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No one wants to think that they may have to face a disaster one day, but in order to protect your pet-sitting business—and particularly the pets in your care—it is important to prepare for anything that could come your way. Fortunately, there are many resources available to help you get started.

We know pet sitters are busy, so we’ve put together a list of our top PSI blog posts with disaster preparedness tips. Set aside some time for yourself this month to refresh and build your disaster preparedness knowledge, and act on any new recommendations you learn!

1. 3 tips for creating a disaster plan for your pet-sitting business

As a professional pet sitter, you should have a plan in place to guide how you will respond if a disaster strikes your service area. If disaster strikes, pet owners will be relying on your expertise to help ensure the safety of their pets, and having a plan in place before a disaster occurs will save you valuable time. This post shares three tips to keep in mind when creating a disaster plan for your pet-sitting business.

2. Items you need in your pet first aid kit

Whether you may face a simple accident at home or a communitywide disaster, one way to be prepared for emergencies is to have a pet first aid kit available for your use. This post shares a list of some of the items you or your clients may want to include in your pet first aid kits.

3. Pet Preparedness Month: 8 steps to prepare for disaster

Disasters can happen anytime, anywhere and can take many different forms, from barn fires or flooding caused by violent storms to earthquakes or gas line explosions. Depending upon where you live, possible natural disasters may vary—from hurricanes and blizzards to flooding and wildfires. This post, originally written for the observance of Pet Preparedness Month, shares eight tips for preparing you and your pets for a disaster.

4. How pet sitters can help when disaster strikes

Busy pet-sitting schedules may prevent pet sitters and dog walkers from traveling to other areas to directly help with clean-up or rescue efforts after a disaster, but that doesn’t mean that pet sitters can’t assist those in need. As leaders in their local communities, pet-sitting business owners are positioned to make a big impact as they muster support and donations for the communities impacted by man-made or natural disasters. This post shares ideas for pet sitters who want to help when disaster strikes.

5. How professional pet sitters can respond to disasters

As a professional pet sitter, it’s important that you be in the percentage of people who have the knowledge and preparation to react appropriately in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. At a previous Pet Sitter World Educational Conference & Expo, Denise Fleck, owner of Sunny-dog Ink, presented a general session on Pet Disaster Preparedness. This post shares some key takeaways.

Bonus:

Did you know that PSI has an online certificate program, “Disaster Planning for Professional Pet Sitters”? This online certificate program was designed by Pet Safety Crusader™ Denise Fleck with Pet Sitters International. Pet sitters successfully completing this course and passing the final exam will earn the "Certificate in Disaster Planning for Professional Pet Sitters." Learn more on the PSI website.

Also, in the Members area of petsit.com, you can download these free disaster preparedness resources for PSI members:

Client handout: 8 tips to prepare for a disaster (members only)

Client handout: Preparing a pet disaster kit (members only)

Pet sitters, do you have any other disaster preparedness tips? Share them in the comments section below.