This is a question asked by many pet owners and pet lovers.
The question of course, includes wildlife, as it is likely that your garden is frequented by many other species besides dogs and cats!
The use of pesticides and herbicides in your garden can be a danger to your pets. The use of glyphosate for residential use in France is not permitted, and the controlled use of the chemical in agriculture is now under review.
For your own safety, and the safety of children, pets, local wildlife, etc, the control of weeds can be undertaken safely, even if not quite as simple as previous agrichemical solutions.
The use of white vinegar is a tried and tested method, albeit not so successful with some of the more aggressive perennial weeds. You can also use sugar or salt as a weed control method quite effectively, but if using in an area where you want to plant later, the soil will need to rest to rid itself of any residues.
Hot water (boiling) is an effective weedkiller, but not very practical in a domestic setting, with obvious user dangers.
Longer-term solutions are to redesign your garden and outdoor living spaces so that weeds can be controlled through the use of ground cover plants and planned weed (wildflowers) planting. Please note I haven’t mentioned using a membrane as weed control.
The use of man-made membrane covering soil etc to stop weed growth does not fit into my idea of gardening. This option should only be used as a last resort! Many of the membrane products are not biodegradable, so storing up other problems down the road!
To be continued.