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Article Series:
Home Emergency Preparation Tips &
Family Disaster Plans
Protect
Your Pet in an Emergency
With the world experiencing more natural disasters
than ever, it is necessary to develop emergency plans for your
household and family. If you are a pet owner, this also means
including your pets in your emergency plans. Often times, during
events such as hurricanes, pet owners leave their pets behind,
thinking they will be able to survive on their own. The
truth is however that a domestic pet cannot survive these events
on their own. They will either flee their homes or perish.
Therefore, as a responsible pet owner, you must take action
and prepare for your pet as well as your family.
To get your pet prepared, you can start by making
sure your pet’s identification tag is up to date. Include cell phone
numbers or other numbers of places you may flee to during a
disaster. You should always make your pet wear his or her tag.
It could be the only thing that reunites you with your pet
if a separation occurs during the disaster. You should also
have an updated photo of your pet that will help you to identify
him or her if needed.
Always be sure to have
a leash or harness handy as well. You
may not have a great deal of time to “pack” for your pet. So,
if you already have these items handy, you can grab them and
be out the door within seconds. Keeping an extra stash of dog
food in the trunk of your car is also a good idea during disaster
“seasons”. The less you need to pull together when a warning
hits, the quicker you can get out of harm’s way.
If you know you would need a hotel room if disaster were to
strike, then you should prepare ahead of time to do so. Obviously,
you won’t always be able to make reservations, as disaster
can strike immediately with no warning. You can however keep
a list of hotels that will allow pets and their phone numbers.
This will help you save time and possible snag a great room.
If you cannot find a shelter that will allow you to bring your
pets, consider contacting local boarding houses or relatives
to find your pet a safe and temporary place to stay.
If you are a cat owner, be
sure to remember the litter pan and litter. A cat will not likely go to the bathroom anywhere
else, especially if it is an indoor only pet. You will want
to be as prepared as possible. When disaster strikes, there
may not be an operable store open to purchase these things.
Also, don’t forget to bring along any medications your pet
may need.
If
you wait until the last possible moment to evacuate an
area, it is unlikely you will be able to bring your pets along.
If emergency officials are helping you out of the area, you
will have to leave them behind. So, be sure that if you can
any chance to evacuate early you do so. This will save you
and your pet trauma and stress in the long run.
If
you are in an area that experiences a lot of tornados, consider bringing all outdoor pets inside during the night.
This will give you the security of knowing that they will be
safe if a storm hits overnight. You can also take precautions
and reinforce their outdoor shelter. If you can add any extra
bedding or roofing, you should do so. When adopting a pet,
think about the space it will need to thrive. If you don’t
have enough space to bring it in if needed, you should think
of adopting a smaller pet.
As always, you should look out for yourself and your other
family members in case of a disastrous situation. You should
not however neglect your pets. As a pet owner, you have a responsibility
to take care of your pets. This includes making sure their
needs are met during a disaster. By being prepared in advance,
you will not find it any more difficult to bring your pet along.
So, go ahead and get everything prepared at the beginning of
your area’s bad weather season. When disaster does occur, you
will be ready to grab your family pet and go!
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: 2006
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