Hurricanes, tornados, forest fires, floods, blizzards, and earthquakes are all common natural disasters within the United States. In recent years, terrorism can be added to the list of potential disasters a pet owner may face. We'll take a look at how you can prepare for these disasters.

Where Will You Stay?

Plan your strategy before disaster strikes. Plan where you will stay if something were to happen where you live. The Red Cross does not take pets. If you have family or friends living outside the potential disaster area, talk to them now and make arrangements. Don't assume that they'll be willing to take both you and your rottie. You may find out later that they won't, and you'll be scrambling for other accommodations.

If you don't have family or friends with whom you can stay, make a listing of hotels and motels within a certain radius of your house (five miles, ten miles, twenty-five miles, fifty miles, and so on) that will allow pets. Locate kennels that are outside the potential disaster area in case you must stay in a place that doesn't allow pets. Some hotels will allow pets, but only up to a certain size. Ask before you find yourself in sudden need of their services, and update the list at least once a year.

If you really can't find a place to put your rottie, call around to shelters as a last resort. Most shelters will be full with pets from the disaster, and it is a good place for your rottie to pick up diseases, but if you have no choice, ask the shelter if they will board your rottie.

Emergency Kit

Sometimes you have plenty of warning about an impending natural disaster (hurricanes and floods) and sometimes you have little or no warning (fires, tornados, earthquakes). Be sure to have the following items in an emergency package in a handy place:

Bowls, leashes, and can opener

Contact information for hotels, motels, emergency veterinarians, your veterinarian, and other worthwhile numbers

Copies of your pet's health records and vaccination records

Enough pet food and potable water for three days

Pet first-aid kit

Photos of your pet in case he gets lost

Travel crates

Worst-Case Scenario

If disaster strikes and you're too far from home, who will rescue your rottie? Find a pet-owning friend or neighbor who lives close to you and whom you can trust. Have an agreement that whoever gets home first will help rescue the other's pet. You'll have to give your neighbor a way to enter your home. Plan in advance a predetermined place to meet so you can pick up your rottie or return her pets to her. Be sure to tell your neighbor about your emergency prepared-ness package and where it is located so he or she can bring it.

In the event that no one except emergency personnel can get to your house, you can sometimes ask them to rescue your rottweiler. There are emergency stickers you can purchase to put on your windows and alert emergency personnel of animals that need rescuing. Sometimes animal control will come by and rescue pets and take them to the local animal shelter.