What to do with pets in case of earthquakes?

Seismic alerts and drills are tools designed to warn the public in the event of an earthquake. Although effective, they only take into account humans, who perfectly understand what to do when they hear them or perceive an earthquake.

In the case of pets, it is obvious that they cannot read the instructions in a guide recommending that they pack a backpack with all the essentials to survive during this type of natural disaster, or one that informs them of the safest places in a home to stay in case of a collapse. Therefore, the responsibility for keeping them safe falls entirely on their owners, who must know what to do and act accordingly.

As an example of the above, the specialist said that if the family, including pets, lives in a very tall building, it is best to teach them to stay in the safest place in the house. If you live in a building that allows people to evacuate quickly, you could train your dogs or cats to leave and quickly reach a safe area outside your home, always keeping a plan in mind.

An essential element to have ready at home is carriers (or kennels), which will make moving animals from one place to another a quick and efficient task.

There are cases in which pets, for various reasons, are not as receptive to their owners’ commands, so getting them to cooperate within the family plan in case of earthquakes and getting them into their carrier can become an ordeal that shaves valuable seconds off an evacuation. Therefore, the UNAM specialist offered a series of recommendations, including accustoming the animals to these spaces and training them to enter as quickly as possible.