Disaster Preparedness For Pets

Are your pets prepared if you have an emergency? As a pet owner, my biggest fear is that my home will experience a fire and my animals won't make it out or I will have an accident and no one will know where to take them.

Here are some suggestions on making sure you have an emergency plan for your pets:

In the event of a fire and you are not home, get a rescue alert sticker to put on your front door or window in the front of your house. This will alert first responders that there are animals inside. 
If you are home and a fire breaks out, have a bag prepared with their collars with identification attached, a leash or carrier, and enough food to get them by.
In the event you are in an accident and cannot get home to your animals, have an arrangement in place where they can stay temporarily.  Whether that be a boarding facility, with a family member or with a friend, have a list prepared with names and numbers.

I have a list of names and phone numbers at home with possible people/places my dogs can go in case I will be away for an extended period of time.
I also have emergency contact information in my purse with who to contact in case I can't get home to them.

No one ever expects that these things will happen to them, but it can't hurt to be prepared in the event that it does happen. Our pets are family... we need to be prepared for their safety as well.