I’ve been seeing a lot of stories recently about hurricane season staring and the lower states are preparing for it.
Regardless of where you live, emergency preparedness is a serious issue, especially in the world we live in today.
It’s especially important for pet owners.
Even outside of storms, what would you do if you were taking your pup with you in the car and you got into an accident? One where you were, God forbid, unconscious or in the hospital and unable to make any calls.
Additionally, (and this one scares me so much, I’ve become OCD about checking things before I leave) what if you had a house fire while you were gone and your pets were inside? Would emergency responders know what to do?
Sure, some of these situations might seem more random than probable, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my more than 50 years on the planet – and how did that happen? – it’s better to be prepared.
So, a thought with the accident issue. You know how they say you should have an ICE contact in your cell phone? In Case of Emergency? What if you also had an ICE for your pet? I would think that would work for the police to find and call the person to come and take your pup or cat.
For those who don’t have cell phones, maybe have a sticker on the car? Kind of like the ones that we put on the windows of our home for the fire department? Something that could provide information for what emergency responders can do and where they can take your four-legged friend if you are unable to make the decision.
In this day and age, I’m betting you could customize the stickers for both your car and your home. I know they have ones for the windows of your house that say things like, “Please don’t forget my dog or cat” and firefighters would know to look for them.
I’m even going to take it one step further and say you could customize the stickers to direct emergency personnel to a safe box or lock box somewhere in your home or car that has the information for your pet contact person. (I’m not sure family members would be too pleased to have their phone numbers on the widows of your automobile or home – I’m just saying.)
One suggestion I received is keeping information in the refrigerator – it’s more likely to survive a fire than pretty much anything, I would imagine.
It’s important to keep in mind that shelters typically can’t take owned animals in these types of situations – we’re not a boarding kennel, and our space is for stray animals in our jurisdiction. We, unfortunately, don’t have the luxury of hanging onto a pet until the owner is out of the hospital or in another home. It would certainly be nice if we did, but there are so many strays out there, that’s what we typically house in our kennels.
Additionally, I know I would feel a lot better knowing that my pets are somewhere with people they know if I’m recovering from an accident or displaced from my home. Having that friend or family member contact really is quite important.
I like to think I’m a glass half full kind of gal – most of the time, anyway. I have moments where I slip and get a bit bogged down with life, but I try to sit down with a good book or a great movie during those moments, so I can bounce back. Needless to say, I don’t like to think about these kinds of tragedies, but they are a fact of life.
It scares me enough what these situations could mean to me, personally, but it’s downright frightening what they could mean to my pets.
If it would take just a little bit of extra weight off my mind to know that no matter what happens, I’ve got a plan for my four-legged babies should the worst happen, well, that sounds like something I should put into motion.
Think about it. Talk to your friends and family. Make sure you know where your babies can go if situations like these should arise.
It may seem pessimistic at the moment, but if anything should happen, you’ll be really glad you did.
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Jennifer Vanderau is the public relations coordinator for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and can be reached at [email protected]. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, readers may call the shelter at 717-263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org. CVAS also operates a thrift store in Chambersburg. Readers can help support the animals at the shelter by donating to or shopping at the store.
