As Hurricane Season Approaches… Are your pets ready?

The month of May brings many things to Southeast Texas! One that is foremost on our minds is the approaching hurricane season. Are you prepared? Are your pets prepared?

May 8, 2022 is National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day. Disasters happen everywhere and some are with no warning. Now is the time to put your plan together.

What is National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day?

After Hurricane Katrina when thousands of pets were abandoned and displaced, FEMA established National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day.

In the Houston area we were impacted deeply by Hurricane Harvey. Many of the lost and abandoned pets were brought to our area for care in pop up shelters. Many rescue organizations were involved in this operation. ASVT volunteers spent many hours each day helping with the animals.

www.ASVTexas.org

Are You Prepared?

Regardless if your pet is a puppy/kitten, adult or senior they depend on you to keep them safe.

Before a disaster strikes, it is necessary to be as prepared as possible.

Natural disasters are increasing in frequency and magnitude. Tornadoes are striking in new areas, hurricanes are making landfall at Category 3 or 4. 

Please take time to think about how you would evacuate your home with your pets, both small and large. Do you have a plan in place?

It is an unknown factor to know when or where the next disaster will hit, so being prepared is the best way to ensure your family and pets will be safe. 

Emergencies come in many forms, and they may require anything from a brief absence from your home to permanent evacuation. Different disasters require different needs to keep your pets safe, so the best thing you can do is to be prepared.

How To Keep Your Pets Safe!

It is recommended to microchip your pet as a permanent form of identification. 

What is a microchip? A microchip is a radio-frequency identification transponder that carries a unique identification number, and is roughly the size of a grain of rice. When the microchip is scanned by a vet or shelter, it transmits the ID number. A microchip is implanted under the skin in the animal’s shoulder area, and can be read by a scanner at most veterinary clinics and animal shelters. It’s not anymore invasive than a vaccination.

The microchip won’t do any good unless you register it with a national pet recovery database. When you register your pet’s microchip, enter all contact information. Include both landline and cell phone numbers for you and anyone else in your household who is responsible for your pets. In the event your contact information changes make sure to update with the registry also. 

Speaking of Surviving Hurricanes!!!….   

Here is a Mother & Daughter who survived Hurricane Harvey in 2017 living in the woods on their own. 

My name is Maddy and I was approximately 2 years old in 2017, homeless since birth and I had given birth to another litter of puppies, one of which is named Kiki. Kiki ended up being homeless with me for the past 3 years. We survived by living in the woods and eating scraps of food and fending for ourselves. Each of us delivering loads of puppies every year in the wild or under sheds. Sometimes ASVT had to crawl thru and under piles of junk to rescue our puppies. ASVT saved our litters of puppies but we out smarted them and would not allow ourselves to be caught for we did not trust humans. ASVT was persistent and this past year they trapped me with some yummy food and a soft bed. I was scared but I felt safe with them.

Once in an ASVT foster home I immediately delivered 10 healthy pups!  I worried about Kiki. My sweet Kiki was more afraid of humans than I was, and I was always there to protect her.  Unbeknownst to me ASVT trapped Kiki who was also ready to pop with pups. She was placed in a separate foster home and gave birth to 10 puppies. Sadly 8 of her puppies did not survive and 2 survivors were bottle fed by ASVT fosters.

One beautiful day I heard some commotion and my foster mom brought my sweet Kiki to me! She helped me take care of my babies and although we were still scared and felt out of place inside a home we were happy because we were together.

Fast forward to 2022 because we are so happy to tell you all we are doing great! We have learned to trust new people and wag our tails all the time! ASVT ladies come to visit and play with us! We are currently staying at The Lodge – Luxury Boarding Retreat in Montgomery! We have our very own personal suite and play yard. The people here are so nice and love to take us for walks! We are super happy to be close to our people who saved us! 

What we need now is a loving home or foster family who will take us in together!  Please don’t be concerned about taking 2 dogs because we have been told we are quite amazing.  We are house trained, we walk perfectly on leashes, we are calm and accept other dogs and cats. We can be around numerous pets at one time and hang out together.  We take food gently out of your hand, we have been on many car rides and jump right into the car and we have visited our local pet store, Pet Supplies Plus and learned about automatic sliding doors and shopping!   We come when we are called but normally, we never wander far from you.  We will be your shadow! ASVT has taught us to enjoy life as we never knew was possible. We can be a great addition to your family, all we need is a chance and of course if it doesn’t work out ASVT will take us back.  You won’t have to feel committed until you see for yourself how we could make you very happy to have us at your home. Give us a chance.  ASVT will help get us settle in and teach you all what we have been thru and how to continue to live a happy life together. We can’t wait for this opportunity. 

Please help us! This is a rough time for everyone but if you can help ASVT with donations of any amount or if you would like to foster a pet, it would help them help more of us in need.

Please contact ASVT if you would like us as part of your family. 

A few tips to get your pets prepared… 

• Carry a photo of your pet or pets in the event you get separated.
• Ensure your pet’s ID tag or microchip has your current contact information.
• Display a pet rescue decal or sign on a window to alert first responders there are pets in the home.
• Be aware of your pets hiding places so you can find them faster during a disaster.

ASVT will be working through the season to continue rescuing and saving abandoned and homeless animals. We are putting our plan to keep all our foster animals safe and hope you are doing the same.

HOW CAN YOU HELP US HELP THEM? 

ADOPT, SPONSOR, VOLUNTEER, FOSTER, DONATE! 

You can visit our website to sign up to volunteer and/or foster and donate using our DONATE button. Donations help us pay for medical expenses, food, supplies and transporting animals to areas with high adoption needs. 

ASVT also sponsors a Spay/Neuter Program for community animals whose owners cannot afford to have their pets altered. This helps decrease the rise of community puppies and kittens that will end up in the shelters.

The accomplishments of ASVT would not be possible without partners like Wiesner Automotive, Empire Electric, Ransom’s Steakhouse, Animal Hospital of Montgomery, Bruce and Toni Sellers, Dock Line Magazine and so many more.