EMERGENCY DIRECTIVES FOR THE CARE OF YOUR PET

WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR PET IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO YOU??

Every single day, pets are brought to high kill shelters because owners failed to provide for their care when the unforeseen happens.  Without warning, people enter hospitals, nursing care centers or pass away.  The beloved pets they leave behind are subjected to loss, confusion and terror.  They often endure a journey of physical and emotional trauma that ends in DEATH at a shelter.  We can provide you with countless horrific stories about this because the shelter “daily kill lists” are full of cases like this.

Making emergency provisions for your pet should be part of the adoption process regardless of the age of the adopter.

Here is what we mean by making Emergency Provisions:

• Make sure that someone you trust has a key to your home so that they will be able to gain entry if you suddenly can’t come home.
• Let that person know how many animals you have and where they are likely to hide.  Provide him/her with information about care and feeding instructions as well as pertinent medical information about your pet.  Provide them with the name and phone number of your veterinarian.
• Have some system in place so that you will be “missed” within 24 hours and someone will know to investigate
• Many people have multiple pets and are embarrassed to let others know the number.  This can be deadly.  Here is a scenario that is becoming too common:  a person has a large number of cats and has not told anyone the actual number. This person passes away.  Cats hide and no one knows when all the cats are accounted for.  The house gets literally “sealed up” by Police with live animals left to die inside without food and water.  Check out our main page… this happened to Simon and he was only ONE cat and thank heavens he lived.  It’s VERY important that you provide information about the number and type of animals you have in your household.
• Have a plan in place for long term care of your pet(s) in case you won’t be coming home again due to an unexpected casualty.  Find someone caring and responsible who will agree to take care of your pet.  It’s critically important that you don’t “assume” a family member or friend will take on this responsibility.  Unfortunately, many family members refuse. Talk about it and get a commitment.

If no one will agree to take your pet(s), you may want to investigate reputable sanctuaries who will provide long term care for a fee. If you decide on a sanctuary, be sure to visit in person.

• Set money aside for the care of your pet, even if only a small amount.  You may want to consult with a lawyer about advance directives concerning pets.  They can provide the most recent information concerning the handling of pets as part of a will or trust.  You may want to consider taking out a life insurance policy on your own life to ensure the future safety of your animals.

THE FOLLOWING IS INFORMATION ON THE RELATED TOPIC OF
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS.

PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT THE WEBSITE INFORMATION BELOW:

http://www.redrover.org/pet-disaster-preparedness

https://www.ready.gov/caring-animals

https://www.humanesociety.org/issues/animal_rescue/tips/pets-disaster.html

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/disaster-preparedness/

DISASTER PLANNING NEEDS TO INCLUDE YOUR PETS!
PLEASE BE SURE TO TAKE YOUR PETS WITH YOU!