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No one ever likes to think about planning for disasters, but especially if you own animals, you need to assure that you’re “pet prepared” long before a disaster strikes. Animals of all sizes require advanced planning and special considerations, from the need to have specific food, to care in stressful situations, to the simple fact that not every community shelter is pet friendly – and even those that are pet friendly are often limited in what they can provide. The information and links to downloads through this page will help provide you with a place to begin making a plan, and of course if you have any questions along the way, we welcome you to contact us for information.

Skill One
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Dogs and cats are the most common household pets, but did you know that close to 65% of owners say they aren't sure if they have the proper supplies they'd need in the event of a disaster?! That's a HUGE number! The good news is, we've put together a list of supplies for both dogs and cats that all owners should have on hand to be better "pet prepared." Most of the items are things you probably have around the house already, and there's no need to buy them new, but putting them together in the same place is important. Be sure to check out the link below for printable and downloadable copies of these lists! 

ARE YOUR PETS IDENTIFIED?

Making sure your animals are not only easily identifiable, but have all the important information in one place, will assure their safety as well as set your mind at ease should you be separated from them for any reason. By far the very best way to assure identification of your animals is through the use of microchipping and updated dog licensing, but at the very least you should have a “Pet Profile” for each one of your animals. This is a simple one-page sheet that can be attached to pet carriers, crates, or event placed in a plastic bag and secured to your dog’s leash. Each of these profiles contains information such as their regular veterinarian, any diet or medical issues, an emergency contact, and other useful bits. You can download as many as you need for your animals using the link below. 
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WHAT ABOUT LARGE ANIMALS?

Did you know that Connecticut has a very high population of horses? Especially when it comes to pet preparedness, those who own horses have a lot of extra things to consider when making a plan. Of course the largest of these issues is that even community disaster shelters aren’t going to be equipped or capable of taking in horses. In addition to that, horses require specific modes of transportation, and horse trailers can’t go on every road, plus during an evacuation or following a disaster the roads are going to be packed, and getting stuck sitting in traffic with a trailer of horses is never a good idea. For most major disaster issues the suggestion with horses is to have a plan for evacuating early, and if that’s not possible, “sheltering in place” at your barn and on your property. It provides you with the most flexibility and opportunity to react if needed. Still, identification of horses on property is equally as important as assuring that household pets are identified. For that you can use our Horse Profile as method of keeping the information in one place, or as a template for creating your own profile. 
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