Now is the time when one of those indoor portable pet potty mechanisms might come in handy. It’s been raining on and off for the past 24 hours, and getting the dogs outside for a potty break is nearly impossible. Who can blame a dog for not wanting to be exposed to the elements while taking care of business? Positioning an umbrella over the dog is an option. Although, the prospect of following the dog around with an umbrella while she determines the perfect spot is laughable.
All kidding aside, it looks as if Florida escaped a direct hit from Isaac. We’re in for more rain and wind with possible flooding, so precautions are still necessary. Count your blessings, and consider putting together a hurricane plan now. NOAA predicts up to 17 named storms during the 2012 hurricane season, which does not end until November 30. As Susie Kupfer, co-owner of St. Petersburg’s Pet Food Warehouse advises, “This storm season, be prepared, not scared.”
The website for The New Barker dog magazine has a list of Florida pet-related retailers that can recommend and help fulfill your hurricane preparation list for pet families. On the same website, there is a list of pet-friendly hurricane evacuation centers in Florida. Now is a good time to review this list, as some evacuation centers have pre-requisites.
Readers of The New Barker may recall the story a couple of years ago, featuring the Florida Keys SPCA. The shelter is just one storm away from being completely destroyed. This past weekend, while preparing for Tropical Storm Isaac’s arrival, volunteers and staff evacuated 154 animals to foster homes. Tammy Fox emailed us on Sunday, “This community is absolutely amazing. The animals are all safe and sound. The shelter is boarded up and our ACO has the emergency phone. Right now it is very windy and raining. Sounds pretty loud outside. I am so thankful to the community.”
Eerily, Tropical Storm Isaac is following the track of Hurricane Katrina. At this point, Isaac is much weaker than Katrina, but thousands of folks in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have been told to evacuate their Gulf Coast homes. The storm is expected to make landfall late Tuesday or Wednesday, which will coincide with the seventh anniversary of the arrival of Hurricane Katrina. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those in harm’s way. And to Isaac we say, go away.
Somehow, getting a little wet while taking the dogs outside, doesn’t seem like such a big deal, right now.
The Art Of Dog.™ 
You must be logged in to post a comment.