09/25/2022
Great info for disasters and pets!!
Hi there! Great Danes and Friends Rescue Community and NDARRT have come up with a list of items to hopefully help when dealing with a disaster situation and keeping your pets safe and helping to find and reclaim them should they become lost and/or found.
1. In Permanent Marker on their belly write your: Name, Cell Number, Address, PETS NAME, Vets Name, Address and Number, any pertinent medical conditions, a friend or family members name and number...AS MUCH INFORMATION AS YOU CAN FIT CLEARLY
2. Take as many distinctive pictures of your pet from every angle with your cell phone or digital camera and send them to friends and relatives out of the area. Also make sure to include pictures of yourself with your pets. Include a pic of your ID with your pets send to as many individuals as you can think of and ask them to keep for you. See example I used this as my dog Buster has freckles on his nose....they are distinctive.....know your pets markings...he also has a perfect brown dot right above his tail.....You may need these pics sent to you later to claim your pet if they turn up at a shelter, as proof that you are the owner. If you loose your photos in a disaster, this is one way that a pic can be digitally recovered by anyone at anyplace via electronic mode.
3. Make sure your pets are chipped and all chip information is up to date, also make sure your Vet has the chip information in your pets file, including the company that holds your pets chip information.
4. Make sure if you are in a Fire Emergency you switch any NYLON Collars or Harnesses out for LEATHER ONLY, in the recent Colorado Fires Nylon collars and Harnesses were melting on to the pets....It is also a good idea to write any information on the inside of your pets collar as well as their belly.
5. Livestock owners use a Dark and Light Cattle Marker to mark your animals information.
6. It is always a good idea to keep collars, leashes, treats, and towels in your vehicle in case you come across an animal that is running loose and needs your help. Always use caution and never step out of your comfort zone. Only you know what that is. But if you feel comfortable those things are the minimal items necessary to keep everyone happy and safe.
7. If your pet is on medications, it may be worth a try to place some medications in a small zip type bag and rubber band tightly to the collar along with instructions, as well as any other pertinent information such as addresses and phone numbers, IT IS STILL IMPORTANT TO WRITE THIS INFORMATION DIRECTLY ON THE PET IN CASE THE COLLAR IS LOST!!! Strange things happen in tornadoes especially, going overboard is never a bad idea when it comes to safety.
8. It is hard to imagine but people take advantage of people and animals at the most difficult of times, if something doesn't feel right it probably isn't. Ask for identification before you hand over a pet. Just because someone says they are a representative of an official organization doesn't make it so, do your homework.....this is someone's family member that may have wandered your way. Please do take care, as it may be all they have left in this world.... and thank you so much for doing so.....
9. If it hasn't been said before, PLEASE PLEASE do not leave your animals tied out to ANYTHING. Should flood waters or storm surge hit, they have little chance of survival. If you need assistance with travel and your animal, ASK.