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Disaster Preparedness for Pet Sitters

October 19, 2011

Presented by Jordan Di Marco

Boulder, CO

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Meet today’s presenterJordan Di Marco

• Owner, Dogma Catma Pet Sitting

• PSI member since 2006

• Certified Professional Pet Sitter (CPPS), 2009

• B.S., Biology from the University of Colorado at Denver, 2006

• Years of experience and training in pet care, disaster response, pet first aid, dog bite prevention and more.

Why is this important for pet sitters?

• How many houses are you responsible for on a daily basis?– Your sitters?– How many pets are you responsible for?

Disaster Preparedness Overview

• What disasters are common in your area?– Fires– Floods– Tornadoes– Earthquakes– Blizzards– Disasters can be natural

OR manmade• Chemical spills• Train derailment

– Preparedness is KEY as there is usually little to no warning!

Disaster Cycle

• Mitigation– Making changes ahead

of time to reduce the impact of disasters

• Preparedness– What do you need if a

disaster hits

Disaster Cycle continued

• Response– What can you do to help

after a disaster?– This is community wide!

• Recovery– Help bring the

community back to stability

– Short term and long term goals!

Pet Preparedness

• But why is this important for pets and owners?– Impact of pets on

humans– Considering pets in

disaster plans saves human lives!

• Preparedness is an ongoing process!– Identifying risks and

resources– Learning what you can

do better

Making a plan!

• Personal plan and business plan– Evacuating pets– Sheltering at home– Preparing a kit

Evacuate or Shelter at home?

• Depends on the disaster• What are you told to do?

Evacuating Pets

• Where would you evacuate to?– Know this ahead of time

• Safety precautions• Emergency contacts• Identification• Important information

Sheltering at home

• Making sure pets are safe and protected from hazards

• Making sure that they are comfortable and have amenities

• House issues

Preparing an Emergency Kit

• Recommended 72 hour kit to evacuate, 10 days to shelter at home

• Human kit and Pet kit• Container should be portable, waterproof and

lightweight• Designate a location ahead of time

Human Emergency Kit

• Change of clothes• Flashlights, batteries• Medication, copies of medical records• Bottled water• Canned food and can opener• First Aid Kit• Camping Supplies

Pet Emergency Kit• Copies of medical and vaccination

records and pet identification• Food, wet and dry, can opener• Medication• Bottled water• Cat litter, scoop• Poo bags!• Cleaning supplies• Comfort items (toys, etc.)• Extra collars and leashes• Muzzles (several sizes)• Sharpie• Flashlight• Pop up carrier

Pet Emergency Kit

• Pet First Aid Kit– Adhesive tape– Gauze pads and rolls, ‘4x4’s– Vet Wrap– Gloves– Thermometer – Trauma scissors (bandage

scissors)– Syringe (no needle)– Q-Tips, Cotton balls– Cold pack

• Pet First Aid Kit– Neosporin– Iodine– Activated Charcoal– Hydrogen Peroxide– Baking Soda– Vaseline– Styptic Powder– Tweezers– Towels

Response After Disaster

• Be aware of dangers• You may not be able to

get where you need to go

• Emergency crews may not be able to get to you

• Disaster response starts locally in your community!

A Word on Facilities

• Structural Integrity• Plan!• Practice with employees

– Prioritize– Safe areas– Employee roles

Recovery

• Damage assessment• Returning community to normal

Community Preparedness

• Network!• Identify hazards and risks

– Work together• Estimate companion animal population• Be active• Education

Legal Issues

• Yes I had to mention it!– Authorization– Emotion– Lost Animals

• Training• BITING!

Further Courses

• To Learn More– Pet First Aid

• Red Cross http://www.redcross.org/

• Pet Tech http://www.pettech.net/

– Animal Handling– http://www.aspca.org/pet-

care/disaster-preparedness/

– FEMA Independent Study Courses

• IS 10a. http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is10a.asp

• IS 11a. http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS11a.asp

• To Get Involved– Your local County Animal

Response Team (CART), usually your humane society or Animal Control will have information

– Volunteers Active in Disasters (VOAD) http://www.nvoad.org/

– National Disaster Animal Response Team (NDART) http://www.ndart.org/

Thank You!

Reach Jordan at dogmacatmapetsitting@gmail.com

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Next Steps…

• Complete the feedback survey for today’s webinar

• Register for the November 16 webinar: “How an unlatched puppy gate turned in to $98,000 in damage,” presented by David Pearsall, Business Insurers of the Carolinas.