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May 22, 2006

Local dog daycare prepares for hurricane season

This display at Urban Tails shows
specialized products, such as
collapsible water bowls and a plan
of action.

Watch our channel 11 report here

Nature pays no attention to the calendar, but there are just 10 days to go until the traditional big storm watch starts all over again.

On the heels of last year's record 28 named storms, we're being told to look out for another wild summer. It is expected to include fewer named storms with a total of 16.

Ten of the storms are hurricanes, six of which are predicted to be major.

Signs of lessons learned from last year.

Urban Tails, a local dog daycare, may seem a strange place to talk about hurricanes and preparedness. But when Rita blew into town a year ago they weren't ready.

"Quite honestly, I didn't have an official plan," said Susan Briggs, Urban Tails.

And all she could think about then was Tropical Storm Allison, when they were forced to put the dogs in the cat house then sit and watch the water rise.

So now, they have a display in the middle of their waiting room with specialized products, such as collapsible water bowls and what Briggs calls their plan of action.

"We're going to decide to close three days before expected landfall," she said.

"If you’re going to evacuate, you’re going to have to evacuate the pets, too," said Corina Love, Houston Office of Emergency Management.

She would like to see every business have a plan, even for doggie daycares.

"So trying to develop a plan to deal with animals and disasters is very important," Love said.

So it's good to know that next time, they won’t be putting the dogs up in the cat house. They have their luxury suites with room to pace, fret and watch TV.

"Because it's more like home," Briggs explained. "Have the TV on, background noise reduces stress."

Or she might read to them. Maybe from the book What Do Dogs Dream?

Excerpt from the book: "Nobody came home for like 10 days. I woke up crying. Teddy."

A dog’s day isn’t always pretty.

In Washington, the House is expected to vote on a bill that would require state and local preparedness officials to include pets in future emergency planning. (The bill was approved.)

Houston officials saw last summer that many people will not leave without their pets. So they had better include them in the plans.

Posted by at 7:17 PM