Survival Series - You leave, they leave

So we’ve talked about being prepared and having a Pet Kit.  Now let’s talk about what happens if you need to leave your house.  

Organising how you are going to take your pets with you if you need to leave is important.   Stan said that people make the mistake of thinking their pets will be OK until they return but that’s not right.  The golden rule to remember is...

‘If it isn’t safe for you, it isn’t safe for your pets!’

You don’t know how long you may be and leaving animals in backyards or locked inside our houses doesn’t mean that they are left in conditions that are survivable.  No drinkable water for you means no drinkable water for them too.

This can be tricky because if you need to leave your home and head to a shelter you may not be able to take your pet with you.  

Part of preparing and planning includes making a list of places where you can take your pets if needed.  These might be a local Vet, a kennel, a pet-friendly hotel or a shelter set up for pets.  

Stan recommends that you collect all your animals in quickly if you think you may have to leave.  Just like people animals sense when things aren’t ok.  The smell of smoke, the sound of loud winds or other unusual things will make them scared just like people.  Putting your pet in a crate, bringing them indoors and keeping them settled early will keep everyone safer and make it less stressful.  

Now… If you some reason you have to leave your pets behind do everything you possibly can to help them be as safe as possible.  Stan and I know that sometimes you just don’t have a choice but there are things that you can do to give us the best chance of being ok.

Make sure that you leave them in an area that is safe, allows them to get high in case of flooding and that has as few hazards as possible.  A couple of really important no-nos are:  don’t leave dogs tied up or open gates and let them roam free.  

Leave out as much water as you possibly can.  Fill every bowl, pot, container and bucket as you can with as much fresh water as possible.  Leave them in different areas, some low and some high so that if they get spilled there are others.  

You also need to leave as much dry food out as possible.  Tinned food goes off quickly, particularly in the heat.  

And finally…. Make sure that we have somewhere dry and warm to go.  It will be very scary for us and this will help protect us as well and help to keep us calm.  

Wow, there is a lot to think about. Stan and I know that you will do the best you possibly can for your pets.

See you tomorrow when we talk about what happens when you come home.

Bye bye for now

Milo 🐾