4 Dog Breeds That'll Rescue You In A Pinch

Dogs are incredibly loyal creatures, there’s no doubt about that. We all want to be able to rely on our perfect pet pooches to come and rescue us should the need arise, and it makes sense to believe that they would. They snatch the mail out of the delivery man’s hand and they bark excitedly when the doorbell rings. It makes sense to think that the dog in the home would be the one to turn Lassie in a crisis and come to our aid. Dogs are fiercely protective of our every move, so it stands to reason that if there was a fire or something went wrong in our homes, hero doggy would come to help.

There are, however, some breeds over others that have heroism stamped through their bodies like sticks of rock. There are so many misconceptions about dog breeds out there, and while some dogs are as useful as a fish out of water, others make the list of best dogs to have around in a crisis. If your pooch isn’t on this list, don’t worry. They’re probably still really good at making you feel calm and happy.

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Newfie (Newfoundland). A Newfoundland is a beautifully large dog that looks like it was made to jump overboard when the boat capsizes and drag you to shore. With their surprisingly webbed feet, a coat that not only repels moisture, but is double layered for warmth and a tail of pure muscle for propulsion, Newfoundlands are a dog breed built for rescue. They’ve been known to jump from helicopters and rescue those in the water and it’s a miracle thing that they do!

German Shepherd. Commonly chosen as military dogs, these pups are high energy, courageous and very trainable. They are always wary with strangers, but once you’ve gained their trust they are fiercely loyal to you and your family. They’ll be right by your side in any crisis and won’t let you down.

Golden Retriever. Originally bred to, well, retrieve, these dogs are such intelligent creatures. They’ve been repeatedly bred for search and rescue missions, including those in the aftermath of 9/11. You can’t go wrong with choosing a dog who is not only playful, but amazingly warm and loyal, too.

Collie. Lassie was a Collie, and though she may be fiction, the heroism of other Collie dogs isn’t. There’s an award called Dog Hero Of The Year, and Collie’s have topped the list more than once. There are several stories in the media of Collie dogs saving the day when there’s a problem, and Timmy isn’t the only child that has been rescued by a Collie.

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In all seriousness, there are many dog breeds out there with threads of heroism woven in the very pads of their paws. Dogs of all backgrounds have plenty of heart once you get to know them, win their trust and show that you love them as much as they love you. Dogs are great in a crisis and will take a bus or a bullet for you. Treat them well.

Affording the Vet Bills: Being Prepared

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The life of a dog owner is one filled with wake-up kisses, muddy paw prints all over the house and a kind of joy and love that can only come from our furry, friendly family members. Most, if not all, dog owners would put the health of their dog well above that of their own, and as much as they may hate the vet, it is a necessary evil (evil to them, anyway) for ensuring they stay fit and full of fun.

But veterinary bills can be expensive. If you are thinking about getting a dog, or already have one, then it is essential that you can give it the best life possible, and you will need the money to care for them properly to achieve this.

PET INSURANCE

Dogs feeling under the weather can break your heart, and there are many different issues that can arise that can cost you a lot of money - even if it is worth it. Having pet insurance will ease a lot of the worry that comes with medical care for your animals when it comes to payment.

Furthermore, taking out fast loans can also aid in the process and can help you out when in a pinch. This can be helpful during a time where even the insurance may not cover the medical expenses.

ONLINE MEDS

Researching doggy medication online may help you find better deals than what you would pay at the vets. This is perfect for when the money might be tight, or there is a continual health issue with your dog.

However, as with any product bought online, it is essential that you do thorough research to ensure what you are buying is legitimate. The last thing you want is thinking you have found the deal of a lifetime only to discover that you have been taken for a ride by scammers looking to capitalise and take advantage of your love for your dog. Be vigilant.

THE RIGHT FOOD

One way to be able to afford veterinary bills is to ensure that you keep them as healthy as possible. One of the ways to do this - along with regular exercise - is to provide them with the proper food to keep them healthy. 

Keeping your dog’s diet to an adequate standard will save them from missing out on the essential food groups. Furthermore, ensuring that they keep their teeth healthy - if not exactly clean, have you ever seen a dog clean its teeth? - will help with them chewing to guarantee they do not want to food.

PREPARED

You want to give your dog the best life you possibly can and so being prepared to deal with the added costs that come with owning a dog will be essential towards making this a reality. Understanding what you need to do to prepare for the inevitable vet bills - even when it is just a check-up - will allow you to cope with any issues whenever they arise.

Furthermore, this preparation will give you better peace of mind when it comes to finding and securing treatment as you won’t feel the weight of any substantial payments. Knowing what you can afford and going forward with this will allow you and your dog to continue living in harmony and happiness.

Advanced Dog Tricks For A Disaster And Daily Life

If you are keen to ensure your dog is useful in the event of a disaster, you do need to teach it some tricks. You can start off with some simple things that all dogs should learn. This includes sit, stay, heel and come. These are the four basic commands that you need as a dog owner. It’s important to realize that these will be important, regardless of whether or not you are using your pet as a disaster dog.

As well as these, there are many more that could prove useful, both in the event of a disaster and in everyday life as a pet owner. On this guide, we’re going to look at some of the tricks that you can teach your dog, and as well as this, we will look at how they could help you as a pet owner and in the event of a disaster.

Leave It Alone

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Leave it alone is an incredibly important command to teach your dog in everyday life and in a disaster as well. Let’s start by thinking about daily life as a pet owner. You will be taking your dogs on walks, outside, perhaps even letting them off their leash. If this is the case, then you need to be careful what the dog eats while it is outside. Dogs can be drawn to droppings due to their smell, but by eating it, they can get worms or any other number of infections. They might also decide to roll in it which will lead to a nasty clean up job for you later.

Many people think dogs do this to show their owner where they’ve been, like a little souvenir stench. So, by teaching your dog to leave something alone, you can save yourself a lot of trouble and protect the health of your dog.

Getting a dog to leave something alone can be accomplished through positive reinforcement. The easiest and safest way to do this is to use a treat in a closed hand. When the treat is in the closed hand, you can hold it at a height in front of the dog where they can smell it. They will nuzzle at your hand, perhaps even using a paw to try and get it out. Use the command and wait until they obey. Eventually, they will grow tired of the game and sit down leaving the treat you are offering. At this point, you can then give them the treat that they have been opening for, repeating the process until they respond immediately to the command. It can take a little time.

Be aware that variations of this command can be useful in a variety of situations including when strangers try to give your dogs treats. It’s very difficult to get your dog to turn down a treat from a stranger because some might drop it right in front of them or hold it out. But, with training and using a family member as the stranger, you can stop them from eating the treat. That’s important because you can’t always trust strangers. Helper dogs are actually trained not to accept treats from other people because it could leave the person they are helping exposed and unprotected to criminal behavior.

Bear in mind that a person doesn’t need to be nefarious to endanger your dog with a treat. They could just give them something that they are allergic to, or that is dangerous to them. These tips are to make sure that your dog is always safe. As such, it’s always best to avoid your dog getting these types of treats.

In the event of a disaster, there could be various issues and distractions around that could injure or endangered either you or your dog if they choose to explore. For instance, there could be loose, live electrical wiring or even something on the floor that is explosive.

 

Close The Door/Pushing Objects

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In basic life situations, closing the door can stop your dog becoming a nuisance. You might just have settled down to watch TV in the lounge, shutting the door, when your dog pushes his nose against it and wanders in to be with you, leaving it wide open. Most dogs will learn to open doors naturally by themselves without any command but closing the door is another matter. You’ll have to teach that one with a sticky piece of food and a few tries at a command. You put the stick piece of food on the door and ask him to wait. Then, tell him to take the treat. When he does, and his nose touches the door, reinforce it with another treat. Repeat it until the dog looks to you after touching the door and remove the first treat keeping the second.

Now you can use the phrase shut the door or move the door, and he will respond to get the treat. You can keep doing this until the treat is no longer a necessity. Once you’ve taught a dog how to move the door, you might be able to use the same trick to get them to move items, and this could be useful in a disaster scenario.

Find An Object

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Lastly, you might want to teach them to find objects. Remember, dogs can find objects by smell and may even remember where something was. As such, they could be incredibly useful during a power outage to find an item that you need.

In general daily life, it could also be a cool trick if you’ve lost your keys or just want them to bring you your slippers. You can do this by starting with your set of keys. Add something to your keys that makes them easy for the dog to pick up like a squishy key-ring and use them as a toy, getting your dog to tug on them or fetch them. Once you have done this, you can get him to exchange the keys for a treat. After you have taught them this trick, you can then get them to pick up your keys off the ground when you have dropped them. Again, exchange the keys for a treat. Keep doing this, and eventually, you can move on to leaving the keys somewhere and asking them to find them.

Any of these tricks could be very useful in both an emergency disaster situation and everyday life. The best part though is that they’re not actually that difficult to teach.

How to Prepare For The First 3 Days of Storms and Disasters

How To Prepare For The First 3 Days of Storms

With a So Many hurricanes heading for USA, volcanos and earthquakes, flooding and evacuations happening and incidences occurring worldwide  

not to mention Covid19 and Delta!!! raging along with wildfire! This list will help you be ready for lockdowns and evacuating. Let's all share this so we can all survive! I thought it might be a good idea to repost this article as a reminder and check list for everybody.

God Bless, Be Safe and Good Luck!!!

From Family Disaster Dogs

Here is a very good article 

I found online about the First 3 Days of an Emergency from Are You Prepared.com

The First 3 Days of an Emergency

When emergencies strike, there is often no warning. Therefore, it is crucial for every homeowner to have the necessary supplies in case an emergency arises. The first 72 hours that one's family is in crisis is the most important time for survival. Quite often, emergency vehicles and medical assistants have trouble getting through barriers, especially when natural disasters strike. Every family should have a least three days’ worth of survival supplies in an easily accessible area for when the time comes.

The following list is of items that are essential to sustaining life while help is on the way:

1. Water

Humans can survive on water for as long as two months. It is the most important element in being able to survive an emergency. A good rule of thumb is to have 3 to 5 gallons of water stored for drinking. Extra gallons may be purchased for cleansing, but the drinking water is most important.

2. Food

Always make sure to store your food in sealed packages to prevent bug and mice invasions. Ready to eat food pouches are a good way to go for making a survival kit. Foil sealed pouches do not require any opening mechanisms and they can stay fresh until the individual removes the seal to eat. The homeowner should purchase enough of these food pouches to last the entire family at least 72 hours. Larger packages are available to allow for extra time.

3. First Aid

First aid items are necessary for any injuries that may arise. It may take medics quite some time to be able to access the area, so it is best for the homeowner to put away as many first aid kits as possible. A basic first aid kit consists of bandages, antiseptic wash and towels, sponge dressings, alcohol pads, antibiotic ointment, and cotton balls and tips. Ace bandages and neck braces may provide additional protection just in case of more serious injuries.

4. Light

Electricity is lost in most emergencies. Candles, light sticks, and flashlights can provide an inexpensive source of temporary power for moving around. People with slightly better budgets can invest in an emergency power source such as an adventure kit. An adventure kit has the capability of charging cellular phones, appliances, and radios. Some adventure kits also have solar panels so they can receive power from the sun during the day.

5. Warmth

The homeowner should store plenty of blankets and sleeping bags so the family can stay warm and get as much rest as possible during this time of crisis. It would also be wise to store a very small kerosene heater for warmth when electricity is not available. Any hooded clothing should also go into the survival kit.

6. Communication

An amateur band radio or CB radio would be very beneficial during this time. This will help the individual to communicate. CB radios will operate on batteries, so the user should be sure to load the devices with batteries before storing them.With these few items, a family should be able to survive the first 72 hours of an emergency. The rest of the survival process involves having faith and sticking with loved ones until the worst is over.

7. How to Reduce Anxiety and Fear

For most individuals, the thought of being thrown into the middle of a natural disaster is terrifying. Unfortunately, the number of natural disasters that occur around the world is quite frightening. Depending on location, natural disasters can range from hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, flooding, blizzards, and even human triggered disasters such as chemical spills. Naturally, the thought of having to be in the midst of such events can leave one with anxiety, fear, and questions of "what if." Fortunately, feelings of fear and anxiety can be decreased by a few simple steps that can help leave families better prepared for a variety of natural disasters.


8. Make a Plan:

One of the most important parts of any survival kit is a plan. Although one may not be able to prepare for all types of disasters, having a firm plan on what to do if something goes wrong can help save lives. For example, if an area is prone to tornadoes, it can be imperative to have a "shelter" or safe place to go underground. No matter what type of natural disaster one's area is prone to, making a plan and practicing it can ease fear and anxiety.

There are a few key elements to devising an emergency plan for one's household:

Know the area's warning signals and shelters: It's important to know what an area uses as a warning signal; most places uses sirens, but signals can vary. Keep in mind that one's family may be at different places during a natural disaster. It can be extremely important to know the warning signal so that all family members are aware of the disaster and ready to take action. Knowing the location and availability of shelters in one's area can help ensure that family members are safe and can provide a common meeting place.

Devise a plan: Sit down with the household and talk about what would happen in the event on a natural disaster. During the discussion, it's important to talk about the type of natural disasters that could occur. Additionally, pick at least two meeting spots for the family. Next, have an evacuation plan. Once the plan is formed, the next step is to practice it: "The plan" needs to be like a fire drill for the household.

Survival Kits:

Although fear and anxiety about natural disasters primarily center on death and loved ones dying, it can also be triggered by not having the right "tools." Thankfully, a variety of survival kits are available.

Food & Water:

Most individuals will have anxiety about food and water sources depleting in the wake of a natural disaster. A fear of dwindling food and water sources is a valid reason for having a storage area for emergency food and water ready beforehand because this could save lives and reduce this fear. Back up food and water should be kept in a place that would be easy to access in the case of a natural disaster.

Most Important; 

Do Not Forget your dog can be your family's very own Search and Rescue Dog!! 

Read these lessons and share them for others to read, so others may live!

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