🐾 Pets & Livestock

About 25 minutes.

The checklist

• Keep a carrier or crate ready for every pet.

  Label each carrier with the animal's name, your name, phone, and any medical needs.

• Confirm trailer access for livestock and practise loading them.

  An animal that has never seen a trailer will not load calmly during a fire. Short, regular practice sessions help.

• Keep a recent photo of each animal on your phone.

  Photos are the fastest way to identify a lost animal at a shelter or in social media reunification posts.

• Store vaccination and veterinary records digitally and in your go-bag.

  Boarding facilities and emergency vets need proof of rabies and other vaccinations.

• Pack leashes, harnesses, muzzles (if needed), and any medications.

  Even calm animals can panic in smoke and noise. A muzzle protects responders and other animals at the shelter.

• Stock 72 hours of food and water per animal.

  Rotate every few months so it stays fresh. Include a feeding bowl.

• Make sure every animal has current ID tags and is microchipped with up-to-date contact info.

  Update the microchip registry whenever you move or change phone numbers.

• Pre-identify boarding, kennels, or friends outside your fire-risk area.

  Call ahead during fire season — many fill up fast once an evacuation alert is issued.

• If you cannot evacuate livestock in time, plan how to release them safely into a low-fuel area.

  Animals trapped in a barn or paddock have no chance. A pre-planned release into an irrigated or grazed paddock gives them options.

• Have a way to mark released livestock with your phone number (livestock crayon, paint stick, halter tag).

  Helps return animals after the fire passes.

Sources

This checklist mirrors public guidance from the agencies below. Always confirm current conditions with the agency that issued them before you act.

• FireSmart Canada
• Canadian Red Cross
• PreparedBC
• Firewise USA / NFPA
• Ready.gov — Wildfires

Last reviewed April 17, 2026.