Disaster Preparedness for Pet Owners

Emergencies are a type of event that you don't know you are going to have until you are having it. Some emergencies require a brief absence from your home, other emergencies require permanent evacuation. Your four-legged companion is part of your family. If you have family evacuation plans in place for your two-legged family members, shouldn't you also have them for your four-legged?

It's always a good idea to have plans in place well before you actually have an emergency. Here are a few things you should think about while you a planning out your emergency protocol:

• Rescue Alert Sticker: These are those little stickers on your front door that tell emergency workers how many pets you have, what they look like, their names and your veterinarian's phone number. You can get a FREE sticker here. 
• Evacuation Plan: If you are not safe in your house, your pets aren't either! Please make sure you don't just leave them behind to fend for themselves. Develop a plan that also includes a way for your pets to evacuate.
• Designated Caregiver: In the event that something happens to you, there should be a designated caregiver for your pet. This should be someone you trust that knows precisely the medical needs and diet of your pet. They should also know how to take care of the specific breed of your dog and temperament. Talk to this person about the logistics of what needs to be done way before there is an emergency. You many want to print out instructions to give to them for future reference. If there is an emergency, you will not have time to be explaining Fido's daily care. This person should have a key to your house in case something happens and you cannot be at your house to give your dog to them. 
• Safe Haven: In addition to the evacuation plan, you need a place for your pets to stay while you are evacuated. Ideas: Friends or relatives, a boarding kennel, ask your local animal shelter if they have emergency shelter or foster care options and have a list of local hotels that accept pets. Again, have these places written down with contact numbers well ahead of an actual emergency. 
• First Aid Kit: Click here to get the long list of things to include in your first aid kit! Have two First Aid kits prepared. One for home and one for the car.
• Geographical Considerations: Think about the area in which you live and what kinds of things happen: Earthquakes? Tornadoes? Flooding? Then ask yourself the question: Do you have a safe place for your dog to go in the event of these natural disasters. Areas include: basements, laundry rooms, high shelving or roof areas for floods. In addition, if there is a long period of time in which you will have no water, do you have water stored for you and Fido? Do you have food for all-legged family members?

We never like to think about the "what ifs", but we also need to be well prepared just in case. It's a good idea to plan out these things in the present rather than just saying, "Oh, I'll do it next week". Because, we all know how that goes!  Having a plan in place greatly reduces the stress in the time of an actually emergency.