yeast or beer which attract the slugs and then don't let them escape when they fall in.

You can surround vulnerable plants with sharp gravel - not the best method I've found, as they seem to find a way round it, and it gets washed away gradually.

Alternatively you can get copper tape (from garden centres) which you can put around the rims of pots (eg if patio plants are under attack). This is supposed to work because the copper tape has an electrical charge which the slugs dont like to crawl on.

There's also biological slug control products which you could consider.

These are in the form of tiny nematode worms - you water them onto the garden and they attack the slugs which die a few days later - completely harmless to people, wildlife and pets.

This website is one example...

http://www.just-green.com/index.php?cPath=69_127

Good luck reclaiming your garden

Those are some really good tips - I hadn't heard of the copper tape but it sounds like a good idea for patio plants, especially if you can get a colour that matches the pot.

Thanks for both your tips, it seems I have quite a few options!

I especially like the idea of biological slug control, thanks for the site Amethyst. The pot plants aren't a problem at the moment, but I might try the copper tape anyway just to make sure.

I'll let you know how it goes!