Evacuation plan

Have you ever thought about how you would get your pets out of the house in an emergency? For example, if there were a fire, how would you make sure they escaped. What if there were a flood and you had to leave your home for some time? Could you simply pack your dogs into the car and go with them? Or do you have some other plan? I was just wondering because I realised that I have never really thought about this at all.

 

I live near a river so flood is something that happens here from time to time and I'm ready for it. I know that I would take Homer with me. In such a dangerous situation I'd like to have him close to me to make sure that he is okay and to look after him. I would never leave him.

 

There is an evacuation plan here. All dogs are trained when kennels and or doors are opened and the command car is given that they all go outside and stand next to the vehicle they usually travel in. There are 3 of us who drive in my home so everyone has a designated vehicle. Cats have no training at all so they get grabbed and put in a travel kennel and taken out the door. As to a flood I live on the top of a mountain so if there is a flood I am pretty sure there is not too much higher ground to get to. There is also a grab and go bag that has food, bottled water, treats, blankets and bowls for all the animals for about a week, in case we are unable to return home right away.

 

Our place is flood-free. In case of fire and earth quake, it quite easy to get out since our place is not that big and easy to access doors.

 

My apartment has a front and back door, so we could go out either door in case of a fire. The building that I want to move into has 6 floors , so I might have to invest in one of those emergency rope ladders that attaches to a windowsill or balcony, in case I have to climb down.
I would probably lower the dog down to ground level with a rope first.

 

I think that is a great idea that we need to prepare for our pet's needs as well as our own in an emergency. I'm ashamed to say that it did not occur to me to pack an evacuation bag for my chow just in case. We experience floods in our area and even though our place is safe the roads become impassable. Last year after a particularly heavy downpour that lasted a couple of days we we could not leave the house as the roads were flooded.

 

I haven't packed an evacuation bag for Homer either. Fortunately, floods don't come unexpected here, there are always warnings in TV so I believe that if something happened, I would have enough time to pack our bags. Or I would simply share my own food and things with him. He doesn't need much.