Pet Disaster Preparedness

Diaster Preparedness For Pets – on Dog Talk Radio with Dave McMahon. Outdoor Educator & Survival Instructor Wolfmaan talked about the importance of preparing an Emergency Preparedness Kit for your dog .

[To listen to the episode please click here]

As many people are aware in 2017, disasters can strike anywhere at any time. Floods, earthquakes, chemical spills, fires, hurricanes, droughts, you name it.

Hopefully, since you are reading this web page, you are not a horrible human being and would never leave your dog to die in a natural disaster as the person did in the following photo:

DO NOT EVER LEAVE YOUR PET BEHIND!

Most people would do whatever it takes to ensure their pet is safe when the world around them falls apart. Sometimes at a moments notice. Earth quakes and other disasters sometimes give little warning. Government evacuations can happen as well where you simply do not have the legal option to remain in your home. This could happen if a train carrying poisonous material overturns near your home.

Imagine if there was a local disaster in your area. The government (police and / or military) could come to your door, and tell you it’s time to leave. No ifs, ands, or buts. If you do not leave, they will forcefully remove you. Leaving all your possessions, including your precious pets behind. The law is on their side and they can do this. You will have little to no time to prepare. Less than 5 minutes most likely.

The above dreadful situation happens time and time again during disasters. The best way to make the best of these situations is a very simple technique: PREPARE.

[Pet Disaster Checklist from the American Government]

The obvious question is simple: How do we get prepared to leave at a moments notice, and ensure that both ourselves and our pets are as comfortable as we can make them during this time of trauma?

It doesn’t have to happen all at once.

You don’t have to spend your entire paycheque on “pet prepping” items.

You can start by simply visiting your local thrift store and purchasing a gym bag, duffle bag, or even a backpack for just a couple of dollars. This will be your “Pet Bug-Out-Bag”. this bag can be stored and updated periodically and will contain everything you need to keep your pet in good spirits for a minimum of 72 hours.

As the pet disaster checklist states, some simple items will make your evacuation significantly less stressful:

• 2L of Water
• Food (Use the food they absolutely love, or “treat food” so your pet gets the stuff they love during these situations)
• Collapsible water bowls and food bowls
•  Extra medication and instructions (if applicable)
• Extra collar and leash
• Pet first aid kit
• Poop bags
• Copies of dog tags, inoculations, and rabies certificates
• Paper with photo and description of your pet
• Microchip information (if applicable)
• Manual can opener
• Duplicates of favourite toys

Many people will start building their “pet bug-out bag” slowly over a few weeks so that the cost is low. Talking with your veterinarian will sometimes also help get you ideas as to what else to include, while you are asking for extra medications and copies of important documents.

Careful planning and imagination is a very potent tool in preparing for any kind of disaster.

Imagine if you had to take off in your car, or even walking, and found a hotel and they wouldn’t let you and your pet stay because you didn’t have their rabies certificate?

Imagine if you ended up finding a place to stay but they had cans of stew and you had no way to open them to feed your dog?

Conversely you may chose or be forced to stay in your home for an extended period of time without running water, or electricity. Again your “Pet Bug-Out Bag” will be a valuable tool. If you have food and supplies in it, you will be more comfortable.

During a fire humans and dogs alike will be in a state of panic. Emergency crews arriving in noisy trucks with sirens and flashing lights can make dogs panic and flee in terror. A lady in Nova Scotia once had a house fire in the middle of the night. She ran outside, half naked with all her dogs. She always had the forethought to keep leashes and other items near the door. This allowed her to quickly leash her dogs and keep check of them all. Her quick thinking of grabbing collars and leashes saved almost all of her dogs life. Sadly one perished in the fire from smoke inhalation.

An afternoon of preparation and thinking about how you and your family will prepare for possible disaster can save huge upset in your life. Disasters are scary enough, without the loss of a pet adding to the suffering.  Please listen to this episode of Dog Talk Radio with Dave McMahon to get you thinking about preparing for disasters with your beloved pets.

[To listen to the full episode please click here]