September is Disaster Preparedness Month: Have You Prepared For Your Pets?

We can't prepare for a disaster on our own, you know! So what are ya waiting for, Parental Unit?

Yes, we've written about disaster preparedness before, but there's no harm in reminding our readers (and Parental Unit!) of the basics each year. 

Anyway, the good folks at the ASPCA have given us all a gift in the form of loads of information and a specific checklist to help all of us prepare to ensure our beloved pets' safely in case of disaster, whether we must evacuate our homes or stay put with limited utilities and resources. The most important item to remember is that it is now almost always possible to take our pets with us in case we have to evacuate...it's "No Pet Left Behind" these days!

The ASPCA also created this nifty infographic to help put it all together.

What say you? Have you got a family disaster preparedness plan in place that includes your pets? Let us know!

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The ASPCA Wants To Know: Are You And Your Pets Prepared? #NatlPrep

       An ASPCA Google+Hangout just for you and your pets!

You can never be too prepared! That's been our motto here at Bocci's Beefs from the beginning, and we're proud to tout the various strategies for ensuring that you and all of your pets stay safe and healthy in case of an emergency or natural disaster. And what better time to stress the importance of preparation and practice than National Disaster Preparedness Month? Yes, September is full of fun, back to school activities and lots of outdoor time before cold weather sets in, but September is also National Disaster Preparedness Month, and the ASPCA is here to help you and your family plan for an emergency. If you have to evacuate your home, you want to be prepared for just about anything, and that includes taking your beloved pets with you or planning for designated caregivers.

The first item on the agenda is to make sure you have Rescue Alert stickers prominently placed in your home windows. Just in case disaster strikes when you're not home, emergency officials must know if pets remain in the house.

The ASPCA's detailed Disaster Preparedness Plan will help you: Arrange a "Safe Haven" for your pets, if necessary (Not all Red Cross Disaster Relief Shelters accept pets), pull together an emergency supply and traveling kit, and prepare for an evacuation. The ASPCA plan even provides information  specifically for small pets, birds and reptiles.

Don't forget ASPCA's Mobile App for pet owners that allows you to store all sorts of useful data about your pets, like medical records, and provides tons of emergency-specific strategies all in one handy place. And in case your pet is lost, this app also allows you to create a customized digital "Lost Pet" flyer.

One more cool thing to help you prepare: The ASPCA is hosting a Google+ Hangout to answer all of your emergency planning questions on Thursday, September 18, 2014 at 7-8pm EST. Don't miss this fun and informative hour—it could help you save lives!

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