Pet owners should create a Pet-Friendly Family Emergency Plan. Review your Family’s Emergency Plan & ensure you’ve included a plan for your pet as well. Emergency situations could occur & prevent you from reaching your pet or force you to quickly evacuate.
🐾 The following tips will help prepare you & your pet for a hurricane:
Understand the probability. Know how to effectively plan. A better understanding of tropical cyclones and hurricane hazards will help to make a more informed decision on your risk & what actions to take.
Plan your reaction. The sooner you create a disaster plan, the more time you have to prepare.
Update identification. Make sure your pet wears current identification at all times that includes his/her name, rabies tag & your cell phone number since you will not be at home.
Keep your pet’s records handy. Create a file that contains health history, vaccination dates & a recent photo. Keep the file in a safe & secure place.
Explore Pet-Friendly places. If a hurricane forces you to evacuate, the best thing you can do to protect your pet is to evacuate them as well. Know where you can take your pet in the event of an emergency. Evacuation shelters & Pet-Friendly hotels are good places to start. Websites like BringFido.com & GoPetFriendly.com offer searchable directories of Pet-Friendly options.
Stock up on Emergency Supplies. Have extra collars, leashes, bowls, pet wipes, poop bags & at least a week's supply of pet food & clean water on hand. Be sure you have a Pet First Aid Kit as well.
Get a Pet Carrier. Have a properly-sized Pet Carrier. Carriers should be large enough for your pet to stand up, turn around & lie down comfortably & safely.
Communicate your plan. Make sure that the others you depend on for your Pet’s care, like your Pet Sitter know about your specific Pet Care Plan in case you are away from home when a hurricane strikes.
🐾 For more resources go to the Pet and Animal Emergency Planning section of FEMA’s website, which offers a lot of info to help include your Dog in the event of a hurricane.
🐾 If you are in need of a Professional Pet Sitter or Dog Walker during an emergency, please contact me.