If you’re like us and get overwhelmed easily, you might appreciate knowing the top five things you can do to prepare your pets for disaster. The following are five simple points to consider as a way of assessing your preparedness. Much of the information was adapted from material developed by the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) and American Red Cross. The questions below each point will give you ideas for actions to take.

1. Take your pets with you and get out fast. * Can you gather all your pets quickly and put them into pet carriers? * Can you grab leashes, muzzles, and water bowls and pack a couple days’ supply of water bottles and food in waterproof containers for each pet? * Can you get your pets out of the house in less than five minutes? * If you have a bird, do you have a blanket in your car that you can wrap over the carrier to keep the bird warm if necessary? * If you have a snake or reptile, do you have a large pillowcase handy so you can secure the animal until you reach the evacuation site? * If you have small mammals (hamsters, gerbils, etc.), do you have carriers suitable to keep the animals in while you evacuate? Do you have bedding materials, food bowls, and water bottles nearby?

2. Make sure your pets can be identified even if their collars come off. * Are your pets wearing securely fastened collars and ID tags with their names and identifying information either laminated or written with indelible ink? * Are your pets microchipped? (For microchips, contact 24PetWatch, HomeAgain, and Avid.) * If you have a bird, do you have a leg band for him or her with identification? * Do you have identification and emergency phone numbers securely fastened to your pets’ carriers? * Does the collar ID tag and microchip have the pet’s name, your name, and two emergency telephone numbers, including one that is not your home?

3. Keep photographs and descriptions of distinguishing features and medical conditions of your pets in the glove compartment of your car and/or in a safe deposit box. * If your pet escapes from the carrier or runs off from the house when a firefighter busts open the door, do you or someone else have photographs and descriptions somewhere, other than your home, so you can make a flyer and post the information on PETS911.com?

4. Keep in your car or away from your home a list of places to evacuate. * Do you know where you can go with your pets in the event of an emergency evacuation? * Do you have a list of nearby pet-friendly motels along a fifty-mile evacuation route?

5. Make sure your pets are taken care of even if you can’t do it yourself. * Have you posted on your front door a Rescue Alert sticker listing the type and number of pets in your home? * Have you made prior arrangements with people you can trust who will help you and your pets in an emergency? * Have you made arrangements with a friend or relative (who is not allergic to pets) where you can spend the night or a few days and bring your pet? * Does a friend, family member, or neighbor have access to photographs and veterinarian information about your pets in case you are too sick, injured, or far away to save and find them?

Did you discover holes in your readiness? If so, you are not alone. We, like many others, were shocked to find how many times we answered no to the quiz questions.

So now is the time to become the doer, the smart one, and prepare for an event that you hope never arrives. Look at the questions again and do whatever you need to do, immediately, to answer each question with a yes.

Excerpted from the book Rescued:Saving Animals from Disaster. Copyright © 2006 by Allen and Linda Anderson. Reprinted with permission from New World Library. www.newworldlibrary.com 1-800-972-6657 ext. 52.

|  People Tell Their Stories  |

Copyright © 2000-2007 Life Challenges