When an emergency such as a natural disaster strikes, you are bound to make yourself and your family safe first. However, family protection dogs are also part of your family and you wouldn’t like them to risk their lives for you either. In the event of a crisis, everyone runs for their life but if you have forgotten your pet chained in the yard, you could be risking their life and probably lose them forever. After ensuring you and your family are safe, you should also make sure your protection dogs are safe. Here is how to be prepared to care for your pet in an emergency:
Consider Your Location
You can only be better prepared with an action plan if you know the disasters your location of residence is prone to facing. Take out some time to call the local emergency management center to find out if your neighborhood has been prone to natural disasters in the past and of what kind. Some areas are more at risk than others and you should know what types of disasters are expected in your locality such as hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, or earthquakes. Apart from natural disasters, also be mindful of the non-natural disasters in your area such as chemical spills, gas leaks or any kind of disastrous fire.
Take Your Protection Dog With You
Any place that is risky and not suitable for you isn’t suitable for your pet either. In the event of a disaster, if you have to leave home, take them with you without assuming that they will be okay or act on their instincts and survive. Too often, homeowners leave their pets behind in panic without thinking about them. Prepare and keep a list of places within a 100-mile radius of your home where you can drop your pet off in such a situation. It could be boarding facilities, animal shelters, and hotels that accept pets. However, animal shelters should be your last resort as they may already be overburdened. Keep your pets under control, as in a panic situation, the best behaved of them can start acting up.
Have the Right Papers
It is very important to have your information on your protection dog’s ID tag such as the home telephone number or the number of a close friend. Out of a million dogs and 580,000 cats that were taken in as strays, according to the 1996 National Council on Pet Population Study, only 17 percent of the dogs and 2 percent of the cats made it back to their owners. Tags are very important even when you are going on a vacation. You can also consider having your German Shepherd tattooed or micro chipped to help them find their way back home if they are lost. Also, keep your pet’s vaccination record handy in case a boarding facility requires it to take your pet in.
Prepare Well
In case of a disaster, you should be well prepared which means having a disaster kit for your pet ready and handy. Think of your pet’s needs for such a kit and if you have any pet food and water in it, make sure you replace it every six months. Other important things to store in this kit include an extra leash and collar, any medications that they take and first aid cream, tweezers, antiseptic spray, and gauze bandages.
An emergency can be a difficult experience for you and your family, including your protection dog. By taking the precautions above, you can help make sure that you are able to survive it.