Disaster Prep with Dogs: Part 4 -- Planning PAST the Storm.

This year we're adding another post to the Disaster Prep with Dogs series: Planning PAST the Storm.

We've covered identification, emergency kits, and evacuation plans, but we haven't yet covered the after part of the equation.

And believe me, we know from experience that sometimes it's the after part of the equation that presents the most difficulty from the standpoint of logistics.

You've successfully weathered whatever storm or natural disaster caused you to evacuate or seek shelter in the first place. Now what?

If your home has taken sufficient damage to be uninhabitable, where will you go? If the damage is reparable you may be able to go home relatively soon, but if you have to start over with construction, it could be months or as much as a year until you can return. 

How will you get to shelter? If your car has been damaged or totaled you may need transportation. Most rental cars specify no pets in the rental agreement.

Obviously it's not practical to have a house already rented that meets your needs, but you can at least plan some things.

Could a friend offer a place to stay or a vehicle for transport? Family? Where will your dogs stay if you end up having to stay somewhere that will not allow dogs?  How will you provide the necessary food and accessories?

In the case of Pug Hollow, we had 22 dogs and no place to keep them. Our family was 5 hours away, and our house and all our fencing and outbuildings were gone. So we were scrambling to find a place to keep the dogs until we could transport them to our family for fostering.

Now we have a plan for getting the dogs to a safe place as soon as possible.