Wildfire smoke, grass fires and winter flooding all reach Solano and Yolo counties. The families who handle them best decided in advance where the pets would go.
Build the plan in an afternoon
Work through these steps in order:
- Pick two places your pets can go: a friend or relative outside your area, and a boarding kennel or pet-friendly hotel. Many public shelters and hotels do not accept pets, so decide now.
- Make a buddy deal with a neighbor who has a key and permission to evacuate your pets if you are away.
- Microchip every pet and keep the registration current.
- Pack a grab bag per pet: several days of food and water in sealed containers, a bowl, medications with a dosing note, a leash, collar, carrier, vaccine records and a recent photo.
- Store copies of vaccine records in your phone and in the bag.
What the agencies recommend
Ready.gov says that if officials order an evacuation, pets should evacuate too, because animals left behind can be lost or hurt. Ready.gov and the California Office of Emergency Services suggest two kits, a larger one for sheltering in place and a light one you can carry. The AVMA's disaster page adds the habit of reviewing the kit often so food and medicine stay fresh.
Where Happy Paws fits
The kennel sits on about 10 country acres near Dixon, between Sacramento and the Bay Area, and boards dogs and cats. Call 707-678-6600 for current space, especially when plans change fast. Having vaccine records already uploaded to your online account saves time: rabies, distemper/parvo, Bordetella and canine influenza for dogs, rabies and FVRCP for cats. Pets must be 16 weeks or older, and the one-time boarding agreement must be on file.
Read emergency boarding during fires and floods and last-minute boarding for how that works step by step.
Know your facility's emergency policy
California law requires pet boarding facilities to keep written policies for emergencies and for disaster evacuation, and it requires either a central-station fire alarm or a sprinkler system. The newer Happy Paws kennel building, opened October 5, 2022, was built with fire sprinklers. When you tour any kennel, ask how it would handle a fire or an evacuation.
After the alert
Keep pets leashed or crated when you leave. Do not leave animals in a hot car; California Penal Code 597.7 forbids confining an animal in an unattended vehicle under conditions that endanger it. Update your phone number with the kennel and microchip registry if it changes, and keep an emergency contact who is not in your household.