This cutie is Chip. He is now in dog heaven
I was reading an article about how dogs & cats are sometimes forgotten in disaster planning. It isn’t just about getting your human family out of the house, but also your dogs and cats. Do you have a plan in place? Do you have a neighbor available who can evacuate your pets if you cant get home in time? These are all things you can think about now, and make plans to protect your furry family members.
Do you have an emergency kit? We do. It is stored in our garage right by the door, hopefully for easy access. I have a bag of dogfood in our kit, but really thats all. After reading the article, I think I am going to add some items.
They suggested having:
- dog or cat food (of course)
- water
- medications
- proof of vaccinations
- extra leashes & name tags with cell phone numbers on them
- blanket for them to sleep on
- a comfort item, like a toy or something to calm them. I would not have thought of that, but it makes sense.
- For cats have a litter box and a cat carrier ready.
Dogs and cats have a way of knowing something is wrong, so they may act differently during or after a disaster. Be patient with them and try to reassure them as best you can that everything is ok. They can sense stress in their owners so it may not be possible to completely calm them.
Evacuations: If you are evacuating. Take your dogs and cats with you! Actually take every pet with you! Dont leave them in the house. They cannot fend for themselves and probably wont survive. They may jump fences, and go try to find you and get lost.
A little advance planning will help things go smoother if there is ever a natural disaster or weather emergency.
