Rover Company knows if you’re ready to create your own pet-Disaster-preparedness plan – use these resources to create a plan custom-fitted for you and your clients:

Your local Emergency Response Team can assist you in locating animal-friendly shelters in case of evacuation. They will also be able to provide you with any and all requirements necessary to house animals in such a shelter.

Roverpet believes you should spend some time researching and then create a plan that will work for you and your clients’ Pets. Items to include in your plan:
Maps for your sitters delineating which pets they are responsible for in case of an emergency;

A waiver from your clients granting your company permission to transport their pets to the closest animal friendly shelter in case of evacuation;

A waiver from your clients who do NOT want you to transport their pets in cases of disaster – letting you know that you are to leave their pets in place;

Reminders for your clients to keep their pets’ vet records taped in or near their crate. Additionally, each pet should have up to 2 weeks of food in air- tight containers and easily accessible water containers so that you can find everything when you need to move swiftly;

An understanding with each client where they can be found if an evacuation takes place and cell phones are not operational. Many families have an agreed upon meeting place – make sure you know the ‘meeting place’ for each family you work with so you are able to find them when the roads become passable.

Rover Vinyl Tech believes a Disaster Preparedness plan is certainly something you hope you never have to use, but something that you must have to be a responsible pet-care business provider. Your clients will be grateful that you’ve gone the extra mile to ensure the safety and well-being of their pets.

Use your plan as a marketing tool. Once you’ve assembled your plan, why not write an article for the local paper about effective disaster preparedness for pets? How about offering a free tip- sheet on disaster-preparedness for pets for every potential new client who subscribes to your e-zine? Or, simply post your disaster preparedness tips on your website and offer it as a free article on the web – make sure you include a great resources box that gets folks to head to your website! Finally, you can expand your disaster preparedness research to create an offer a free seminar on the topic – either in conjunction with your local shelter, police and fire department or the local school.