With the current drought in San Diego, it’s shaping up to be another severe wildfire season. San Diego is no stranger to wildfires, with the 2007 wildfires destroying 1,500 homes and over 500,000 acres and the 2003 wildfires killing 16 people and burning down 2427 homes and businesses. Local dog training company, The Collared Scholar, has noted the danger the potential of wildfires poses to pets and in response, offers some helpful tips to ensure you have a disaster preparedness plan in place to keep family and pets safe during the wildfire season. Disaster supplies Most of us have put in place a disaster preparedness kit for our family in the event of fire. If you haven’t put one together, now is the time. You may have very little time to escape if fire threatens your home and having a readily available kit could be the difference between life and death. But keep pets in mind when putting your emergency kit together. For the family, include items such as: a first aid kit, plenty of drinking water, canned and other non perishable food, utility tools, a towel or blanket, a change of clothes, jackets or sweatshirts, a flashlight and extra batteries, antibacterial wipes, any prescription medications and a cell phone with charger. For pets, include enough non perishable food to last each pet at least three days, one gallon of water per pet per day for three days, a transport kennel, an extra leash and a collar with ID tags, photos of your pet incase they become lost, and any prescription medications. Once you have built your emergency kit, store it in an easily accessible area and make sure everyone in the family ID for pets A wildfire can be an extremely frightening event for humans and their canine counterparts alike. Amid all the chaos of evacuations and impending disaster, it’s easy for pets to become frightened and run away. Taking the proper precautions can help you increase your chances for a happy reunion with lost pets. Make sure all pets wear appropriate identification tags at all times. Another alternative is to ask your vet to implant a microchip in your pet. Microchips are a form of automatic identification technology implanted under your dog’s skin. They are very safe and every shelter as well as most vet offices carries a microchip scanner. When lost dogs are brought in, they are first and foremost scanned for microchip numbers. Alerting fire officials What happens if you aren’t home and a fire breaks out? If fire officials aren’t aware you have pets inside, they may not save them in time. Window decals are available at most major pet store chains, which alert fire officials to the presences of pets inside. The ASPCA offers a free pet safety pack that includes a window decal designed to alert emergency personnel to the presence of pets inside your home. This is a must have to keep pets safe during any potential disaster. Plan for the worst It’s best to always plan for the worst. Sit down with your family and create an evacuation plan and make sure not to leave your pets out! Designate a caregiver in the event that you have nowhere to stay during a disaster or in the event that something should happen to you, making it difficult for you to properly care for furry family members. Make sure every member of the family knows the plan inside and out and when possible, practice evacuation drills so that, should disaster strike and panic set in, you are all prepared. Meagan Karnes-San Agustin is the president and founder of The Collared Scholar. The Collared Scholar offers premiere training and obedience services in the San Diego area. They are fully licensed and insured. Services include: Basic and Advanced Obedience and Agility. For more information, please visit www.collared-scholar.com or call 619-916-8710.