Emergencies and Your Pets Who Are Home Alone
By Olivia Wann
As estate planners, we work closely with clients to provide a plan to protect the individuals’ assets and assure that personal and real property properly flow to the intended recipients. We also emphasize the importance of having a General Durable Power of Attorney and include a provision for the care of pets.
Have you ever thought about what would happen if you lived alone and were in an accident or experienced a sudden illness? Do you have pets in your home who require care? These are tragedies we have seen take place and it’s not only unfortunate for the person experiencing the crisis but also a tragedy for the pets who may be potentially locked inside a house or pen with no food or water.
As a pet lover with 3 dogs, 4 goats, 6 pigs and 5 horses, this is a topic I consider near and dear to my heart. Our pets rely on us to take care of them!
To assist clients with a potential emergency, we have prepared an Emergency Alert. This alerts people that if you are ill or injured, the attending persons are made aware that you have pets at home. The card includes a space to input your pets’ names, breed, ages and any special needs or medications. There is also a space to list your contacts who can be notified to care for the pets.
In addition to emergencies that may arise for the pet owners, there is also considerations for pet safety in the event of an emergency. Emergencies include a fire, hurricane, earthquake, tornado, flooding, etc. For example, if you are evacuating your home, do you have a plan in place for your pets? Never leave them behind. Determine ahead of time if you can evacuate to a pet friendly space or bring the pets to a safe place such as a doggie daycare or a friend’s home who would allow pets.
If there is a boil water emergency, not only is it unsafe for humans to drink the water, but also unsafe for pets. Use bottled water.
Check with your veterinarian to make certain pet vaccines are up to date. Provide verification to your doggie day care who requires this information prior to a visit. Consider micro-chipping.
If your pet has anxiety during a storm, consult your veterinarian about stress-relieving medications and be sure to have their favorite toy or bedding if possible.
Obviously with large pets such as horses, there needs to be an equine evacuation plan. Perhaps a friend or contact outside the emergency area can stable your horse. Find out if there are any emergency shelters in the community or farms that are able to open their barns during such a crisis.
For tornado readiness, keep in mind that the horses may be safer if outside on the pasture rather than kept in the barn unless the barn is rated to withstand a F5 tornado.
If you are driving a horse trailer, heavy winds could be disastrous.
Obviously, there are more facets of emergencies to consider as they relate to your pets. Please stop by the office for your free Pet Emergency Card. You may want one for your wallet and one to post on your front door. Our office is located at 406 Church Street, Dover, TN 37058
References:
https://www.aqha.com/-/horse-owner-natural-disaster-preparedness
https://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2017/06/keep-pets-safe-in-an-emergency/
