for those with pets and as such discusses the pond issue with this in mind however there are also many who do not have nor want pets near their ponds for many obvious reasons but the issues of safety remain the same.

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specifically for those with pets and as such discusses the pond issue with this in mind however there are also many who do not have nor want pets near their ponds for many obvious reasons but the issues of safety remain the same.
   In many if not most of my ponds, I use a cover to keep out pets and kids from playing, this is mainly because these places are not well supervised and therefore one must assume the worse and act accordingly by installing a barrier to keep them out.
      In a more nature pond environment, I would not use any barriers but I would teach all how getting involved reduces accidents.

Cats love fish!
Most of the photos in this article are from a job I just finished doing where the family has a few cats and a few dogs as well as several kids and the only way to be sure that they would not get in was to throw a netting over the ponds. This is not always needed nor desired but this family also has lots of parties and so this was a logical solution. That safety comes first should be obvious. So which you would have is important here.

  If you wish to have both pets and a well stocked ponds then you have to address the many issues
needed to resolve this in a pet friendly way. Once you have decided whether or not you are having your pond stocked with fish etc then you can decide the size of your pond and whether or not it will have flowing water , water falls etc.
 
 How deep?

The depth is important if you are having fish and other things living in your pond otherwise if your goal is to just having a pond with a water falling or fountain then depth of the water is not an issue. Another thing to take into consideration in deciding how deep your pond will be is if you have pets and or children then it must be well considered and thought out. The depth should be planned to allow for a small animal or child to crawl out.