How prepared are you for emergencies with your SD/SDiT/dog?

I was a Girl Scout from 2nd grade, all the way til I graduated high school. I then became involved as an adult working in the local office, an assistant camp director, as well as assisting in getting troops started in areas where none previously existed. The Girl Scout motto is to "Be prepared." & it has stuck with me, my entire life. I spend a ridiculous amount of time thinking of all the things I might need when I leave the house & everything that could go wrong & always having a plan B (sometimes even C, D, etc. lol). This is needed for my PTSD/anxiety. The more prepared I am, the more control I feel I have, which makes me feel better/safer. I find spontaneity to be difficult, so I try to have go bags & kits ready, so I'm ready for a spur of the moment activity. 

I pose the following questions to consider/food for thought, to keep your dog as safe as possible & be prepared for any emergency situation...

Signage:

Do you have a "Service Dog on Board" sign on your car to let first responders know to not separate them from you? 

Do you have a "Service Dog Inside" signage for your house? 

How about your hotel room door? 

Something on yourself (if you are separated when found, they know to even look for them)? Such as a wallet card &/or key chain tag? *NOTE: I have been working on making a vest that I wear over top of whatever I'm wearing to easily/visually identify me as having a service dog. Will share in a future post. 

Phone #'s & Addresses:

Do you have the #'s for your emergency contact (listed as such in your phone), vet, the closest emergency animal hospital, pet poison control, your pet ins. co., pharmacy where you get your pets meds, your dog's daycare/boarding (in the event you must be separated &/or they cannot reach your emergency contact, they then know a safe place to take them) on speed dial in your phone? Is this information in your dog's vest in the event you are unable to give this info/they can't unlock your phone? Do you have all this info available offline or a emergency pet information sheet in case you don't have a signal on your cell?

What about the number for the place you are traveling to/exploring with your dog? For example: if you are at a state park or amusement park, have their number ready in case your dog becomes separated from you. You can call to notify them to put out a BOLO or possibly physically aid in a search.  

How about all their addresses saved as favorites in your GPS app to find them quickly?

*NOTE: Be sure to include what food you feed your dog & any known allergies on these information sheets.

First Aid/CPR

Do you have a pet first aid kit? One for home & one while out/traveling? Do you know how to perform basic pet first aid/CPR? If your dog is on medications, do you have an emergency supply in the first aid kits & in their vest (clearly marked as theirs, so it is not confused with your medication if applicable)? *NOTE: I will be writing a more in depth post about pet first aid kits & what should be in them as well as pet first aid/CPR, so look out for it.

If they are lost:

Have you practiced with your SD to perform distance recall (where they can't see you)? 

Is your dog microchipped or tattooed? Registered with a lost pet finder company? *Note: I use Home Again. When you use their microchip product, you are automatically given pet finder assistance with them.

When dogs are spayed or neutered, they will often receive an identifying tattoo at the same time while they are under anesthesia.  It is called a sterilization indicator tattoo, this short straight line of blue or green ink indicates that the dog has had surgery to remove their reproductive organs. Some breeders/puppy mills will tattoo a series of numbers on them to identify them. So depending on where/how you acquired your SD/SDIT, they may have these markings as well. Make a note of these markings on their information sheet.

Do you have pictures of unique features that can identify your dog from others in the breed? Fur color patterns, moles, paw pad coloration pattern, unique eye colors, scars/injury identifiers, etc.

Did you make note or have a pic of their gear/what they were wearing that you can identify them as yours?

 *Tip: Make it a habit to have your dog pose once they are out of the car & take a photo before starting any activity.

Do you belong to an online lost pet group, so you can instantly post for help? 

Do you have a GPS collar & have the app set up on your phone ready to go? Do you know how it works before actually needing it? Is your phone & collar both fully charged?

If your dog wanders, do you have an invisible fence system in place? They have apps where you can set the boundaries on your phone for any location you decide.

Car Safety:

Are you practicing good car safety with your service dog? Are they trained to not cause distractions while driving? How are you preventing them from jumping in the front seat? Do you have a specialty seat belt clip? Are you using a harness or a collar? In a high speed crash/stop the force would be applied to their neck with just a collar. A harness distributes the force across the body preventing choking or breaking their necks as they fly forward. A car carrier/crate can help prevent them from being thrown around the car, slammed into glass, or prevent loose objects from hitting them or them hitting you. What we use for Boogie:

 

This may seem obvious, but is your car clean? Are there things that your dog may step in? Are there old food wrappers/containers/cups/bottles/can that haven't been tossed out? These things can harbor bacteria that could make your dog sick. Did you spill something that could be growing mold?

Fire Safety:

Have you practiced fire drills at home/work with your SD? (If your smoke alarm goes off, how will your dog respond?) Have you trained them to"Find Outside"? Do you have a fire escape/window ladder & if so, do they know how to use it? Is your dog trained to open doors if needed? Do you have a pet door they can escape from to reach the outside? (Note They have e-collars, that sends a signal to an electronic pet door to open it. This security features prevents unwanted humans/wild animals/stray  pets from entering your home.) Do you have a designated place/neighbor they know to go to? 

Anti-theft Training:

Please spend time carefully considering whether training your dog not to obey or take food from anyone else could possibly be an issue in an emergency before doing so. They may run from anyone trying to help catch them, if they are taught not to listen to anyone but you. What if they are hurt & need medical care? Obviously them not getting the nutrition they need will be an issue if they are taught not to accept any food from strangers. If they themselves take medication, this is even scarier. 

Dognapping is a real thing & some states are better than others in the laws they have to protect your dog. Some treat them as simply property, like a t.v.. In some states. if you are lucky enough to get your dog back, they may only be charged with a misdomeaner, pay a small fine, & or face very little jail time if at all. Slap on the wrist as they say. Highly trained service dogs would be desirable to anyone, so you have to make the right choice for you. *Note: This is where microchipping, tattoos, & GPS collars can help you in finding & identifying/proving that it's your dog. 

Crate Training:

Have you done crate training so they find it a safe space rather than something to fear? If they need to be caught while lost, this will be important. Cage like catchers/traps are often employed & they will put food inside to lure the dog in. If you dog is trained to find crates/cages to be safe, they are more likely to go in one on their own. You'll have a much higher chance of them being returned with the least amount of injuries, if they are caught quickly.  Before infection sets in or they get into it with another animal, hit by a car, etc. Is your dog versed in staying sidewalks & not in the road?

Gear Check:

Have you done a gear check before leaving the house? Tight enough they can't slip out of their collar, harness, seat belt, protective booties etc. Is it frayed/ripped & possibly lead to breaking. Do you have a tag with an emergency contact #/info on it, so the average person can contact you if they find your dog? (If they are not wearing a vest with this info already inside. Or even in addition to.) Do you have spares (perhaps old ones that are good enough to work in a pinch perhaps) or know how to create a makeshift leash/harness out of things on you/in your car? 

Improvised harness with leash from a piece of rope: 

Wellness check:

How about a doing a thorough inspection before leaving the house? Is their gear rubbing & creating hotspots? Do they have a cracked/broken toenail? Are they long they need trimmed so it doesn't interfere with their ability to walk comfortably? 

Have their urine & feces appeared normal & healthy before asking them to walk, run, jump/etc. with a dodgy tummy? Do they seem bright, alert & focused/ready to work? Are they having issues loading up into the car? Are they scratching excessively? If so, may want to check those areas? If they are shaking, is it excitement or fear? If they drooling excessively, is it excitement or fear? If they drooling excessively, is it excitement or fear?

Besides a first aid kit, do you have a towel in the car to dry them off & prevent hotspots if they get wet while you're away from home? Do you have sunscreen for your dog? Their noses are esp/ vulnerable. Shorter haired dogs are more likely to get burned. Did you remember their bellies & ears as well? 

Safety in the home:

If your house pet proof? It's the same concept as baby proofing, but for your pets. Are the foods that your dog can't have/allergic to, up where they can't get them? How about the candy bar or sugar-free gum in your purse, backpack, gym bag, etc.? Are the younger people in your house trained to not share those foods no matter how cute the pet may look? 

Do you have your cleaning products behind cabinets your pet can't open? How about that air freshener plug in on the wall? Can your dog drink out of your toilet bowl where you may have bleach or chemical cleaning tablets/products? (We don't have a toilet lock, instead we bought a toilet seat that's solid wood & too heavy for him to lift, as well as keep our bathroom doors shut at all times.) Bath products up on a shelf in your bathtub? Can they get into your trash can where literally anything could be in there? Anywhere you have pill bottles, creams, vitamins where they could get them? Do you have any home improvement products like glues, paints, solvents safely tucked away? How about getting in that junk drawer with batteries & who knows what else? 

You may be surprised by this, but 2 things we've had to watch our cat for are cardboard boxes & tape. She is so obsessed with rubbing her face on opened box edges, that she gives herself paper cuts on her face. She also tries to eat the tape off them as well for some weird reason. Our solution has been to put everything we can into plastic tubs & breakdown boxes & store them in a safe area immediately after opening.

How about the flowers your s/o just got you? Are they one of the deadly ones? How about in your garden. Are they all pet friendly plants?

 Do you use chemicals/fertilizer? Does you dog seem to be eating a lot of grass? This can be their way of inducing vomiting or adding fiber to their diet. However, some dogs can suffer no ill effects at all & simply enjoy doing it, so consult your vet, if it becomes a concern. How about the de-icer for your driveway in the winter? Is it pet friendly? 

Something else to keep in mind: One of my previous dogs had an allergy to the Lepto immunization & could not complete the shots. Lepto helps prevent diseases picked up from other animals urine. This meant her being able to interact with dogs at a park was out. Not all dog owners there are on top of their shots or can afford them & strays could be running through as well. I also had to consider letting her outside, so I actually paper--trained her & was picking up pee pads & cleaning up all the missed spots on the floor her entire life. Had I had a yard with solid fencing, I probably could have kept out anything that may have put her at risk & let her outside more often.  This caused a lot of socialization problems as a result, from not going to parks/dog parks/doggy daycare & interacting with other dogs, so be aware this could happen to you & try to be prepared. 

Are there boxes, tools, equipment stowed away properly, so.that nothing could easily fall/spill onto them? 

Other things to think about:

This may sound silly, but do you have raised dog food bowls? They can help reduce strain on your dogs neck & spine & promote proper posture. They don't have to fight gravity to swallow, making it easier to for them to eat. It discourages the bowl being slid across the floor &/or dumped over. It also prevents paddling/digging in their bowls as well. 

Should be obvious, but do you wash your dogs food & water bowls daily at a minimum? It prevents bacteria from forming that they are then ingesting from food left behind or back-wash in their water. It helps discourage insects/varmints from being attracted to them & leaving behind nasty diseases in their wake. With that, is there food being properly stored in air-tight containers & not open to critters? If you store their food in the fridge, do you keep it regularly cleaned & free from anything rotting away in there? Are any frozen foods properly marked & dated, so it can be properly rotated with the ones that need to be used first?

Do you have a routine or alarms set on your phone to remember your dogs medications/treatments? Have you showed anyone else at home where their meds are stored & how to administer their medications? Offered them tips or tricks to get a non-cooperative pup to take it? If you use a pill box, do you have a set day/time to refill it so you don't forget?

If your dog has a special diet, do you have the instructions on what & how to feed them written down at home as well, so that in the event you aren't there, a friend or family member knows what to give them? My s/o does this fairly regularly in the evenings, as by then I am often in a lot of pain & in bed lying down by that point & just can't bear to go down the steps & then back up them again. I have also taught my s/o all the verbal & hand signals I use for his feeding routine. "Go to your spot, sit, wait, ok!"

Are all your dogs shots/immunizations up to date? When was the last time they went in for a check-up? 

Does your dog have an exercise routine/physical therapy they need to do at home? Does anyone in your household know what it is & how to do it?

Do you regularly brush their teeth or use an alternative product to promote healthy teeth & gums? How often do you actually inspect their mouths to ensure these methods are working?

How long has it been since they had a bath or groomed? For dogs with double coats, did you make sure they were 100% dry? The downy undercoat can act like a sponge & can create hotspots from having moisture trapped against their skin.

Are you keeping up on their flea/tick/worm medication or treatment? Keeping your grass/weeds cut down helps keep these at bay. 

Is your dog used to being touched literally anywhere on their body? This desensitization can aid vets & groomers when having to physically touch/examine them. Having to have a muzzle put on, held down, or medicated can cause aversion or fear behaviors to manifest in your SD/SDiT. A dog that is normally gentle and cooperative can become aggressive when in pain, but if they are used to be touched all over, they should be less likely to give in to their baser instincts. 

I truly hope you found this information helpful. I did my best to think of every possible scenario I could, of things that could go wrong, but I have probably missed something. If there's anything you can think of, that you feel should be added, please let me know, so that I can update it & help as many people as I can. 

Thanks for reading!!