Did you know that 91% of pet parents today are not prepared to evacuate with their animal companions?
Good thing Pet Evac Pak offers pet evacuation kits that help you care for your animals even during disasters.
Founded by Claudia Wiles and Michelle Danielson, Pet Evac Pak is a women- and veteran-owned business that aims to give pet parents peace of mind knowing they’re ready if something happens.
According to Michelle,
“It’s best that we prepare for our own pets. That’s what we do, and that’s what we’re all about. We’re passionate about making sure that you’re prepared.”
Building Pet Evac Pak
When asked how the story of Pet Evac Pak started, Michelle volunteered that it all began after a trip she took to Houston post-Hurricane Harvey.
She had returned home with four big dogs scheduled to be euthanized because their families were not prepared to take them.
“I was telling Claudia of my trip and how sad it was to see all the animals that had been left behind and all these people trying to find them and rescue them. And we thought, ‘Why would you leave your animal behind?’”
At the time, both friends were doing pet therapy with their dogs in a children’s treatment facility. However, Michelle’s experience had been too heartbreaking that they started researching situations like it.
“There was an article that actually came out in USA Today that said that 91% of people were not prepared to evacuate with their animals. So, we thought that this was a problem that we might be able to solve.”
This led them to look for go-bags that are currently on the market.
However, the problem was that Michelle and Claudia found the items “really inadequate”.
Some of the pet evacuation kits they found being sold at the time came in a bucket, a briefcase, and even backpacks. However, they didn’t have enough water or even pet products.
This encouraged them to develop go-bags that would be truly responsive to pet parents’ and animals’ needs in times of an emergency.
“We talked to first responders and a lot of people who had been evacuated. We also talked to veterinarians, and we came up with a perfect go-bag for your animals. So, if you have to leave, you grab your pet, you grab your backpack, your go-bag, and you’d get out.”
Inside the Kits of Pet Evac Pak
According to the female co-founders, their pet evacuation kits at Pet Evac Pak are so good because they have already customized the go-bags for your dogs and cats.
In fact, each kit includes at least the following items:
- 12 little pouches of water that you can share with your pets
- Survival foods that are good for five years, which might be enough depending upon the size of your animals
- A first aid kit specifically designed for both pets and their people (complete with gauze pads, alcohol wipes, tweezers, cotton swabs, cold packs, etc.)
- ID tags for your dogs
- A cat or dog toy
All of the items inside the kit are essential to your disaster plans with your animal companions.
The only thing you’ll need to do is add other items that are personal to you, like medications, your dog’s or cat’s favorite toy, or your favorite blanket.
Michelle said,
“Just make a plan. Just make sure your pets are part of your emergency plan. And make a plan for yourself as well. You know, a lot of people don’t do that. They think they’ll do it tomorrow, but tomorrow might not come in time.”
To which Claudia added,
“It’s one of those things where it can happen to you. It’s not that it will, and it’s not that it will never, but it can. And wouldn’t it be better to be prepared?”
Learn more about Pet Evac Pak!
Visit their website at https://petevacpak.com/.
