• Store photographs and copies of registration and brand papers for horses and livestock at a location away from your home. Evacuated horses cannot legally be returned without proof of ownership.
• Provide identification for horses and individual livestock. Keep halters available with nametags or telephone number marked on them. In emergency evacuation situations you can also use marked duct-tape collars or spray paint phone numbers on the sides of horses to provide identification.
• Maintain an emergency evacuation packet in your livestock area where emergency crews will clearly see it. Heavy sheet protectors or various brochure boxes are valuable in protecting and displaying this information. Provide the number of animals and description of each horse as well as any pertinent information regarding transportation, care, medications and special housing needs.
• If at all possible, have adequate trailer space for transporting all of your livestock. Make sure that all of your horses will easily load into trailers. If necessary, seek professional help in teaching horses to load quickly and safely. Failure to train horses to load easily risks the lives of horses, owners and emergency crews. Should emergency crews need to use your trailer to move your animals, it is essential that a hitch be readily available that fits that individual trailer.
• Avoid unnecessary lightning risk in pastures. Provide shelter for horses and fence off isolated trees where horses may congregate in storms.
• Prepare for severe blizzards. Colorado can experience blizzards that exceed 3 feet with blowing and drifting snow. You may be without power and water for several days. You should keep at least 10-14 days of feed on hand in the winter. A woodstove or camp stove can be used to melt ice and snow for water. Keep horse blankets and a first aid kit available. Make certain your personal winter gear is adequate for your family.

Colorado Federation of Animal Welfare Agencies
www.cfawa.org

Colorado State Animal Response Team (SART)
www.cosart.org

Humane Society of the United States
(972) 488-2964.
www.hsus.org

HSUS can provide a notebook on disaster planning for communities.

American Humane Association
located in Englewood, CO
(303) 885-2179

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Has materials on animal related subjects at www.fema.gov/fema/anemer.htm

Red Cross
animal related information
www.redcross.org/disaster/safety/pets.html

Intermountain Humane Society
Conifer, CO
Additional information on disaster preparedness
(303) 838-2668
www.imhs.org

AnimalDisaster.com
A site dedicated to issues concerning animals in emergency situations:
www.animaldisasters.com

Hotels, motels and campgrounds that allow animals can be found at:
www.Petswelcome.com

Links to equine emergency preparedness information can be found at the Horse Review:
www.horsereview.com/disaster_preparedness_directory.htm

United Animal Nations, Emergency Animal Rescue Service:
www.uan.org/ears/index.html

Information on training horses to load into trailers can be accessed at: www.kbrhorse.net/tra/trailer1.html
www.horse-guide.com/Training/Trailer_Loading/
www.todayshorse.com/Articles/HorseTrailering.htm

Each year Larimer Animal Protection and Control receives hundreds of calls regarding barking dogs. Keeping your dog quiet is not only respectful to your neighbors it is the law. Officers respond to these calls and can even issue a summons in cases when the problem is not addressed. Your greatest defense against this disturbance is to educate yourself and your neighbors on how to modify undesirable barking behaviors.

Obviously the squirt bottle technique only works when you are around to correct your dog. A citronella dog collar can continue the work for you when you are away. These collars immediately spray citronella oil into the dog’s face when he barks. The same association occurs with the collar as it does with the squirt bottle; the dog learns that barking solicits an unpleasant experience.

Larimer Humane Society does not recommend shock bark collars or surgical debarking.

At Larimer Humane Society we understand that your companion animal is family and we want to help you keep him or her safe. Follow these tips to ensure that your companion lives a long and healthy life.

• Take your animal in for a Veterinarian check-up once a year. Your Vet will be able to give you individualized advice on keeping him healthy and detect any possible problems early on.
• Keep your companion’s vaccinations current. Vaccinations are an important piece in protecting your animal from diseases.
• Keep your cat indoors at all times. Indoor cats live longer because they are not exposed to the disease, illness and predatory animals of the outside world.
• Have your companion spayed or neutered. An altered animal is less likely to stray from home and become injured. Spaying and neutering also reduces the risk of some cancers.
• Protect your animal from the elements. Make sure he has adequate shelter and when it gets too hot or cold, bring him inside with you.
• Keep your animal licensed. If your animal is wearing a collar and tags we can ensure that she finds her way back home if she becomes lost.
• Do not encourage wild animals into your yard. Keep your garbage covered, feed your companion animals inside, and build a fence around your garden. Wild animals can be very dangerous to cats and small dogs.
• Obey local ordinances, they are designed to protect your animals.
• Take your dog to training class. A well-trained dog is less likely to get into trouble and can understand commands that direct her attention away from danger.
• Avoid situations that you know may scare your animal. For instance, leave your dog at home when going to watch fireworks, she will be glad to be safely confined at home and miss out on the terrifying noises.
• If your animal does become lost contact Larimer Humane Society and any other local shelters immediately.