Puppy Love – Pet Emergency Preparation


Written by: Categories: Home Insurance

In my early teens, my mom bought a cat that she absolutely adored. In fact, I had a sneaking suspicion she loved that cat more than me. Perhaps my first clue was her lack of sympathy for my allergy to the little fur ball. Naturally, a sibling rivalry ensued. The cat won.

At the time I really didn’t “get” loving a pet that much. Possibly, it was the all about me phase I was going through. But now, as the mother of 2 precious fur babies, I get it.

Oh lord, I’ve become my mother.

I’m not quite at the crazy cat lady level, but I love my dogs, I really do. And I’m not alone; Canadians’  love their pets. According to the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council of Canada, about half of Canadian households own some kind of pet, and Canadians dropped $6.5-billion on them in 2012, a figure that’s been rising steadily annually.

Like the rest of my fellow Canadians, I take special care to ensure my dogs receive the best creature comforts… soft beds, healthy food and snacks and the best toys money can buy. They go to the groomers, get regular check-ups at the vet and I worry about them when I leave them alone.

So you can imagine my chagrin when a friend asked what I had in my emergency kit for my pets. Say what? Turns out I’m failing a little as a pet owner.

I did a little research and I thought I’d share… just in case you too haven’t thought ahead.

Guidelines for Pet Emergency Preparation

Turns out the likelihood that you and your animals will survive a disaster such as a fire, flood, earthquake or terrorist attack depends largely on the emergency planning you do today. Some of the things you can do to prepare, such as assembling an animal emergency supply kit and developing a pet care buddy system, are the same for any emergency.