Hurricanes...
 

I was out all day yesterday getting our hurricane supplies together since we recently moved. Good thing I did...looks like there's tropical storms (or at least heavy rain) headed our way. Anyway, I was here in Florida in 2005 for Katrina and Wilma, but I didn't have a dog then. So my question to anyone that lives in an area affected by hurricanes is how do your dogs usually react to hurricanes/tropical storms? What did you do to make them more comfortable (assuming you're staying in your house during the storm)?

Thanks!

I live just North of Tampa; we haven't had a direct hit in years, but we get some pretty vicious thunderstorms.

My dogs aren't afraid of the noise and winds, but they get perturbed at the thunder: it disturbs their "chi", their sense of "well-being" - so the two boys go outside, stand in the rain and bark at the heavens. The little girl sits inside, watching them OUTside, and looks confused. But she has MUCH more sense than to stand in the rain like those silly BOYS :D.

Even during fireworks, the worst that happens is that they'll come sit beside me for a little reassurance.

If your pooch handles the thunderstorms, s/he'll be able to tolerate the bigger storms. Just make sure you have a 2-week supply of meds, food, and all the other stuff necessary (like favorite TREATS!!) for comfort and well-being.

Haha...that's really funny because Stella barks AT the thunder too. She's always looking up towards the roof trying to figure out where she could go to catch it...:rolleyes:

If it's just raining, they won't have a thing to do with "outside". But if there's thunder, they run out, bark their fool heads off, then run back inside as quickly as they can :rolleyes: . What can I say??? BOYS :p !

God forbid....if we were forced to evac ~ we need to find a pet friendly hotel or shelter :cool:

I think Holiday Inns are pet friendly. They were five years ago.

i'm pretty sure Motel 6 is too (not my 1st choice...but) in a storm ;)

In any event, you should find out NOW - before you need it. Then find out if there's a way you can make a "pre-reservation" in the event of a storm, so you KNOW you will have a room should you need one. If a storm heads your way, places fill up fast - especially if it's a big storm that has driven folks out of another area already.

Also, check with your local/county emergency center; most places are now designating "pet friendly" shelters because so many people won't leave their homes if they can't take their pets to safety, too.

What part of FL are you in? Where's Coconut Creek? I could Google it, but I can ask you, too!

We went thru Ike last year - it was bad in Houston - really bad.....I was alone during the storm and we (me and my 2 yorkies) ended up in the hall due to all the breaking windows and boards flying around my apartment complex.....the best advise is to stay calm and try not to convey fear if a storm gets really bad.

Our boys aren't bothered by high winds. They will bark a little if the rain picks up very quickly and thunder doesn't bother them.

If you have to evacuate, which is rare, Red Roof in is pet friendly & not a bad hotel, either.

This is Sophie's first hurricane season but I don't think it will bother her. Thunder used to put her in a tizzy . We've had to work with her on that. Instead of cuddling her & telling her it 'alright' we take her into the tv room, close all of the blinds & turn the tv up, just a little higher than we usually play it. She used to shake like a leaf but is so so much better now.

Hurricane
 

We lost our roof in 2004 to Charley. The storm made a turn and went from a CAT 2 to a CAT 4 in a short amount of time, it was not enough time to leave. I had water & food & Harley's bed set up in the closet (safest place) I only had one yorkie then, we stayed in the closet during the worst part. Your reaction is key as their reactions are usually learned behaviors. Stay calm and don't fuss over them, it makes them nervous. I was also prepared to put him up on a shelf in the closet if the water got that high. Do not put them in crates, if the water rises, they can't get out and will drown for sure. Now that there are all kinds of storms brewing, I think I'm gonna need a bigger closet!:D

We're a couple miles south of Boca Raton.

God willing.....we won't have to find out how Sugar will react to her 1st hurricane season :thumbup: She's an Oklahoma baby by birth....Only been a Floridian for about a year total (We have had her for about 6 months already :))

We live in north Tampa and in 2004 we had some pretty vicious winds. Scooter wasn't with us then (he's only 2 1/2) but our other dogs were very nervous. Maybe because I was a nervous wreck they picked up on it. I dread every hurricane season because my husband is very ill and requires 24/7 care. I think we would, depending on the severity of the storm, probably stay in the house. We have hurricane covers for the windows and the doors so hopefully we would be ok unless it was a major monster hurricane. Scooter doesn't pay any attention to winds, rain or thunder. His sis Bitsy is a different story. She is totally terrified and I give her homeopathic drops called Anxiety TFLN that the vet gave me. They work very well and don't make her dopey but do make her more mellow. :rain:

If it is a big evacuation, they don't hold reservations. We found that out the hard way. I think it was Opal, we were stuck on the highway for hours and then when we got to the hotel, they had given away our room even though we had reserved it with a credit card. I guess they don't have to hold in emergency conditions. We had to drive a lot further north before finding a room, and we didn't even ask if pets were okay. We were just thankful to finally get a room.

During Ivan we evacuated to a house my son had for sale over in Jacksonville. They were telling everyone not to come home yet, so we had to stay a few days. Then another hurricane came aimed right at Jacksonville! Felt like we were really being aimed at twice! So, we went ahead and drove home. That was a tough one to come home to. Our whole town was badly destroyed. (We took the direct hit on that one.) Took a long time, but most things are back to normal now.

Surprisingly, our pets were not that scared. They were sort of subdued. I remember coming home, all the rest areas were full of pet owners letting their dogs out. There was a weird fellowship as we were all afraid of what we were going home to.

Hope everyone is fine after this Tropical Storm Claudette passed through. We got a good rain, but nothing more here. We had a worse storm last week.