PET PREPAREDNESS: KEEPING YOUR FURRY FAMILY MEMBERS SAFE

PET PREPAREDNESS: KEEPING YOUR FURRY FAMILY MEMBERS SAFE HEALTH Magazine, Winter 2025 Published by the Southwest Utah Public Health Foundation This podcast episode is an AI-generated narration of the HEALTH Magazine article. The full article text is provided below as the official transcript of this episode. Pet Preparedness: Keeping Your Furry Family Member Safe By Best Friends Animal Society, Guest Contributor Narrated by Tina Hicks using AI-assisted voice. Emergencies can happen at any time, so it’s crucial for people with pets to be as prepared as possible for a potential evacuation or shelter-in-place situation that could last for hours, days, weeks, or even longer. To make a truly effective pet emergency plan, be sure to include every member of your household by gathering their input and determining everyone’s roles. It is also critical to designate an off-site meeting location for everyone in case some members of the family are not home during an emergency evacuation. Once your plan is complete, make copies for everyone to have on hand and update the plan as necessary. HELPFUL TRAINING FOR BOTH PETS AND HUMANS If your pets are not crate-trained or are uncomfortable being in a carrier, work on helping them feel relaxed and safe while crated. Pets can feel stress and panic as danger nears; some try to escape or run and hide, which means they can become lost before they can be safely evacuated. It’s important to get them as comfortable as possible in their crates so that both you and your pets can safely and quickly evacuate during an emergency. Pets who have been crate-trained in the past but haven’t used a crate in a while might only need a refresher. We also recommend putting a collar on your dog and walking them on a leash at least once a day, since both are critical in emergency situations. Consider taking a pet first-aid and/or a pet CPR course (the Red Cross offers online classes) to ensure that you can attend to your pet’s potential medical needs as much as possible. Veterinary care might not be readily available during a crisis. IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL CAREGIVERS AND PET-FRIENDLY LODGING You might be displaced by a disaster and be unable to retrieve your pets. You can prepare for that by asking family, friends, or neighbors whether they would be willing to temporarily watch or pick up your pets in an emergency. It’s ideal to have a few designated pet caregivers. Once you’ve determined who those designated caregivers are, make a list of your pets’ daily routines, any special needs, and the location of emergency supplies. Print out copies and send a digital copy to each designated caregiver. Another option for displaced pets is a boarding facility. You’ll want to do some research in advance. If possible, visit the facility and interact with the employees to ensure that you are comfortable with the services provided. Information on your approved boarding facilities should also be given to your designated caregivers in case it turns out they are unable to house your pets. Local sheltering facilities are usually created in real time leading up to or during an emergency. But it’s important to do your research now regarding potential sheltering options in your community, and keep a list of those options on your phone. Another possibility is that you might end up evacuating with your pets in an emergency. Pet-friendly lodging is becoming more and more common, but you should still research in advance online and find several pet-friendly hotels within a five to fifty-mile radius. TAKING PHOTOS OF YOUR PETS Take a good photo of your pet, and keep a photo of both you and your pet on your phone in case you are separated. Also, consider printing out a few photos to have on hand in case your phone isn’t available or loses power or you don’t have access to social media platforms. This will help to ensure identification of your pet and a successful reunion.