THE BULLDOG CLUB
OF AMERICA
EMERGENCY PLANNING
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Emergency Planning The development of educational materials to assist clubs and individuals in handling emergency situations with Bulldogs was authorized at the September 2001 meeting of the Bulldog Club of America Council. The resulting essays relate to two separate topics: Disaster Planning and Emergency Evacuation. These may be downloaded and used as a basis for group discussions and/or expansion into educational program outlines. The development of a Bulldog First Aid Kit is a third potential educational program related to Emergency Planning. Contents of a sample kit are listed at the end of the essay on Emergency Evacuation. Planning for a Major Bulldog Rescue Disaster/Emergency This essay is intended to help clubs and any other groups of Bulldoggers prepare for such eventualities as the rehoming of Bulldogs from a USDA confiscation or dealing with the upheaval of dogs in a terrorist-created disaster or a natural disaster such as a forest fire or hurricane. An Emergency Advisory Committee has been appointed to help with planning and to provide advice in the event of an emerging disaster. Contact the BCA Rescue Committee Chairman for current information. Definitions: A humorist once said, “The difference between an emergency and a disaster that an emergency can affect anyone, but it becomes a disaster is when it happens to you.” We know from the World Trade Center that disasters affect everyone. In more precise terms, a disaster is an emergency in which there are inadequate facilities and services available to handle the problem. Disaster planning is normally a community effort. Bulldoggers will be expected to be a part of a larger group providing facilities and services in response to varying needs. This essay focuses on organizing a group to do this. It is based, in part, on recommendations of The Humane Society of the United States, a leader in disaster preparedness and response, as well as limited BCA experience. What do you do when 25 Bullies are dropped in your lap? It goes almost without saying, you take a deep breath, get on the phone and hope that your Emergency Plan is going to work. What? No Emergency Plan? There’s no time like the present. What it takes to construct a plan are “three gets” and a go! o Get Organized o Get Qualified o Get Ready o Go to it! Get Organized! It’s going to require the forming of another committee! Why? Emergency or disaster planning or action is not a one-person thing! The first thing to do is make sure that there is liability insurance for your group. Good Samaritans get sued in most states! The same insurance policy that most clubs have for their annual shows and meetings, however, can also cover the club’s Emergency Committee. Routine BCA rescues of individual unwanted Bulldogs by club members and BCA Rescues in an Emergency can fit under the same umbrella of protection, as long as Rescue is a recognized part of the organization on the club’s insurance policy application. A club that does not carry liability insurance should either get it, or forget about Emergency action. BCA members engaged in BCA activities are covered by the BCA’s liability policy, but any local club members who do not belong to the BCA are “exposed.” Don’t use people on any of the following teams who are not covered by club liability insurance. Recovery Site Team. Determines and sets up a safe place for rescue supplies and caregivers to assemble. Who will perform emergency Bulldog sorting, first aid and provide veterinary medical care? Where are all of the signs? Bulldog Care Team. Takes direct charge of traumatized Bulldogs immediately after their extraction to the Rescue Site, evaluating any special needs and tagging the problems. What kind of training is needed to do this? Who will drive to get the vet? Transportation Team. Supplies the vehicles and trailers needed for evacuation from danger. Moves supplies, Bulldogs and team members, as necessary. The Humane Society of the United States recommends a division of labor for preplanning an emergency response. They divide the overall task into functions described below. This explanation is directed at an emergency involving confiscations from a puppy mill, but the problem could just as easily be the sudden death of a Bulldog kennel owner or a flood that leaves a community under water. Rescue Evacuation Team. Moves quickly to aid in extracting dogs from the danger scene. Will equipment be needed? This will vary with the situation. (A ladder at the back window might have helped in a 2000 rescue at a Puppy Mill in Pennsylvania!) Supply and Equipment Team. Figures out what the emergency teams and the Bulldogs need besides food and water? Where? When? Who will bring the coffeepot, the coffee and the cups? The team must arrange for durables – crates, signs, fencing, cell phones, tags for trauma needs, hardhats, license plate covers (you really don’t want to know!) Identification Team. Provides visual and electronic means to recognize, track and identify emergency team personnel and Bulldogs. Who has the funny hats? Provides dog tags and records for dogs. Takes Polaroid or digital photos. Makes certain that all dogs have names to go with their serial numbers. Maintains team contact using cell phones or walkie talkies. Foster Home Team. Organizes Bulldog moves and their timing from emergency status to foster care homes. Lines up homes and figures out the “paperwork” for this well in advance. Keeps non-insured personnel out of the operation. Finance. As soon as the rescues have been made, bills for Bulldog care and donations to cover expenses will begin to be received. The club Treasurer or a specifically designated team member should handle financial records. Communications. Maintains contacts with local authorities, other rescue groups, the public and the media during an emergency. Operates with the Liaison leader and carries a phone. Has a “telephone tree” to assemble and keep teams together. Liaison. Lastly, this is the person in charge, responsible to recruit; train; drill; make assignments; make decisions; coordinate pet-friendly sheltering and interact with relief agencies, police, shelters and “the authorities.” The Liaison leader must know where all Bulldog Emergency Team members are in the event of a “Real Emergency.” Some emergency tasks lend themselves to being combined and may be handled by one person. This is fine, as long as that person remembers everything that needs to be done or coordinated. Protocols need to be “in writing” and distributed so that leader 2 can step in for leader 1 when she’s away on vacation. Your club will not “be in charge” of an emergency evacuation in most cases. Your community probably has an Office of Emergency Planning or some such similar office. They have been springing up all over the country since September 2001. Visit them, explain what your team is prepared to do (maybe even rescue a poodle or two) and tell them how to contact your team in an emergency. A Humane Society may also be in charge, or a USDA APHIS Field Representative. Determine who and where these people are in your area in advance and go through the same procedure. Someone will probably ask, “What makes you think you are qualified to help?” Which leads you to the next Get. Getting Qualified. Use the USDA Requirements as a checklist with a “We agree to meet these requirements” phrase at the bottom. Make copies and have them available to your teams and other groups (the USDA Field Rep will definitely want documentation). The USDA may even have their own checklist. Regardless of the format of the document, a personalized checklist for each member of the group should be signed, indicating that he or she agrees to meet or exceed the requirements of the situation. Getting Ready. You need experience and training. Who is going to take the Red Cross Pet First Aid course? Who will organize the training drills? Where do you buy the tape that is used to “secure” an area? Dry runs, “walk throughs” and “talk throughs” all help. This is a natural subject for a club meeting, or two. Rescue can even supply related program Lesson Plans for club meeting use. And finally, when the call comes – Go! Good Luck! Meeting the Requirements of the USDA or Other Groups. Rescue and rehoming Bulldogs confiscated from USDA licensees requires the cooperative effort of the US Department of Agriculture, humane societies and the Bulldoggers who will foster and then find new homes for them. In those cases where they have jurisdiction, the legal authority for confiscation rests with “the Feds.” If Bulldog Club of America members are to help with the process they must operate under USDA rules. In this case, the terms of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) of 1976 apply. Fortunately, they are straightforward, reasonable and sufficiently flexible in use for the hobbyists who have volunteered to help rescue, transport and foster confiscated Bulldogs. Our volunteers are ready to meet the intentions of the Federal law. The BCA Rescue Network agrees with the need for the specifications of the “Humane Handling, Care, Treatment and Transportation of Dogs” outlined in Subchapter A of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The following Checklist and Agreement summarizes these specifications for use by BCA Care Givers assisting USDA Animal Care Field Representatives and others in coping with disasters, confiscations and other unknown emergencies. Signing the Checklist indicates the willingness of the signer to work within USDA standards. Proper Care Standards
Checklist & Care Giver Agreement Facilities Bulldogs are to be housed indoors and transported with temperatures kept between 45oF and 85oF. Bedding must be provided if the temperature drops below 50oF and this should not happen for more than 4 hours at night. In hot weather, there must be sufficient ventilation to ensure health and well being. This may require fans or air conditioning. Common sense reactions by foster caregivers to environmental conditions are expected. Floors and walls must be impervious to moisture. There is no objection, however, to having dogs fostered in private homes with plastered walls, carpets and switches to turn off the lights at night (specified!) Transporting dogs in the family’s SUV or automobile is permitted. Crates should have no sharp edges, be kept dry and clean, provide convenient access to daily food and water (twice a day for at least an hour), be large enough to permit normal turning, standing and walking. If a suspended floor is used, coated, non-rusting wire strands must be at least 1/8-inch diameter, and sufficiently close together to not allow dog’s feet to pass through. Crates must be 6 inches higher than the tallest dog. The USDA required space for an adult Bulldog that is 9 square feet (3 feet by 3 feet). Nursing bitches require an added 130 square inches for each puppy with them. For example, five puppies require 2-1/4 square feet added, making the needed space 3 feet by 3 feet 9 inches. Typical Bulldog whelping boxes exceed all these dimensions. The dimensions calculated for Bulldogs using USDA formulas are larger than typical commercial crates used by hobbyists. This is not a problem, however, since hobbyists do not “keep” their Bulldogs in crates. In the case of fostering confiscated Bulldogs for the USDA, they should not be smaller than the “standard” 30 or 36-inch commercial units commonly in use. Care For exercise, as a minimum, there must be an area double the size of a crate. Fun in the back yard or a “walk in the park” with a fosterer is expected. Aggressive dogs and bitches in heat need to be exercised separately. All dogs must have daily human contact when there is no opportunity for social contact with other dogs. Normal sanitation and pest control practices that are used in a rescuer’s home most be provided for rescued dogs. The law requires that dishes and crates be sanitized at least every two weeks by soap and water washing, steaming, or detergent or disinfectant washing and rinsing. Feces and food waste must be removed daily. The basic USDA intent, when turning over Bulldogs to a BCA Emergency team, is that we are bettering the animals’ lives and that they will receive proper, humane care and ultimately be adopted out to homes, not businesses. USDA Regional Field Representatives will have a “checklist” based, in part, on the factors discussed here. It will be used to “certify” that receivers of confiscated Bulldogs fully meet the intent of the Animal Welfare Act as to proper and humane care. Records A record for each dog is required that includes at least a USDA assigned tag number, a picture and a description (date of acquisition, sex, date of birth, color and distinctive features). Veterinary care records are required for illness and injury. Also obvious, but not required, every dog needs a name! Well-fitting leather or plastic collars with attached tags are required. The only thing new here is the unique USDA tag number. Tags with USDA numbers should also be attached to the crates used by each rescued dog. This signed form is designed to facilitate completion of any USDA checklist. The signer agrees to meet the standards outlined above. Signature _______________________________ Date________________ Printed Name, Address & Phone
Planning for an Emergency
Evacuation This essay should help readers prepare for the potential evacuation of their bulldogs with their families in the event of an emergency. A BCA Rescue Emergency Advisory Committee has been appointed to help with planning and advice in the event of an emergency or disaster. Contact the BCA Rescue Committee Chair for current information on this group. Definitions: A disaster is an emergency in which there are inadequate facilities and services available to handle the problem. In many such situations, particularly natural disasters, you may be required by local authorities to leave your home to go to a safer shelter. This essay focuses on how to prepare for such an evacuation disaster with your own Bulldogs. It has been reviewed with The Humane Society of the United States -- a leader in disaster service and preparedness. Planning for your Bulldogs in an emergency that requires evacuation is not difficult. Like most things it can and should be done in advance. Usually plans are better when not “left to the last minute.” So don’t! The major things to consider in an emergency evacuation are what do you need to take with you and where are you going. Since your Bulldogs are going with you,
what do you need to have ready to assure their welfare when your family
leaves home? Do not consider leaving your dogs behind, not even for a
minute. Even if you’re only out looking for a safe place to take them,
take them along. If you don’t, experience tells us that pet injury, loss or
death is much more likely. You’ll need to have a pet disaster kit along with
you as well. It should include the following elements:
Where are you going? The issue of where to go must be resolved before you leave home. Evacuation centers seldom allow any pets other than service dogs. So if you’re going to stay together as a family, you must look further. This can and should be done well in advance. Contact motels outside of your area to find ones that accept pets. See if any waive “no pet” policies in emergencies. Call ahead to make reservations as early as possible. Contact friends and relatives that live within a reasonable driving distance and find out whether they can take care of your dogs. You can also make a list of veterinarians and boarding kennels in the community that you have selected as your emergency home. There may even be an animal shelter there. Check the ‘Yellow Pages’ in advance. You won’t get anywhere if your car in the garage is “running on empty.” It makes good sense to never park your car at home with less than 100 miles of gas in the tank. A small container of extra gasoline, stored in a safe place and ready to be added to your tank before you leave home, is a good way of adding 50 miles to your range. The lawnmower will never miss it. Because of many states’ health and safety regulations, pets are not allowed in Red Cross shelters. Your dogs will need to be in a safe place, other than a public shelter for humans. On evacuation day, in most situations there will be sufficient time
at home for certain “last minute” arrangements for an orderly evacuation. Try
to avoid the “chicken with head cut off” syndrome! Here are things to do in
the last few minutes before leaving:
Your dogs depend on you for their health
and safety. So -- Don’t let them down! Bulldog First Aid Kit There are many possible collections of items that could prove to be useful in a First Aid situation with a Bulldog. The following is a collection that was assembled by one BCA club. Other groups may decide to select other items. Note that First Aid for 25 Bulldogs in a rural disaster setting will be quite different from First Aid for a family pet in a home accident. Antiseptics for treating wounds (cuts and abrasions) as well as burns Iodine
ointment or prep solution
Gauze
roll (2”)
Blanket (plastic foil covering for shock wrap and to help protect vehicle interior) Tools Scissors
to cut hair and bandages
Acepromozene
(relaxer)
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© 2003 The Bulldog Club of America