Bad Weather happens to good people
At La Dolce Doggie, we are committed to caring for your pets in your absence. Sometimes, Mother Nature makes it a little harder than we would like. We will always make every effort to complete a scheduled visit, but, experience has shown us that a little contingency planning goes a long way, particularly in the winter months.
Because we can experience snow or icy conditions pretty much any time from November through March, the best defense is a good offense. The more prepared we are and the more prepared our (human) clients are, the easier it is to care for our canine and feline clients.
While we cannot shovel snow, we will make sure that your pet has access to the spots he/she likes to do their business. We encourage clients who plan to be away during the winter months to make arrangements for snow removal prior to leaving- for 2 reasons. First, it makes your house look “lived in” and second it will make access to your home and pets easier for us and safer for your pets.
If bad weather is coming, we will try to stay ahead of it, by feeding and walking all animals prior to the storm. We will put out extra food and water and be back as soon as possible once the roads are passable. We encourage you to help us be prepared by leaving towels or wee-wee pads in the (very rare) event we are unable to get to your house for the next scheduled visit. Having an area in your home designated for this purpose can be helpful and minimize messes. As an additional protection for your pets, we have found it beneficial to let a neighbor be another contact who may be able to take care of your pet in a weather emergency.
The best way to meet this potential challenge is by being pro-active. We can’t predict the weather, but, by being prepared together, we can minimize it’s impact on your pets in your absence.
Preparing you and your pets for emergency situations:
In the event of a disaster, pet owners must have plans in place to protect both themselves and their pets. If a disaster forces you to evacuate, the best thing you can do to protect your pets is to evacuate them as well.
Disasters can happen anytime, anywhere and can take many different forms, from barn fires to earthquakes, from a propane line explosion to flooding caused by a violent storm.
- Understand the possibilities. Recognize the different types of natural and man-made disasters that can occur in your area and know how to effectively plan for them.
- Make decisions early. Different disasters require different courses of action. The sooner you create a disaster plan, the more time you will have to prepare.
- Update identification. Make sure your pet wears current identification at all times that includes his name, rabies tag and your cell phone number since you will not be at home.
- Your pet’s history. Create a file for each pet that contains health history, vaccination dates and a recent photo.
- Research animal-friendly places. Know where you can take your pet in the event of an emergency. Evacuation shelters and pet-friendly hotels outside a 60-mile radius of your home are good places to start.
- Stock up on emergency supplies. Keep extra leashes, bowls, newspapers, trash bags, cat litter, litter pans and at least a five-day supply of pet food and water on hand.
- Get a carrier. Have a properly-sized pet carrier for each pet. Carriers should be large enough for the pet to stand up, turn around and lie down comfortably.
- Communicate your plan. Make sure that the other people you rely on for your pet’s care, like your pet sitter, are privy to your specific pet-care plan in case you are away from home when a disaster strikes.
