Multiple Dogs Mean More Work When Crisis’ Hit
Emergencies are never pleasant to focus on, but when you live with multiple dogs spending some time on preparation for such is vital. Investing some time in advance will make your life or the life of your loved ones, as well as your crew’s lives, run much more smoothly should the unthinkable occur. While researching this topic, I discovered that I am personally guilty of not being as prepared as I should be. I will be remedying that.
There are three different general types of emergencies that can arise, one of which is dependent on where you live. The first type of emergency requires you to vacate your home, sometimes with little notice. This requires forethought when you live with multiple dogs. The reasons for such an event can range from living in an area prone to natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes or earthquakes to having an accident happen near your home that involves something toxic. Recently, in my own neighborhood, local authorities decided that a bridge had to be imploded. All of the homes on the street below it were required to be vacated for approximately three weeks. The homeowners were only given a couple of days to remove themselves. The local bridge inspectors suddenly declared the bridge in danger of collapsing and staying longer was not an option.
Examples such as this make it clear that living in an area that suffers little in the way of natural disasters doesn’t mean you are safe from disaster prep. Hurricane Katrina was a terrible event but something good came out of this tragedy. Emergency personnel are no longer being permitted to make you choose between safety and your pets. This is progress, but you should be prepared to do your part.
Make sure you can accomodate multiple dogs with their special needs in your car in an emergency
You must ask yourself hard questions and make an effort to find satisfactory answers to them. Do you have a large enough vehicle to get all of your dogs out in one trip if that is all you will get? If you have other humans in your home, that also have vehicles, you must consider the possibility that they will not be home when the need to vacate arises. Do you have anyone close enough to assist you? Having several options here is best. Do you have a place to go to that will accept all of your animals? If you have no relatives or friends that are capable of housing such a crew, can you afford a motel that will? Again, having several potential options here will maximize your ability to vacate safely and quickly if need be. Do you have enough food on hand to feed your crew for several days? If any of your crew are on any medication, do you have a several day supply until you are in a position o replenish supplies? Do you have bottled water in such an amount that you can take some with you for everyone until you get to safety? Do you have supplies ready to grab fast to bring with you? These are all things to consider when planning ahead.
If all of your crew doesn’t get along with each other, do you have enough crates and enough room in your vehicle to transport them all without incident, to safety? Even if your crew is well behaved with one another, do you have enough crates to take with you to your safe place? Scared dogs out of their element can be a danger to themselves at times. Crates help prevent many issues as needed. Do you have identification on each dog, including a current cell phone number? Do you have enough sturdy leashes for each dog? The list is endless.
There are so many variables and all of these things need addressed prior to an emergency since getting out safely will be your number one priority if such an emergency arises. A plan forged ahead of time will save you valuable time. Now is the time to create a plan. Write it up on paper and as you prepare the answers to all the questions that may come up, check them off. Having a place to keep your plan is important. Keep your grab and go supplies in the same place. Add things that you think of later as your plan develops. A first aid kit for the dogs is a handy thing to keep with such supplies.
I have a Nissan Xterra and this wonderful vehicle comes with a human first aid kit built into the back panel. I added doggy first aid supplies to it when I bought it. If you have a first aid kit in your vehicle for humans, adding supplies for your crew is an option that saves time when vacating.
Start collecting supplies as soon as you can. Make up a bag or two (or three, etc.) that holds basics that you can keep ready to grab as needed. Things like medicine and food have expiration dates. The best way to handle that is to never let yourself get so low that you don’t have a week’s worth of such for all dogs. I feed a raw diet and this means meals are not easy to take along. For those of you who have chosen this feeding method, keeping a few bags of freeze dried raw food on hand is very helpful.
Making sure that you include a few familiar items for each dog can help keep scared dogs calmer when in a strange environment. Kongs are easy to include. So is a jar of peanut butter. This is also the time to be aware of whether your dog’s collar is safe. The fit is important when your dogs may in a situation that would cause them distress. A scared dog getting out of the collar in an unfamiliar place is a nightmare you don’t want to live through. Many people don’t leave collars on their dogs in the home. For those of you who choose this option, check the fit and gauge the safety before the need to do so may arise. Martingale style collars, when properly fitted offer the best safety option. Make sure that the id tags are current and keep them attached to collars at all times, even if the collars are not on your dogs in the house. They will be ready to grab and wear at a moment’s notice. Examine leashes and discard any frayed ones that may break when a panicky dog is attached.
Tara from Houston has been through hurricanes Ike and Rita and has great suggestions. She keeps vet records in a three ring binder so she can grab it and go. She suggests keeping current photos of all of your dogs with you and even with your vehicle with a legible license plate showing. This is important in proving ownership if one of your dogs should get away from you during the chaos. Tie outs and long lines are handy to keep on hand should you return home to destroyed fencing. She also has a generator and a full freezer set as high as it goes for possible returns to electrical outages as is typical in hurricane country.
Be prepared to take all your animals to a hotel in an emergency
Phyllis, also from Houston, has evacuated with seven dogs, three cats and more than thirty parakeets. She has evacuation down to a science. Multiple small dogs can share small crates. All her dogs have matching colored collars with cell phone numbers on them and matching leads. Identifying them as part of one family should separation occur is a breeze that way. She also keeps small suitcases handy ready to pack basics should a warning suddenly arise.
Many of the suggestions already given can also apply to a situation that keeps you and your crew stuck in your home for a period of time. Snowstorms and the like can wreak havoc with your normal routine. Being prepared to be stuck in the house without being able to get out and about to obtain supplies is something that applies in many locales. If this applies to where you live, being ready will give you peace of mind. Extra food, water and medication is a priority. Snowstorms can also cause power outages. While having the power returned during the colder weather is a priority for the utility companies, realizing that having no power creates even more of a complication in a multiple dog household will help you prepare properly.
The third type of emergency that any dog owner but especially a multiple dog owner should prepare for, is something happening to you. This especially applies to single people. Those of you with a significant other should obviously be able to count of assistance from said significant other. But what if you are both involved in an accident? The need to prepare applies to everyone.
Spend time deciding on who will help take care of your dogs should you be immobilized or hospitalized without notice. Keep an easily located record of names and numbers handy. There should be contact numbers both in your wallet and in your home. Keys to access your home should be either with the people who can use them or hidden where said people can get to them. Friends or relatives should be told about your plans should they be contacted before your written instructions are found.
Pam in Sacramento offers a wealth of ideas on this situation. She keeps a plastic sleeve for each dog with their leashes. Each sleeve includes a recent picture of each dog, medical data, diet and anything unusual that a caretaker would need to know. She also keeps a copy of her will with these should the unthinkable occur. Instructions regarding who gets each of her dogs are included. Should someone named no longer be able to take in a dog, her will includes a provision for a rescue that agreed to take any of her dogs in need. She also keeps a duplicate of this packet in her car, just in case. I feel a need to get moving faster on my own preparation just reading what she has done.
As far as my own preparation goes, as of now I have three friends named in my cell phone as emergency contacts. They all know where my key is hidden. I have a card in my wallet with two of those names on it. I have a life insurance policy that goes towards the care of my dogs. I have a friend who would help place my dogs as needed and the shelter that I work with would do the same.
I always have extra raw food frozen and ready. I do not have a generator but winter would eliminate the need for that here with regards to keeping food cold. We just don’t lose power here where I live in the warmer months. I live too close to major targets for having power returned promptly. My vehicle fits all of my dogs and I have a soft-side travel crate. I have dozens of sturdy leather leashes and my dogs all wear martingale collars with current tags. Three of my dogs are chipped and I have a current picture off all of them with me plus one of them with my license plate (that was an accident!). I have dehydrated raw handy. I have a foster dog who is not good with my own dogs up close and personal but she hates the car and would ride happily in the front seat while muzzled. My dogs listen well and would not bother her. And I have more crates than I can count. I keep collapsible bowls in my car for hiking and camping as well as long lines and tie outs. While this all sounds like I have done something, I realize after learning about others’ preparation, that I have much work to do. I urge you all to do what you can to prepare as life often throws curves at us when we least` expect it. Better to be ready and not need it.
I think this is a great resource for those of us with a multi dog household.
This is something I’ve never considered. Our multidog/cat/ferret household is not at all prepared for an emergency, so this topic is vital. Thank you for a great article, Debby!
I agree that this is a great resource for us with multi households.