The open plains in Oklahoma can prove particularly nerve racking in the spring months, for pets too.
Even with modern radar equipment, severe storms and tornados often form quickly without little warning.
I've never felt comfortable running to the shelter without my pets, but the process of gathering them
together has never been an easy one. Ranging in size from 23 to 88 pounds, a grab and go scenario doesn't
work to well either.
Consequently, we decided to teach our pets to run to the tornado shelter with us. Many storm experts recommend a basement or fortified storm shelter.
If there is no basement, then it's an inner hallway or a smaller inner room located on a
lower floor without windows,
such as a bathroom or closet with enough room for the pets too.
In our case, we cleaned out a 4'x5' closet under the stairs.
Once we chose our shelter, it was time to train the dogs. We did this by giving them extra special
treats, i.e., little bites of steak distributed inside the chosen area. Next, we turned this into a routine that
began with the words "everyone run to the shelter". Now, running into the closet was becoming
a
very positive experience for the dogs. By the way, sound happy and
pleasantly excited when you say "everyone run to the shelter", even if it takes a little acting.
I realize there is nothing fun about storms, but, remember if your scared they will be too, if your
relaxed, they will be too. In other words, the closet should be a
fun, inviting experience for them.
Next, we began putting a doggie gate up across the closet door to keep the
dogs in until it was safe to come out. Shutting the door and leaving them in a small dark
environment would not do well for making the closet an enjoyable experience.
We give them lots of praise and periodic treats so the
closet will continue to be the fun place they want it to be. We practice regularly during storm
season, and now the dogs have the whole storm preparedness routine down to under 2 minutes, sometimes less than 60 seconds.
Our storm protection training has worked well for our dogs, however, we also have a few cats and
a pet pygmy goat, definitely not as trainable as our dogs. Consequently, we had to come up with another
solution for
their safety needs. Our chosen training method was simply to make them as "catchable"
and accessible as possible. We made being "caught" a positive experience complete with praise and
treats. Next, we designated areas of accessibility, including a bedroom for the cats and our small
fenced in back yard area for the goat.
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Preparedness is important, so we've developed a routine that goes into action once a tornado watch has been issued.
First, we call the goat in from the pasture, give her a treat and confine her to the back yard. Next,
we catch the cats, confine them to a small specified bedroom, and give them some treats. And last, but not least,
we get the canine treats out, keep them handy and do a dry practice run with the dogs. Later, if the weather man
recommends we take shelter, the final phase of the routine goes into action. The cats are caught and
placed in a carrier in another small "storm safe area". Next, the goat is caught, brought
inside and placed in a large carrier or specially prepared area of the interior hallway. And, last
but not least, the dogs go into the closet, the doggie gate goes up and we hop over and join them
in the closet too.
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This routine may sound like a lot of trouble, but it actually takes very little time from start to finish,
each step is usually completed in less than 5 minutes. Of course, the training process is a little
more time consuming, however, it can be a lot of fun, as well as, a great way to do some
bonding with your pets. Knowing that your pets will have a chance to survive a tornado with you
can also bring you some valuable peace of mind.
Fortunately, we've never endured a direct hit, but we always feel better knowing our pets are protected with us.
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