ave you ever thought what would happen to your pets if you woke one night to your house filled with smoke, or there was a gas leak in your street and you were asked to evacuate your building? Is your area subject to flooding? There are so many other scenarios where your forethought about your pets could be very helpful, they are too numerous to mention. YOU need to think about YOUR situation, YOUR neighbourhood and YOUR pets and their needs along with those of your own and your family.
 
So the excercise is to spend a short time actually thinking the process through for yourself and making a personal plan for your pets.

Here are some suggestions which could help you with your own plan.
With love, I ask you to do this excercise in the hope that it may, one day,  just help one person  and their pets.

Know your pets well! (This may sound foolish to the person with a couple of cats and a dog, however if you have quite a lot of pets you may not have such an intense relationship with each one.) Individually make sure they will come to you, even when it does not seem safe with strange noises and unusual circumstances. When you want your pets to respond, get down to their level, they always respond better to this. If you can, clear away strangers so your pets can concenstrate on your familiar voice, stay as calm as you can because pets are very sensitive to your emotions.        I cannot emphasise too greatly the importance of this first very simple precaution because emergency workers will only give you a limited time to round up your pets, after that, in favour of human safety, you will be made to leave.  You will have no choice. It is no use reading this and saying "I would never leave my pets" because I assure you, you will have NO OPTIONS if you cannot react quickly.
Always know where pet carriers, leads and harnesses are kept, you may need them in a hurry.
If a pet goes under something or into a corner, place the open pet carrier against the exit, making sure there is no gap and they will usually go into the darkness of the carrier for safety.
Always make sure you have an emergency stock of food for your pets, dried is easier. Have a water container that you can obtain quickly.
Never lock yourself in at night without all members of the family knowing where the keys are kept. Don't forget that most emergencies mean there will be no electricity. So it is a good safety game to play, unlocking the door and getting out IN THE DARK, timing how long it takes you. Never change this routine. Keeping a torch  and stock of batteries is an obvious help.
Talk to your local VET or veterinary nurse to explian pet CPR.
If you want to be really organised it is a good idea to photocopy all your important pet documents an do a swap with a friend to store theirs, so that if one set is lost then at least you will still have something.
All pets should be indenifiable, they can be chipped or wear a collar and tag. One of these methods is essential if disaster should ever strike, as without you may never see your pet again if they flee in fright.
If your pet should be missing at a crutial time, do not put yourself at risk. Of course you will be beside yourself with worry but animals have a great survival instinct and have many ways of finding a place to keep safe until the danger passes.
Murphy's law seems to demonstrate that if we are prepared we will never need to action these plans. It is the unprepared that get caught out. So most of all don't worry about these things, it is likely you will never experience an emergency or disaster. Make your plan and make sure everyone in your household is aware of what they should do for their safety and the safety of the pets you love.