Saline County wants people to remember an important aspect of the family if disaster strikes — pets — and is hosting a class on how to prepare sheltering for furry, scaly and feathered friends.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 25, Saline County is a hosting a free Basic Disaster Pet Sheltering class at the 4-H building on the grounds of the Saline County Livestock and Expo Center, 900 Greely Ave.
Alyssa Sanchez, deputy director of Saline County Emergency Management, said this class, which is being conducted by the Kansas State Animal Response Team, is really geared to people who love pets and their well-being.
“Unfortunately, during disasters a lot of times pets are forgotten about, even with people who own pets,” she said.
By learning some basics about disaster pet sheltering and preparedness for pets before an emergency or disaster, Sanchez said people can not only learn to care for their own pets but also potentially be a resource to other pet lovers in the community.
What can people expect during the pet sheltering class?
Sanchez said those who come to the class will get acquainted with the basics of shelter operations for pets.
“There will be live demonstrations on how to set crates up, how far away they should be and how they should divide animals,” she said.
The class will look at specifics as to how an actual emergency shelter for pets would operate, and having it at the Expo Center is the perfect location, she said.
“If there was ever (a situation) where people would need to evacuate or shelter somewhere, the Expo Center would be where we would shelter,” Sanchez said.
She said those who come to the class will look at sheltering pets of all kinds, including the typical dogs and cats, but also things like chickens, other birds and more.
“Lunch is provided, and that's always a great thing,” she said.
What other steps can pet owners take to prepare for a disaster?
Even if people can't make it to this sheltering class, Sanchez said there are some simple things pet owners should do to prepare their furry friends for disaster.
“We recommend building a (disaster) kit very similar to what a person would need,” she said.
Things to include in a pet disaster kit include basics like at least three days supply of their food, water, with at least one gallon per day per pet and medications.
“Also, extra leashes and animal toys,” she said. “If you have to shelter in place at home, they're kind of like kids, they'll need distractions as well.”
Finally, it's recommended to keep copies of paperwork and documents in the kit.
“Just like how we recommend people have a copy of their driver's license and birth certificate and stuff like that,” she said. “Have a copy of your animal's paper like vaccinations and things like that.”
She said having paperwork is particularly important for those who use service animals.
Signup and short prerequisite training required for pet sheltering class
Sanchez said this class is free to the public, but limited to 30 participants.
Those interested should sign up online by visiting www.train.org/ks. From that site, people can create or log in to their account and search for the course ID for this class, 1125736.
In addition to signing up, those wanting to attend this class are also required to take short prerequisite online training on Basic Pet Sheltering.
Sanchez said the online training can take up to a few hours but does not need to be done all at one time, as long as the process for saving progress is followed.
This online training can be found by visiting the Florida State Agricultural Response Team site, flsart.org/petfriendly/index.jsp.
Finally, for those who can't make the Saturday training in January, Sanchez said the department will be doing another pet sheltering course during the workweek in March. More information about this second class, including signups, will be released later.
