Blog: September is Preparedness Month: Be ready to protect your pet in any emergency with PetLink

Hurricanes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes — disasters strike with little or no warning. Pets often get overlooked and will either become separated from their owners, permanently lost or worse. This Preparedness Month, take a few minutes to check and update your microchip info on PetLink.net, make sure your dog wears and ID collar and is trackable with a PetLinkGPS, and build a pet emergency kit with food, water, meds, and comfort items.

Understanding emergency threats to your pet

Hurricanes bring devastating winds, flooding, and power outages that can last for days. Pets can easily become separated from their families during evacuations or when seeking shelter from storm damage. The chaos of hurricane preparation and aftermath makes proper identification and emergency supplies critical for pet safety.

Floods can occur rapidly, giving families little time to gather pets and evacuate safely. Rising waters force quick decisions, and pets may hide or become frightened, making them harder to locate and rescue. Waterproof emergency kits and updated digital records become essential when physical documents may be destroyed.

Wildfires spread unpredictably and require immediate evacuation, often with just minutes to spare. Smoke and flames can disorient pets, causing them to run in panic. Having carriers, leashes, and identification readily accessible can mean the difference between saving your pet and leaving them behind.

Earthquakes strike without any warning, instantly turning familiar environments into dangerous, debris-filled spaces. Pets may bolt through damaged doors or windows in terror. Immediate identification and emergency supplies stored in easily accessible locations are crucial when your home’s structure may be compromised.

Your pet Emergency Action Plan

1. Prepare an Emergency Kit that includes pet supplies

When creating your family’s emergency kit, dedicate space for pet essentials. Your pet emergency kit should include:

• Portable food bowls and water bowls
• At least three days of food and treats
• Comfort items like toys and blankets
• Portable litterbox with kitty litter (for cats)
• Extra leashes, harnesses, collars, and collar tags
• All current medications and important health documents in waterproof storage
• Recent photos of your pets for identification purposes

You can explore our Emergency Kit Collection on the PetLink store for specialized items like reflective collars, harnesses, and collar tags that can be personalized with your pet’s name and microchip number.

2. Update Your Microchip information in the PetLink Database

Your pet’s microchip is only as good as the contact information attached to it. Whenever you get a new phone number or move to a new home, always login to PetLink and update your contact information immediately. A microchip can only reunite you with your pet if emergency responders can reach you when they scan the chip.

Remember: you can register any microchip in the PetLink database—it doesn’t have to be a PetLink microchip! If you have multiple pets in your family, you can register them all on PetLink at no additional cost.

3. Secure copies of important health documents

Ask your veterinarian for copies of any critical health documents, especially if your pet requires specialized medications, medicated food, or has specific behavioral needs. Store these documents with your emergency kit in a waterproof bag or container alongside your family’s important papers.

PetLink Pro Tip: During your pet’s next wellness visit, ask your vet to scan your pet’s microchip to ensure it’s working properly. For added peace of mind, consider purchasing a PetLink F1 Personal Scanner from the PetLink Store, which allows you to verify your pet’s microchip functionality at home and even help other pet owners check their pets’ chips.

4. Create a pet-inclusive Family Emergency Plan

Coordinate with family and friends on specific roles during an emergency. Designate who will be responsible for securing each pet—putting them on leashes, in carriers, or crates—and establish a clear evacuation order that includes your animals.

If you’re away from home, have a trusted neighbor or close friend designated as your pet’s emergency contact, with keys and instructions for accessing and evacuating your pets if needed.

The ultimate safety net: a PetLinkGPS Tracker

While preparation covers most scenarios, real-time tracking provides the ultimate peace of mind. A PetLinkGPS tracker is invaluable during any emergency situation. When disasters strike and pets panic, GPS tracking allows you to locate them immediately, even when they’ve fled far from home. Whether your pet is hiding in debris after an earthquake, has run from wildfire smoke, or was swept away during flooding, GPS technology can guide rescue efforts directly to your pet’s location. In emergency situations where every minute counts, PetLinkGPS transforms a desperate search into a targeted rescue mission.

Don’t wait for disaster to strike. This Preparedness Month, take action to protect every member of your family—including those with four legs, wings, or fins. Your pets depend on you for their safety, and with proper preparation, you’ll be ready to keep them safe no matter what emergency comes your way.

Need help building your kit? Check out our comprehensive emergency preparedness resources and visit PetLink.net to update your pet’s information today.

PetLink. The home of Pet Safety.