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Hurricane Guide 2006	Hurricane Preparation Guide 2006

Ensure that pets weather the storm

They depend upon our care, and planning for their safety before the storm strikes and after it has passed is a pet owner's responsibility.

By JUDY STARK
Published April 16, 2006

Heartbreaking images of beloved pets left behind by owners during Hurricane Katrina underscored the need to think now about where your pet will spend the storm: At home with you? At the home of a friend? At your veterinarian's office or a kennel? In a pet-friendly hotel or public shelter?

Here are things you can do now to start getting your pet ready for hurricane season and some tips to remember for storm day and beyond.

--Start by having your pet microchipped so it can be identified and reunited with you if you are separated. A collar with tags can be lost during a storm.

--Get your pet acclimated to a locking crate or carrier. If your pet connects the carrier only with an unwelcome trip to the vet, put the carrier out now and put some treats in it so your pet becomes familiar with it and is less resistant to entering the carrier on hurricane day.

--On storm day, keep your pet in the carrier, with a towel draped over it to create a secure, denlike place, says Rick Chaboudy, executive director of the Humane Society of Pinellas. That provides a comforting atmosphere for pets, which often sense that something's wrong before humans do.

A frightened pet may bolt for its secret hiding place. If you decide abruptly that you need to evacuate, you may not have time to search the house for your pet.

-- Keep a small pet in the carrier when you get into the car. Wind, rain or flying debris may cause you to drop a pet you're carrying, and then it runs away.

-- See the checklist on this page for what to take if you leave home.

Don't leave your pet behind alone, Chaboudy says. "Imagine the pet in your house if part of the roof goes, or a wall is blown down. Imagine what it must go through," he said.

And one of the lessons of Katrina is that an evacuation may last far longer than you expect when you leave. You may think you'll be gone only overnight. You could be gone for days or weeks.

Katrina underscored the need for shelters that accept pets. But such shelters are hard to find.

Most public shelters will not accept pets. "My wife has three cats, and she won't go to a shelter," said Larry Gispert, director of emergency management for Hillsborough County, who lives in an evacuation zone. She and the cats seek refuge elsewhere when an evacuation is called, he said. Hillsborough offers a pet-friendly shelter at Burnett Middle School, south of Interstate 4 in Seffner, that can accommodate 200 animals, and is trying to create more space, Gispert said.

Pinellas has two pet shelters and is talking to the School Board about establishing others, said Gary Vickers, the county's director of emergency management. The judicial building at 545 First Ave. N in St. Petersburg has room for 400 dogs and cats and their owners. In North Pinellas, people with cats and dogs can go to Harbor Hall Community Center, 1190 Georgia Ave. in downtown Palm Harbor, which can accommodate about 40 pets and about 70 people. Preregistration is required; call the pet-friendly shelter hotline, (727) 582-2150 or visit www.pinellascounty.org.

Pasco hopes to have a pilot pet shelter in place this season. Hernando residents who are heading for public shelters can drop off a pet at the Animal Services facility next to the county fairgrounds. Citrus is working with county animal control and the School Board to develop one.

Some hotels relax their no-pet rules during disasters. Visit www.petswelcome.com or www.floridapets.net for lists of pet-friendly lodgings.

Your vet or kennel may offer accommodations during hurricanes. Now is the time to find out what's available.

Before the storm, take a picture of your pet alone and one of you with your pet. If your pet should be lost, the photo will be useful in making fliers and describing your pet to animal shelter workers. The picture of you with your pet will help reassure workers that the pet you say is yours really is.

Be attentive to your pet even after the storm blows through. Streets and yards may be full of debris. Nails, broken glass, splinters and other objects can injure a pet. Fences that kept a pet in place may be blown down. Don't let your pet walk through puddles or play in creeks or gutters. The water may be energized by downed power lines or contaminated with oil and gas or sewage. The current may be swift enough to knock down and drown an animal.

It's easy for animals to become disoriented, and there will be lots of unusual smells and things to explore that may be hazardous. Wild animals displaced by the storm may wander into residential areas: anything from raccoons and snakes to fire ants. Keep your pet away from them.

[Last modified April 13, 2006, 16:16:17]