8 Tips to Prepare for a Hurricane with your Pets

hurricane
Cody and Sierra, Part of the Family

With Hurricane Sandy, aka Frankenstorm, bearing down upon the entire Eastern seaboard and many states scrabbling to be ready when Sandy does hit, I am sure lots of people are going out to get food and supplies.  Something to remember during Hurricane Season and with Hurricane Sandy bearing down on us is to make preparations not just for yourself but your whole family, which includes your pets.

Pets are an integral part of people's and family's lives.  So make sure to follow these tips when preparing for Hurricanes with your pets.

  1. Food: Make sure to have enough food not just for yourself, but your pets as well.  We have dry dog food and canned dog food that will last Cody and Sierra about 2 weeks if necessary.
  2. Water: You also need to have clean drinking water for your pets too.  It is recommend to have 1 gallon of clean water per day.  If you are not sure if you have enough, at least have a teapot and heat source so that you can boil and sanitize drinking water if necessary.
  3. First Aid:  It's always good to have a First Aid Kit for people as well as pets.  You never know when you might need it.  I recommend having hydrogen peroxide (for disinfecting wounds), bandages and gauze, cloth tape, needles, gloves, ointment, and a blanket.  It is also a good idea to have a first aid booklet handy as well, as any medications that you or your pets need.
  4. Emergency Contacts: Keep an emergency contact for people who can help with your pets as well as veterinarians phone numbers in a safe place.   Also find the location of the nearest nearest pet-friendly shelter if you are your pet must go there.
  5. Towels and Rain Gear: We use microfiber towels that dry quickly for our dogs and they are very useful when we have no power, and can't wash clothes or towels.  If you need to go outside so your dogs can eliminate you are going to need rain gear.
  6. Cash: Cash is always good to have.
  7. Flashlights and Batteries:  It's good to have flashlights and batteries if you are going to be without power for a long time.   I would also recommend having short stubby candles since they are less likely to tip over and cause a fire.  Matches are a good idea to have too!
  8. Full Tank of Gas:  If gas stations don't have power, they can't sell gas.  It's a good idea to fill up your car's gas tank if you need to go somewhere with your pet.

I hope these 8 tips will help you prepare for Hurricane Sandy, Frankenstorm, or any other hurricane during hurricane season or other bad weather.  If you have a suggestion for this list or tips regarding hurricane preparedness with pets, please leave a comment below.

A Fun Filled Day at DogFest 2012

DogFest

On Saturday I took both of my singing dogs, Cody and Sierra, to DogFest at the Baltimore Humane Society.  It was a fun day filled with exciting activities for dogs and was too benefit and raise much needed funds for the great work that the Baltimore Humane Society does for animals in need.

Initially Sierra seemed a bit nervous driving up to Reisterstown.  She was whining when we were in the car.  (Cody was good and quite as usual.)  I think she thought she was going to go to the kennel but to her relieve, we weren't.

After we got there and parked in the sea of cars, the dogs were excited since they saw lots of other dogs in the parking lot (well really a field).  We entered, paid our admission and started walking around the grounds.  What an amazing place the Baltimore Humane Society is!  I couldn't believe all the space and the fact they have a pet cemetery.

We started by walking around some of the vendor booths and tables for rescue organizations.  Cody caught on pretty quickly most of these people were giving out treats.  Everytime we would approach a table or booth Cody would start sniffing and hone in on the treats.  Cody was also interested in sniffing other dogs and was well behaved.  I thought there would be an issue with some dogs approaching him, but he was fine.

Sierra had a little trouble with a guy dressed up in a Clifford outfit.  I think she couldn't figure out whether it was a dog, a person, or what.  She started barking at Clifford saying “That's not right, he's not a dog!”  Most dogs were getting their picture taken with Clifford.  Cody had a funny reaction to.  He was walking back and forth sniffing the air toward Clifford and his ears were going up and down.  He was trying to figure out what Clifford was all about too but he wasn't vocal about it like Sierra.  Clifford starting waving at Sierra which seemed to set her off more.  I noticed a bunch of people were laughing at the spectacle of Sierra not enjoying having Clifford at DogFest.

What was most surprising was the amount of people and dogs.  There were little dogs, big dogs, ugly dogs (in my opinion), beautiful dogs (Cody and Sierra of course), fast dogs, slow dogs, smart dogs, dumb dogs, etc.  The event being named DogFest I thought was quite appropriate.

We took a break from walking around and got some Sprites and water for the dogs as well as a hot dogs and some Utz potato chips.  After that we walked around and thought about doing some of the dog activities like dog swimming, bowling, agility, etc.  I think I was bit tired and the dogs seemed ready to go so we headed home.

All in all DogFest was a fun event and Cody, Sierra, and I look forward to next Baltimore Humane Society's event next year.