Indian Summer is a period of unusually dry, warm weather occurring in late autumn. For those of us who are native to the greater San Diego area, it is a weather phenomenon we’ve come to expect, if not embrace. Along with Indian Summer come some wonderful things like bright pink sunsets and balmy evenings and some not-so-wonderful things, like wildfires.
As a long-term resident in Southern California, Pets In Paradise owner Eloise Christopher is no stranger to disaster preparedness. “In 2007 we had the experience of a real-life evacuation with 19 dogs,” said Christopher “and having that experience gives you a healthy respect for mother nature.” With that in mind, a yearly fire prevention in-service with Rancho Santa Fe Fire Department has become somewhat standard procedure. “Having a protocol in place helps me and my clients sleep better at night.”
Rancho Santa Fe Fire District’s Mission Statement: To serve the public through the protection of life, environment and property from fire and other emergencies through prevention, preparedness, education, and response.
Remember, during a disaster what’s good for you is good for your pet, so get them ready today.
If you leave your pets behind, they may be lost, injured – or worse. Never leave a pet chained outdoors. Plan options include:
- Create a buddy system in case you’re not home. Ask a trusted neighbor to check on your animals.
- Identify shelters. For public health reasons, many emergency shelters cannot accept pets.
- Find pet friendly hotels along your evacuation route and keep a list in your pet’s emergency kit.
- Locate boarding facilities or animal hospitals near your evacuation shelter.
- Consider an out-of-town friend or relative
- Locate a veterinarian or animal hospital in the area where you may be seeking temporary shelter, in case your pet needs medical care. Add the contact information to your emergency kit.
- Have your pet microchipped and make sure that you not only keep your address and phone number up-to-date, but that you also include contact info for an emergency contact outside of your immediate area.
- Call your local emergency management office, animal shelter or animal control office to get advice and information.
- If you are unable to return to your home right away, you may need to board your pet. Find out where pet boarding facilities are located.
- Most boarding kennels, veterinarians and animal shelters will need your pet’s medical records to make sure all vaccinations are current.
So happy to hear you have a plan in place and you’ve actually had to take action in the past. I’ve always sent our girl to you knowing you would do anything to keep her safe, but this verifies my gut feeling!