Today we had a terrifying earthquake (magnitude 6.0) in the morning which luckily lasted not long. We feel very grateful that our loved ones are safe but still we felt the tremendous amount of fear and panic around us during the little aftershocks.
What helps in such a situations is to be prepared as good as possible, this can give our humans a more secure feeling. If you live or travel in an earthquake prone area keep the following tips in mind:
- Make sure your pet is microshipped and most impawtent that the information is up to date! (Don't forget to mention the new address if you move out)
- Make sure your dog wears a fitting collar (2 fingers of space not more because then the collar can slide of their neck) and if possible also a tag with owners information (name/address/phone number/family number)
- Make sure you have clear and recent pictures of your pet in your phone/Google drive. If lost this can help people to search for them and/or proof that you are the owner if the passport is damaged.
- Have a rescue alert sticker mentioning that there are pets in the building. Describe how many and which kind. Cats/dogs/..
- If you are inside the house: depending on the dog, situation and time you have available there are 2 considerable options, 1 is to have the dog free in the house and let it find it's own place to hide (Luna automatically goes hide under our wooden desk) or 2 put the dog in a crate under a strong wooden desk/table and make sure no surrounding furniture can drop on top of them.
- If you need to evacuate outside the house: always have a backpack ready next to the door with basic survival stuff such as: 2 torches, portable phone charger, blanket,copy of dogs passport, extra leash/collar, muzzle (muzzle train your dog beforehand even if you think you will never need it),food&bottle water, life straws , fire starter, medicine if your dog needs them (think about epilepsy medication for example), (chew) toy so that if you are in a basement with other people the dog can release some stress with chewing and having something familiar from home with them, first aid ⛑️ kit (basic is: Chlorhexidine rinse, cotton balls/squares, triple antibiotic ointment from the vet, bandages + tape, vetwrap, small scissors ✂️), documents with numbers from family members/vets/petsitters people can call in case you get injured, crate if possible since many pets get panicked and run away during our after earthquakes. If you can't crate them make sure you hold on tide to them and use double combination leash + harness to avoid escaping possibilities or even better a leash that you can attach around your waist (running/canicross style) so that you have your hands free and you not have to worry about your dog running off.
I hope no one has to endure such a situations but it's better to be prepared for the worst! If there are any tips you have that are not included feel free to send me an email ✉️
Stay safe & lots of licks and paw from me
Luna 🐾
