Pet Sitter Disaster Plan, Are they Prepared?

Pet Sitter Disaster Plan, Are they Prepared?

There have been A LOT of natural disasters lately. From fires to earthquakes to catastrophic hurricanes, it’s getting scary out there. It got me thinking about what would happen if I found myself in the midst of a disaster. I’m fortunate enough to live and operate a pet sitting company in Las Vegas where our weather is pretty mild. But, what if we did have a disaster? Do you live in an area where disasters happen often? So I want to know Does your sitter have a Pet Sitter Disaster Plan?

I don’t think anyone has ever asked me on a consult what I would do if there were some kind of evacuation emergency. In my head I have a plan though. I would go house to house and load up all my clients animals in my Prius and head to safety. Would your sitter do that? If you’re unsure, maybe it’s time to start a dialogue with your pet sitter about emergency preparedness. Here are some things to inquire about their pet sitter disaster plan.

 

1. Will your pet sitter evacuate your pets in the event of an emergency?

Ask your pet sitter directly if they are willing and able to evacuate pets if needed. Some pet sitters may be operating alone and may not have help to evacuate pets. Other pet sitters may not be physically capable of doing so.

Please Save our Pets - Emergency

2. How will they transport animals?

Consider your number of animals and how a pet sitter would be able to transport them. Do you have carriers for each petLeashes and collars with tags for each dog? Keep in mind you should have carriers for caged animals like birds and rodents too. In the event of an evacuation you can’t expect a sitter to load large cages. Make sure your sitter knows where all carriers and transport materials can be found. Consider labeling each carrier with pets name and your full name.

Pet Carrier Evacuation

3. Where is the Extra food/meds etc.?

Do you have enough food for your pets in case you don’t make it back or there’s an emergency? If they are on medication, is there enough for an extra week or so beyond your scheduled vacation? This is just good practice as you could be delayed for a non emergency too. You don’t want pets to be short food or medications.

Dog Food - Las Vegas Pet Sitter

4. Does your pet sitter know CPR/First Aid?

I got my CPR/PetAid certification right when I started my business. Thank goodness I’ve never had to use it. If there was an emergency and your sitter got there late they may need to utilize emergency first aid training that could save your pets life. If you like your sitter and they aren’t certified ask them if they would consider doing so. IPTouch Animal Massage even offers an online on demand course for a reasonable price.

 Pet CPR/First Aid - Las Vegas

 

Kristen Corral,AMCP is a local pet expert and owner of Little White Dog Co. Pet Services in Las Vegas.

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