Severe weather

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

So last night at 4 am the air sirens went off for about five minutes. Living where we do, the longer the sirens go off the worse the storm heading for us is. Reports of circulations in the thunderstorm had multiple cities calling for tornado warnings, which means you have a few minutes before a touchdown, if you're lucky.

So here I am running around the house trying to grab everything for myself and H and get us into shelter in the 10 minutes before the storm and potential touch down reaches us. Thankfully as soon as the storm hit my county line it lost power but it made me stop and think: why wasn't I prepared? If the tornado had touched down I would have been sooooo screwed.

I keep a bug out bag (go bag, emergency bag, what have you) for myself in my car and house. But I realize I don't have one for H. I just thought I'd shove his stuff into my kit, but never got around to it. So for anyone living in an area prone to natural disasters I highly recommend putting one together and keeping it close.

From my own readings you should have:
3 days of water (sealed plastic bottles)
3 days of food (waterproof containers)
Waste disposal - sandwhich bags seem to be a favorite over poo bags because they can be used for other things
Long line/tie out
Extra collar/leash/tag set
Copy of health records/ID/paperwork
Picture of you AND dog
Picture of dog (front, sides, back, head, and top)
Emergency contact info, including next of kin, fears, and/or allergies.
Medications
First aid kit (waterproof)
Dog shoes (depending on location/environment)
Blanket/towel
Women's pantyhose (can make a muzzle, bandage, filter dirt from water, etc)
Tags on the backpack (if they're carrying their own gear)
A toy, some treats (preferably dehydrated and in waterproof containers)

You can add these into your bag or train your dog to use a backpack and carry his own gear. If you do use a backpack make sure everything is distributed evenly weight wise and if you can, try to find a waterproof backpack (not necessarily needed just very helpful if you're evacuating in a storm/hurricane).

Keep a crate in the car - do not try to bring one with you. Too much space/energy wasted carrying it/bulky to be efficient. If you can evacuate in a car then the crate is already there. For something like a tornado I assume I will not have access to a car.

You should also carry copies of all paperwork/pictures/ID just in case your dog and you get separated - again, in a waterproof container for you and your dog.

[Dutchringgirl]

Good Post !!! When the winter hits, I always have thier tags on all collars and harnesses. Leashes in all cars. Good idea about the id for your dog in your cars.

I worry more about my dogs than my kids LOL

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

LOL! There were a lot of great common sense tips on things I read that I was like "that's a fantastic idea even for non-emergencies!" I think I'll create a template for H and laminate it - not foldable like paper in a ziplock baggie but durable.

Also H just gave me a great idea - if you feed kibble see if stores have samples, they're generally about a cup and prepackaged in waterproof plastic. Lightweight too. We were given a sample kibble yesterday and I had been using it as treats and he just flung the bag all over the kitchen and is playing "lick up kibble". For raw feeders best bet is probably dehydrated food like Stella and Chewy's.

[Raven]

Awesome post! I never would have thought of pantyhose: lightweight, take little space, varied uses.

This question is geared more toward "extreme" emergency, probably, but when it comes to dogs carrying weight/loads--if they haven't been conditioned to it--is 10% their body weight the max???

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

I would hazard yes, for a dog not conditioned 10% of body weight would be okay, but it's really better in the long run for an extreme emergency to start conditioning to it now. With the chaos, adding a sudden weight on their back would increase the dog's panic. It also helps because if you have to walk for miles, the dog won't tire and then you end up carrying the pack.

If they're conditioned, no more than 25% of their body weight is what I've been reading, but I've seen everywhere from 10-25%.

Also, depending on where you live, you may want to invest in a Lift, Load, Carry harness if you're trekking through crazy woods or harsh terrain. Again, depends on you and your dog's level of activity, training, and environment. For most of us a backpack is more than enough.

This link has some great info, if a little "overboard": http://www.examiner.com/list/bug-out-ba ... -dog-ready

EDITED to add: I also went on Etsy forever ago and got dog tags (like military style for humans) with H's name, microchip number, phone number of microchip company, and my contact info, and some with various other information. These are great because they come in sets of two, so one goes on his gear and one goes on mine. Relatively low cost and durable.

[Tripmomma]

Great list. We are actually semi preppers, not crazy people but we have 4 kids and want to be ready just in case, but haven't done much prep for the dog/animals.