Talking Tails - Prep Your Pup for Natural Disasters

A big component of creating a disaster/evacuation plan is planning before the event occurs.

First thing, identification tags must be up-to-date and actually worn. Including your human’s phone number is a good idea, but so is including a number for a family or friend who lives outside of the immediate area. This will be helpful if local cell towers are down. Microchips are important too, however, if we get lost during a disaster someone who finds us may not be able to access a chip reader. Even if you do not normally use a pet carrier, get into one if the weather gets bad and evacuation is ordered. This will keep you by your human’s side and prevent you from running off, which could easily happen as you may be really scared. I know I would be…actually, I’m getting a little anxious just thinking about it.

Have your human investigate local emergency shelters to determine if they will accommodate pets. Do not assume they do! In the event you and your human need to evacuate your immediate area, it sure would be helpful to have a list of hotels that accept pets. This is again that preplanning part! If you have human family and friends outside of your immediate disaster area, put them on alert that you may be arriving! Evacuating early will keep you all safer and make the process less stressful, especially for us furry ones.

Have an evacuation kit ready to take with you. Again, this takes some planning. Be sure to include pet food, bottled water, collapsible dish, medications, collar with ID, leash, crate, treats, toys, and a blanket/towel to lay on. Grabbing your vet records and posing for a selfie are not bad ideas. Your photo will definitely come in handy if you and your human get separated. Hoping not…

My final recommendation is to evacuate with your human. If it is not safe for them, it is not safe for you.

Be safe out there!
Talk to you soon!
Joey