Mar 19, 2025

Pet Emergency Checklists - Why You Need to Be Prepared

In March 2025, our family experienced the unpredictable force of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred here on the Gold Coast. What started as a typical storm quickly escalated, and we found ourselves facing the very real need for an emergency plan—not just for ourselves, but for our pets as well. As pet owners, we often focus on keeping our dogs safe and comfortable on a day-to-day basis, but when disaster strikes, having a plan in place can make all the difference.

From securing their essentials to making sure they have a safe, accessible escape route, we've learned firsthand how important it is to be ready for the unexpected. In this post, we’re sharing our own experience and offering practical advice on how to prepare an emergency checklist for your pet. Now is the time to get ready—taking a few simple steps can help ensure your pet’s safety in the face of any natural disaster or emergency situation and reduce the stress - as you’ll already have a plan.

Prepare an Emergency Plan

Sit down with the people in your household and prepare an emergency plan for the humans and pets. Given the impacts of climate change and increasing frequency of extreme weather events + potential for other emergency events (such as cyber attacks, infectious disease and political unrest) it will time well spent offering some peace of mind if the unexpected happens.

Quick tips for your Pet Emergency Plan:

As a starting place, make sure your pets have identification tags and are microchipped for security.
Familiarise yourself with your local emergency agencies and sign up for alerts during a disaster.
Work out where you might be able to evacuate with your pet to (if needed) – such as family or friends outside of the risk area, the RSPCA, pet boarding facilities, or pet friendly emergency centres.
Write down the plan and talk about it with your family, so everyone is aware of what to do.
Check out the RSPCA here for super detailed info on developing your Pet Emergency Plan.

Prepare an Emergency Checklist

A key part of an Emergency Plan is an Emergency Checklist! There are a lot of items to remember to pack in an evacuation kit and key items that you would want to have available at home.

Luckily, we have one that we prepared earlier (*cough* - after we learned ex-TC Alfred was heading in our direction) that you can use!