National Animal Preparedness Day isn’t just a reminder to have a family action plan for a major disaster like a terrorist attack or Hurricane Katrina-like flooding, but for smaller family emergencies as well. Within the last few months in the Dexter area, a row of lake houses caught fire and were nearly a total loss. I recall one of these families putting out a notice on Facebook that they were missing their cat after the fire and thankfully, were eventually re-united with it.

Or on an even smaller scale, what if your dog runs away? Have a plan in place for the possibility of a pet emergency. Ask yourself, “Do the people in my neighborhood know what my pet looks like? Is my pet micro-chipped? Do I have the number for animal control in case my pets turned in?” Do you have access to a social media site like Facebook to spread the word that your pet is missing?

The hope is that you’ll never have to go down this road, but it always pays to consider these questions before an emergency situation happens.

Check out this link to the Red Cross to get ideas on what to include in a pet emergency kit.