by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Being prepared for an emergency with your pet:

• Have proper ID tags on your dog/cat with your Cell phone # on it.

• Make sure if your dog is microchiped  – that the microchip registered with your proper contact information (many people don’t realize this) read our post here “Is your pet’s Microchip registered?“

• Have a copy of your pets most recent veterinary records with you and an extra copy in your car, take a photo of them store them on your phone as well.

• If you have to evacuate – Do you know where you are going? Is it pet friendly shelter or hotel? Can you bring your pets with you?

• If you are staying with family or friends and they have pets you should bring your pets crate with you, (or go out and buy one now), to be able to give your pet a safe secure place to be incase the pets don’t get along.

• Have an extra crate in the trunk of your car – if you have to leave in a moments notice.

• Gas up you car before the storm is close and get some cash so you have it just in case.

• Have a recent, clear picture of your pet printed out – put in a ziplock baggie, (what if you can’t re-charge your phone?)

• Store pertinent contact information for Emergency Vets within a 50 mile radius of your home and Animal Shelters in your phone (and have printed out) – you may not have wifi – so being able to access your contact list is helpful.

• Have a bag prepared and ready to go with all your pets needs.

• Always have an extra collar and leash in you car and in this bag.  And in your car also.

• Have a 1^st aid kit prepared and in the bag – I keep one in my car too.
• Take a Pet CPR and 1st Aid class – being prepared ahead, knowing what to do can save a pets life.  Click here to see the next class coming up on Long Island.
• Have a week’s supply or more of pet food and water (if you feed raw realize that you may have to feed kibble in place of that raw food in case you’re power goes out or if you are staying somewhere with your pet that has no refrigeration for the raw food.)  Also a great option for Raw is the freeze dried raw food that doesn’t have to be refrigerated.

• Any medication your pet is taking – make sure you have refills of that ready to go – call your veterinarian now – better to be safe than sorry. (Many vets will call a pets prescription into a local pharmacy if you can get to the vet’s office or if you don’t live close to your vet.)

• Have towels and blankets in your car – incase your pet is wet and needs to be dried off.

• Have a crate, carrier or cage easily accessible if you need to leave in a hurry – and you can throw it in your car. (Many store our crates in not so easy to get to places – attics, basements, if you have to grab it in a moments notice).

During the storm – if you don’t have to evacuate and you’re riding it out at home as many of us will be – remember that:

• Many pets can be completely freaked out during storms. They feel the Barometric pressure, they hear the wind, rain and thunder.   So you and your family have to be diligent about keeping them safe, indoors and confined.

• Make sure your doors leading outside are secured – so your pet doesn’t sneak outside.

• If you have a gated yard, be sure to tie or bungy cord that gate shut, and if you absolutely have to take your pet out during the storm (this is Very much NOT suggested!).  If you do have to take them out for potty, have a properly secured collar or harness on, (that they can’t slip out of), and leash your pet to take them outside.   Wear gloves or tie your dog to you when going outside so the leash doesn’t slip out of your hands.

• I personally would wait to take my dog Cody outside or only let him go potty a few feet from the door and if you have wee-wee pads in the house – see if your pet would use them.

This is not about being paranoid – this is about being prepared!

For Long Islander’s you can click here for a list of Animal Shelters below:

Long Island Town Municipal Shelters – where lost pets could be:

Town of Babylon Animal Shelter
51 Lamar Street
West Babylon – 11702
631-643-9270

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

UPDATE: 10/31/2012

Many places are still offering help if you have been displaced and have no where to bring your pet.  See below for an updated list of pet organizations and businesses offering assistance.   They are doing a tremendous job helping families and their pets get through this storm-a big thank you to everyone lending a hand in whatever way you can!

As Hurricane Sandy is bearing down on the East Coast, many people have been evacuated and many of those people own pets.  We are lucky that now, there are more and more pet friendly emergency shelters offering assistance to pet owners so they don’t ride out the storm with their pets when they should already be evacuated.

However, we know some people wait until the last minute or don’t know where they can go with their pets, so here is a comprehensive list of available places.  I will be updating this as more information comes in to me.  Please be safe, make sure you pet has proper ID on at all times, proper collars (so he or she can’t slip out of them), extra water, their food, extra leash, any medication they might be on, etc.  Pets can get very scared during a storm like this, so please be careful!

For emergency shelters and privately owned pet businesses that are able to help, please see below:

Suffolk County:

• For Suffolk County residents go to this link to find out more information click here to find out what county government offers: Pet Friendly Shelters in Suffolk County.

• In Westhampton Beach,  East End Boarding Kennel is open, fully supplied, staffed and sits almost 20 ft above sea level. There phone number is: (631) 288-7292.

• Pet Sitter Jen Devine of Devine Solutions can also help if you need it in the Huntington area.  Contact her at (631) 697-5995.

• Lisa Mongiell of Innovative Pet Care Services in Stony Brook can board small animals, birds, and reptiles.  Owners will need to bring enclosure, and food. Call (631) 433-6679.

• K9 Clubhouse in West Babylon can help between Sunday and Tuesday if you need to suddenly get your dog to a safe place after our business hours, don’t panic, they can assist you. Call 631-609-7518 and they will help you.

• Pamper ur Poochie Parlor in Selden is offering assistance to families that need to board their dogs. (631) 860 3093.
• Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons (ARF) is the official evacuation center for pets for the Town of East Hampton. Call (631) 537-0400 for more info.
• Hounds Town in Port Jefferson is open if anyone needs help there.  Call  Marianne Carrano Deszcz at (631) 404-5605.
• The Groomery in Stony Brook is offering assistance housing cats dogs and any birds and reptiles that people cannot bring with them. If you need help contact Melissa at (631) 751-7815.
• Jungle Bob’s Reptile World in Centereach is helping if you have reptiles or turtles, etc.  They are housing pets for a $5 fee per night.  Please call (631) 737-6474

Nassau County:

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com
Pets & Hurricane Safety

With Hurricane Earl churning up the sea and seems to be heading towards the US coastline, it brings the question to light, “what would I do in a disaster with my pet? Where would I go? Can my pet come with me to a shelter?” Being and island without a real “escape” route in case of a natural disaster like a hurricane or bad Nor’easter this is something all Long Island pet owners should be aware of.

In Suffolk County we are fortunate that if there was a natural disaster there are 3 dedicated spaces that are pet-friendly emergency shelters – acting as a safe haven that could house dogs, cats, birds and their owners in case of evacuation in a disaster.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy made sure that people would have a place to go to with their pets. It would depend on what shelter would open, in regards to where the disaster happened. In other words, if the disaster happened on the East End, then a space near Yapank would open, and if it was in Smithtown one close to that area would open. You can find out more information about Suffolk County by going to their Office of Emergency Management here: http://suffolkcountyny.gov/departments/firerescue.aspx and useful pet information here: http://suffolkcountyny.gov/Home/departments/firerescue/Office%20of%20Emergency%20Management/Information%20for%20Pet%20Owners.aspx

Unfortunately in Nassau, there are not any dedicated pet-friendly emergency shelters at the moment. However, there is a non-for-profit organization called Pet Safe Coalition, Inc. (http://www.petsafecoalition.org/) who is working to help educate the public and help pet owners keep pets safe when a disaster strikes. They are also raising awareness about pet safety in disasters and provide informational resources to public officials.

“Sheltering plans in disasters will accommodate only a fraction of the pet population in Nassau County so the most important thing an individual pet owner can do is to make plans for their own pets,” said Nancy Lynch President, of Pet Safe Coalition.

Things all Long Island pet owners should do in advance of any emergency or natural disaster is have a proper collar on your dog or cat with ID, have a pet first aid kit in your car and home with at least a weeks worth of pet food, canned is best, keep an extra leash and collar with ID in your car for each pet, (or with the pet first aid kit), in case you have to get out in a hurry and your pet doesn’t have their collar on. You should also have an in-case of fire or emergency sticker on your front door or window stating how many pets are inside and what type. This way if you were not home, neighbors or emergency officials will know there may be a pet inside.

Nancy Lynch also added to the following plans pet owners should make: 1.) Ask friends, relatives, breed club members, groomers, trainers or others outside the affected area whether they could shelter your animals. 2.) Contact hotels and motels outside of your immediate area to check policies on accepting pets. Ask if a no pet policy could be waived in a disaster. 3.) Make sure your pet is a more welcome guest by having a crate and carrier for each animal. 4.) As hurricane approaches call ahead to confirm emergency shelter arrangements and get directions. 5.) Don’t wait until the last minute to evacuate. Make sure your gas tank is full and bring your cell phone and car charger. And develop a plan and practice it.

Also if you are heading to the beach within the next few days to check out the surf, and plan on bringing your dog with you, be to keep him or her leashed.  Waves in general can be dangerous for any dog and with rip tides and pounding waves – dogs don’t know not to go in the water.  Be a responsible dog owner, and please keep Bella or Max on a leash for their safety.

Waves from a past storm out at sea.