Keeping Your Precious Pet Pooch Safe in the Event of a Fire
Keeping your dog safe in the event of a fire is somewhat different to fire safety for the human members of your family. You should always have fully charged fire extinguishers and a fire blanket ready to go to put out any small blazes. But the dog doesn't know to escape the fire and wait for you at a designated safe meeting point. So what do you need to know when it comes to keeping your beloved pooch safe in the event of a fire at your home?
Don't Let Your Dog Be an Arsonist
First thing's first. You need to minimise the chance of your dog accidentally starting a fire. Never leave your dog unsupervised around burning candles. An enthusiastically wagging tail can easily knock a candle over and a fire could easily start. Likewise, you should not leave your dog unsupervised in your kitchen while you are cooking on your stovetop. Even the best behaved dog might want to find the source of that delicious scent and can cause an accident. While a fire is unlikely in this scenario, your dog could easily be injured.
Keep That Leash Handy
Do you always keep your dog's leash in the same spot? This is an excellent habit to get into. In the event that you need to evacuate, you will always know where to find it. This enables you to quickly attach the leash to your dog and lead it to safety. This is important even with smaller dogs that you can carry. You should have a designated safe meeting point where your family knows to gather, such as in front of your neighbour's home. Try to choose a spot that has somewhere to hitch the leash, and this can simply be a fence or even a suitably sized tree. This allows you to securely leave your dog in a safe place while you assist other members of your family.
Notifying Firefighters
You might wish to obtain an animal safety sticker for your window, which can be found at pet shops and animal charity shops. This is simply a small sticker that is placed in your front window, notifying firefighters that there might be an animal trapped inside. Please update the sticker as necessary, and it can be prudent to remove it altogether if you happen to go on holiday and board your dog at a kennel. Don't forget to put it back again when you and your dog return home!
Keeping Track of Your Dog
It's always a good idea to have your dog microchipped, even in the case of dogs who only leave your property to go for walks. A dog can easily become spooked by a fire, and if the dog happens to be in the back garden when a fire takes hold, they might run away. When scanned, a microchip pulls up your contact information so your dog can be quickly reunited with you.
While hopefully you will never have to deal with a fire at your home, it's important to do everything that you can to ensure that all members of your family are safe… even those with four legs.
