As I write this, the massive fires in the Los Angeles area continue to burn with little containment. As someone who grew up in Altadena and attended school in Pasadena, my heart aches for those who have lost their homes and family members. The national news media have reported that thousands of displaced animals are being cared for in local shelters, receiving veterinary treatment for burns and other injuries. And, that figure doesn’t include the number of wildlife affected by this disaster. If you are looking to help those animals, you can find a list of groups working to help California animals here: https://secretlosangeles.com/how-to-help-animals-la-fires/. Even if the fires are out by the time this article hits your inbox, the groups helping them will be working to get these animals healed and back to their people for months to come.

Unfortunately, Colorado is no stranger to wildfires and drought, so while we’re only in February, there is no time like the present to make a plan and have an evacuation bag packed for you and your furry family members, including medications and veterinary information. As we experienced with the Waldo Canyon Fire, many animals were left behind to devastating outcomes. Please, do not leave your companions behind during disasters. Talk to your neighbors, make a pact to look out for one another’s homes, and evacuate one another’s animals if the humans are not at home. 

Heartbreaking doesn’t even begin to describe the scenario in L.A., and can trigger PTSD for those of us who have been caught in local wildfires, but were lucky enough to survive.  In the immortal words of Benjamin Franklin, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”