If you live alone with a dog, consider making a detailed emergency care plan
I wanted to share something I’ve put together for my dog in case it’s helpful to anyone else who lives alone, especially people whose immediate support may be limited and/or who have health issues.
I have a few health problems that sometimes result in unexpected trips to the hospital. This happened to me again recently. I went to urgent care and ended up being transported to the ER. I was already stressed about what was happening with my health, but I was more worried about my dog: how long I might be away from home, whether someone would be able to get to him, and what they might be walking into if I couldn’t get home for an extended period of time.
I already had a small emergency plan for him. My neighbor had agreed to take care of him if something happened to me. I had written instructions that included things like where he could be taken if they weren’t able to keep him. But the instructions were fairly minimal. In addition, his care has also become a little more complicated recently because he was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease and now takes daily medication.
After I got home, I decided I wanted to make the existing plan much more detailed and organize everything so that, if necessary, somebody could walk into my house and immediately know where his things are and what to do. I tried to think through the different situations someone might encounter if I’d been unexpectedly away from home for a while and couldn’t explain everything myself. Here are my tips:
Make sure trusted people can access your home. There are different ways to handle this depending on what you’re comfortable with. You can give spare keys to people you trust, or securely store a spare key on your property in a way that only designated people know how to access. The important part is having some way for someone you trust to get inside if you’re unexpectedly unable to come home.
Have more than one emergency contact if possible. My neighbor is my first contact because they’re physically closest to me, but I also asked two friends if they’d be willing to be backup emergency contacts. That way, if my neighbor is traveling or has another commitment that prevents them from caring for my dog, there are other people who already know what’s going on and have agreed to help.
Write down more information than you think someone will need. I made a four-page PDF with simple, clearly labeled sections covering food and medication, walking/potty, what to do if he’s had an accident, what to do if he needs to be cleaned, where his spare crate and beds are, and where he can go if the person who gets him isn’t able to keep him. I also included photos showing where his supplies are located. My emergency contacts have copies of the PDF, and I keep a printed copy with my emergency information.
Keep the supplies together. I have two small emergency-care baskets. One contains the things someone would need for his everyday care, medication and cleaning up an accident. I keep it with his collapsible spare crate and extra beds. The second is under my bathroom sink and contains the things someone would need to clean him if necessary (dog shampoo, dog-washing gloves, a towel, hair dryer and dog wipes).
The idea is that nobody should have to search through cabinets or guess which food, medication, leash, bowl, etc. belongs to him. The things they need are already together.
Include a backup for where your dog can stay. My instructions include the boarding facility my dog has been going to for years, along with their contact information and hours. If my emergency contacts aren’t able to keep him themselves, they know where he can safely go and that it’s somewhere he’s already familiar with.
Make it clear what you don’t expect someone to do. This was important to me too. If I’ve been gone for an extended period and my dog has had an accident, my instructions specifically tell whoever gets him not to worry about cleaning my house or his crate for me. I provide gloves, paper towels, cleaning wipes and garbage bags. If a bed is badly soiled, put it in a garbage bag and leave it. I only want them to do whatever is necessary to make sure he’s clean, comfortable and safe. I can deal with the rest later.
A note about the crate, since I know people have different preferences around crate training: I crate-trained my dog when I first got him at the recommendation of my vet. I’ve found it to be the safest and most predictable arrangement for us when I’m unable to supervise him. It has never been used as punishment. He willingly goes into it throughout the day and treats it as his little den. Being comfortable in a crate has also made boarding and transportation much easier. He’s prone to dietary indiscretion and will absolutely get himself into trouble if given the opportunity.
Whether your dog is crate-trained isn’t really relevant to the larger point though. A dog loose in the house still needs someone who can get inside, find their food and medication, take them outside, and know what to do if their owner can’t come home.
I’m sharing this because the experience made me realize that my existing plan could be much more specific. Having people who are willing to help is incredibly important, but I also wanted to make helping as straightforward as possible for them. Now I’ve made it so that if I’m sick or injured, I’m not trying to remember and communicate a bunch of dog-care instructions from an ER.
Everyone’s setup will look different depending on their pet, home and support system. But if you live alone with an animal, I think it’s worth thinking through the question: If I unexpectedly couldn’t come home tonight, would the person taking care of my pet know how to get in, where everything is, what they need to do, and where my pet could safely go if necessary?
I’ve included a few of photos of my setup and part of the instructions in case they’re useful as an example. I’ve removed identifying information for privacy.