Summetime – Means more time outside with our 4 legged furry family members. “Safety” is rule # 1 in Pet Tech classes. We encourage you to think of not just safety for the pet, but for  yourself and the other people around.  If something happens to you, you can’t help your pet.

 

(Where is Tucker?)

Sally and Tucker were proud to represent Pet Tech at the Assistance Dogs International Conference in Toronto. In our workshop presentation we talked about the “3 P's of Emergency Care”. Of course prevention is always the first goal. Then preparation. The third “P” was preaction, a word we coined to convey the idea of  a preprogrammed action that you “just do” in response to a situation. We should really add a 4th P.  Practice. Really making these plans are part of your life.
 

Safety Tips to Practice:

Tip 1 – July 15th is Pet Fire Safety Day. Many organizations have those signs that you can put on your door to ask responders to save your pets. Do the emergency personnel pay any attention to this information? I obviously can't answer for all of them, but many firefighters attend our Pet Tech PetSaver classes. Why? “So that we can respond to those requests”, they have said.
Be sure to indicate when the animals are not home, so the responders don't waste precious time trying to locate them.  I’m going to fill out two signs that can be interchanged: one for times when Tucker is home and another for when it is just the cats.
Practice This: Get signs and put them on your door.
(Can’t find any? Let us know and we’ll help.)

Tip 2 - More time on the road means a greater chance of accidents. What happens to our furry friend if you are injured and can’t speak for them? (First of all, your pet is securely fasten in the back of the car. Right?!)
Many emergency responders are also saying that they would appreciate information from the owner. We've had emergency information forms on our website for some time.
Practice This: Print out a form. Secure a clear plastic envelope to the cover of your glove compartment. When your dog is with you, put the form in the envelope. Or always keep the form in your glove box and have a very bright (like maybe red) notice to put in the envelope when the animals are with you. It could direct the responder to look inside the glove box.

Tip 3 - We've talked before about special tags giving travel information for your dog. How about a medic alert tag for a medical condition. Let's set a standard that red tags would give medical information like allergies, need for medication, seizure disorders or diabetes.
(This information should also be on the emergency form and any “Lost Dog Poster”.)
Practice This: Get any special tags today.

Tip 4 – As you can imagine, I am the kind of person that tries to help dogs that appear to be lost or in trouble. Recently, a small dog was wandering around a strip mall. I coaxed him to me and was checking his tags when a shop keeper saw us. He said “Oh, that's just Jake. He comes by here everyday. He knows what he is doing.”  Ok, so I wasn't needed. It would have been nice to know that. (I still did not approve of Jake being there on his own, but it was not my call to make.) That incident  might have been enough to discourage some people from helping other dogs. So how about another special tag: “If I am alone, I am lost. Please help me”.
Practice This: I've already ordered one for Tucker, who would  NEVER be alone unless there was a BIG problem.

Tip 5 - Ok, your dog now has all kinds of ID tags. How about you? I was thinking about this on a trip recently. We were staying with family so Tucker and I just walked out the door. No purse, no id at all. Of course, Tucker had all his tags on but what if something happened and he  and I were separated and I was injured. No one would have known who to call about me. That might delay getting help for Tucker. Tucker gave one to Stan for Father's Day to wear when he bikes.
Practice This: I have ordered a Road ID for me and have encouraged all (people) family members to do the same.

(Where is Tucker?)