Animal Rescue: How to Save a Dog When A Disaster Strikes

Disasters happen all over the United States - earthquakes, floods, landslides, hurricanes, tornados and severe winter storms. Animals can be saved but it takes some careful planning says Amanda St. John, Founder of MuttShack Animal Foster and Animal Rescue Foundation.

Hundreds of pets get lost every year when disasters strike. During the confusion dogs, cats can travel great distances from home. They either run away trying to escape the chaos, or may be rescued by a Good Samaritan and taken to another safer location far away. Even animals who stay in the home during the day may get trapped when a fire breaks out.

Ms. St. John says that careful planning now, can save your pets life later. Here’s animal rescue ideas everyone should do:

If your animals are kept indoors or at home during the day:

1. Make sure that the pets’ information is displayed on a small laminated sign near your front door for the Fire Department. e.g. “Animals live here. One cat, two dogs, fish, birds.”

Pet leashes should be on a hook right at the front door so your dogs can quickly be secured. Dogs will submit to their own leashes and a stranger much faster than to a rescue rope. Your fireman already knows the magic words "WALK” and "LEASH".

2. Set up a buddy system with your neighbor. This works great for vacation pet-sitting too. In an emergency they (or you) will pick up all the pets and meet at a pre-arranged location. Leave a note for the fire department. "All animals evacuated!"

When you have been exchanging pet sitting favors, you will already know each other's pets and have house keys. Your buddy will be familiar with your home, know where your animals are likely to be and where you keep their pet carriers.

Tag your pets and micro-chip.
"An ID tag is the only life-line between you and your dog." says Ms. St. John. "Make sure the tag is still legible. Is it updated? Is there enough information to find you - even if your phone service is off? Does it give your home address, so someone can drop him off at home?", asks Ms. St. John.

The chances are that someone who can read your pet's tag will return him home, rather than to a shelter. Owners whose dogs end up in a sheler and cannot prove that the dog is theirs, (either through medical records or by photographs), end up paying full adoption fees and their animals may not be released unless they are spayed or neutered. Compare spending $101 on shelter fees to $6 for a pet ID tag.

One of the greatest innovations today is that of microchipping. There is an army of shelters, vets, and rescue organizations who will return pets from just about anywhere in the United States, if it has a microchip. This life saving chip is the size of a grain of rice and is injected just under your dog's skin.

When a scanner is run over the dog it displays a unique chip number. This number is indexed on a national database with your name, address and phone number. The downside is that information has to be current. If you can choose, opt for a chip that allows you to update your information on the internet.

A little advance planning will make sure that a pet is re-united with his guardian, keeping them out of overcrowded kill shelters where they may be given only a very short time to live.

About Muttshack:
Muttshack Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit, a project of the National Heritage Foundation, established in 1968. MuttShack Foster and Animal Rescue promotes the creation of foster homes for abandoned and abused animals. Muttshackers rescue animals from shelters, rehabilitate and nurture them to health in homes (Muttshacks) and find them quality, permanent new families.

By intervening and rescuing shelter animals about to be put to sleep, MuttShack fostering stop the senseless killing of healthy animals in overcrowded shelters. Donations equal rescues. See photos of animals in danger at http://www.muttshack.org.
You can donate directly to the Muttshack Animal Foster and Rescue Foundation, at http://www.muttshack.org/NHF_Muttshack.htm by electronic check or credit card.