It takes just three steps the get your entire family, including your Pets, READY for an emergency.
When considering your pets, you'll need to get a Pet Emergency Supply Kit.
Make an emergency plan for your pet's care and stay informed about diffenent types of emergencies. 
To get started, go to Ready.gov to get a list of everything your Family and Pet Emergency Supply Kit should contain.

"What are we going to do about the pets?"
"Should we go to Ready.gov to see what to do about the pets?"
"Great idea."

In addition to what you would need for your family your pets will also need specific supplies.

"Ok, we've got the stuff we need for us in the emergency kit."
"We've got the water and the food and the first aid kit. What do we need for Dakota?"
"Well, I've got the brochure from Ready.gov, so let's go through the list."
"Food, at least three days."

Basic Pet Emergency Supply Kit
1. Food and water for your pets for three days
2. Pet medicines and medical records
3. First aid kit
4. Collar with ID tag
5. Harness or leash
6. Pet crate or carrier
7. Picture of you and your pet
8. Pet bed, toys and treats
9. Sanitation items: Litter/litter box, newspapers, Paper towels and plastic bags, Household bleach
Download a brochure for pet owners at Ready.gov


"Christopher, can you get the food?"
"I'll put it in the kit."
"Can you hand it to me? Great."
"...and water for three days."

Once you've got everything together put all the pet supplies in a container that you can carry with you if you need to leave home in an emergency.

"...and we need medicines and medical records."
"Can you go get that?"

Remember, pet food and medicine can spoil just like our food and medicine, so you should check your kits regularly to make sure the pet supplies are still fresh.

"That's great! We've got food, water, medicine, something to play with and her crate."
"Good dog, good girl!"

If there's a emergency, you may be able to stay in your home or you may have to evacuate.
It's important to have a Family Emergency Plan that considers the needs of your pet for either situation.

Basic Pet Emergency Plan:
1. Secure appropriate lodging for pets
2. Create buddy pet care system with family, friends or neighbors
3. Talk to your vet about first aid care and identification for your pets
4. Gather contact infromation for area animal control agencies and veterinary hospitals
5. Place "Pet Inside" stickers on front door or windows
6. Designate meeting location
Download a family emergency plan template at Ready.gov to get started


"So let's call some kennels and see what they might do."
"Here's one."

If you have to evacuate, take your pets with you.
But keep in mind, some shelters won't allow pets inside.
Prepare ahead of time by calling your local office of Emergency Management to see if any shelters in your area will take pets.
You should also contact Kennels, Veterinary Hospitals and Hotels to see if they'll take pets during an emergency.
In addition, develop a buddy system with neighbors, friends or relatives to care for each other's pets.

"You'd agree that you would take our pets and we'd agree to take yours."
"It's a great idea."

Pet locator decals can alert First Responders that there are pets inside your home.
And you might want to consider having your veterinarian "Microchip" your pet to help identify them in an emergency.

(Dr. Barry Kellogg, Medical Director, Humane Society of the United States)
"It leaves that microchip in, under the skin."
"Then when you use a scanner that is capable of reading that microchip that unique number comes up on the scanner face then that information can be used to unite an animal with it's owner."
"Which, again is the ulitmate goal if an animal does get separated."

At Ready.gov, you'll find links to local information that will help you learn about the types of emergencies that could affect your family and pets.

Different Types of Emergencies:
1. Floods and Fires
2. Hurricanes, Tornados and Earthquakes
3. Winter Storms, Thunderstorms, Extreme Heat and Extreme Cold
4. Terrorist Threats
Find out more at Ready.gov

The information will help you know what to do in case of ANY emergency, natural or man-made.
You'll find everything you'll need to prepare yourself, your family and your pets for an emergency, at Ready.gov
It's as simple as One, Two, Three.
This instructional video was developed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with The Humane Society of the United States.