Be Prepared!

We have been having several small earthquakes in our area lately which is normal since we are very close to the San Andreas fault in California. But nothing puts the fear of "the big one" in the forefront of my mind like a little shake, rattle and roll. With this in mind, I have been researching all that we need to do in the event of a disaster. Between our wild fires and earthquakes, we have to be prepared for the worst. Part of this preparation is making sure we have the necessities not only for ourselves but for our pets. Here is what I found:

The Humane Society recommends we create a Pet Disaster Kit. Items that should be included are:

• Food, water and medicines for five days.

• Medical and veterinary records.

• Carrier, toys, blanket or bed

• Litter box and litter.

• ID attached to your pet.

• Pet carrier and/or leash.

• Current photos of pet with physical description.

• Container to carry everything.

And of course the most important thing we can do to protect our pets during a disaster is to take them with us if we are evacuated. Pets left behind can easily be injured, lost or killed.

To learn more about disaster preparedness visit the Humane Society and American Red Cross websites. It's never a bad thing to be prepared.