By MATT PIKE

During Severe Weather Preparedness week this week, along with being sure to have a plan to keep yourself safe, make sure you know how to take care of your pets.

Melanie Barnes with Friends of the Animal Shelter says in the event of severe weather, be sure to know what your pet needs and how it behaves

“In the event of stress and severe weather, they may go hide, so knowing where their hiding spots are, knowing where their stress spots are, so if you have to find them in the event of an emergency you know where to look, cat, dog, whatever inside your house,” Barness says on the KFEQmunnity show. “Maybe they don’t, maybe they respond very well and come right to you, and that’s wonderful.”

Barnes says it’s also important during severe weather instances to know what to do for your pets if you become displaced from your home

“If your pet is on medications or needs specific care, having equipment also ready to go,” Barnes explains. “We talk about for people having a meeting spot, having food and water and any additional supplies, same thing goes for your pet, is knowing have a leash close by or a crate close by, knowing what that equipment that will be needed ti evacuate your pet very quickly and where it is and located very quickly, so equipment and medication.”

Barnes also stresses the importance of making sure your pets are microchipped in the case that it gets off its leash or escapes a crate in the case you have to evacuate your home or are travelling during the spring.

“You can’t control everything, if you have to evacuate your house or evacuate your car and your pet is with you and you don’t have a good leash or a good crate and your pet gets loose, make sure they are microchipped,” Barnes says. “We do not want them having to spend time in a shelter not knowing who their owner is, so keeping your pet microchipped and keeping that information up to date, people don’t realize when you move, when you change phone numbers, that information needs to stay up to date and that’s something the owners have to do.”

Barnes also says in the instances of severe weather, if you have an outdoor pet, like with the colder weather it’s important to make sure to bring them inside or keep them in a safe space outside.

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.