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Wednesday, August 23, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
presentations for disaster pre-
paredness, in-house training
opportunities and training to
other agencies.
According to the P.E.T. a
good disaster kit for your pet
would consist of:
• A three-to-five-day sup-
ply of each of your pets’ nor-
mal food with a feeding and
watering dish.
• Have enough water to
last at least one week for each
pet in the household. Have
written information about
your pets’ feeding schedules.
• Have sturdy leashes,
harnesses and carriers to
transport your pets safely and
to make sure that they can’t
escape.
• Have their medications
and critical information
ready such as your veterinar-
ian’s contact info and medi-
cal information. And list any
behavior issues that might be
important.
• Have plastic bags to dis-
pose of animal waste. And a
small bottle of soap for clean-
ing animal dishes and paper
towels for drying.
• For your cat, have a litter
box and litter enough to last
one week and a scooper to
keep the litter box clean.
• For your horse, make
sure you have a horse trailer
ready, whether it’s yours or
a friends. Have your horse’s
identification whether it’s a
microchip, tattoo, or photos
and descriptions. Make sure
you have all of his medical
information and all feed and
water buckets.
Find a safe place to stay
ahead of time. Never think
that you will be allowed to
bring your pets to shelter or
Paw
Prints
Jodi Schneider McNamee
Columnist
Prepare your pets
during a natural
disaster
You should always have a
disaster plan for your pets, no
matter what their size.
Make sure that your cats
and dogs are wearing col-
lars and identification tags
that are up to date. You’ll
increase your chances of
being reunited with Rover or
Kitty if they get lost by hav-
ing them microchipped.
During disasters in Central
Oregon the Pet Evacuation
Team (P.E.T.) works under
the direction of Red Cross
and Emergency Services dur-
ing Central Oregon evacua-
tions. The regional coordina-
tor, Jamie Kanski, is part of
the incident command team.
There are 124 volunteer and
resource P.E.T. members.
P.E.T. has assisted with over
15 local wildfire evacuations,
including the Milli Fire.
They have assisted with the
Prineville flood, and assisted
after hurricane Katrina. The
P.E.T. also offers community
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friends house. Plan arrange-
ments with friends or rela-
tives or contact hotels to see
if they are pet friendly. You
could also consider a kennel,
boarding facility, or veteri-
narian’s office.
The P.E.T. team encour-
ages people to get their large
animals out early on, such
as a Level 2 pre-evacuation
notice, and bring them down
to where the P.E.T. has set up
to take animals in.
Last week during the Milli
Fire the P.E.T. was set up at
the Sisters Rodeo Grounds.
Kanski told The Nugget
about a case where a Sisters
resident brought his horses
over to the rodeo grounds to
be on the safe side. Others
were bringing some live-
stock. It could be a fiasco
trying to get larger animals
out at the last minute or at a
moment of panic.
P.E.T. is available for
both large and small animals.
They have special contain-
ment areas for both. And their
volunteers take good care of
the animals.
If your situation isn’t safe
PHOTO BY JODI SCHNEIDER MCNAMEE
The P.E.T. crew has been busy at Sisters Rodeo Grounds, handling a
variety of evacuated animals as a result of the Milli Fire.
for you, it isn’t safe for your
pets! If you must evacuate
you have no way of know-
ing how long you’ll be kept
out of the area, and you may
not be able — or allowed —
to go back for your pet. Any
pets left behind in a disaster
can easily be injured, lost, or
killed.
If you are not home and
need assistance evacuating
your horse, call P.E.T.; the
volunteers are experienced in
animal evacuations and will
be allowed back in to rescue
animals.
After the disaster, your
home may be a very differ-
ent place, with unfamiliar
odors, and it may be hard for
your pets to adjust. Don’t let
your pets roam loose because
familiar landmarks and smells
might be gone, and your furry
friend might become dis-
oriented. Pets can easily get
lost in that kind of situation.
While assessing any
damage keep your dogs on
leashes and cats in carriers
inside the house.
Be patient with your pets
after a disaster. Try to get
them back into their normal
routines as soon as possible.
O
n August 6th the Sisters community,
friends and family laid to rest and cel-
ebrated the life of Taylor Grace Nieri.
Taylor lived large and was a true free-spirited
individual. In her short but full 22 years of life
she made a profound impact on so many people.
Th is was illustrated by the amount of folk who
fl ooded Sisters High School on August 6 for her
celebration of life and later at the Belfry by
the tears, laughter and songs of her friends
and family as they shared the stories of
this truly beautiful soul.
It’s coincidental that Taylor’s mid-
dle name was Grace because this is
exactly what she learned to harness
in her later years. A Grace in how
she lived and a humility that made
people fall in love with her. But Taylor’s
true life message was love. She emanated it
wherever she went, fl ooding her path with an
infectious positive energy. Th e wholehearted footprint
of an angel disguised as a barefoot gypsy girl. So for
all the lucky ones who knew her, love is the cherished
legacy that will forever echo in our hearts.
Tay’s spirit is free now to roam among the wild
places that she loved so much. Th e chalked crags of
Smith Rock, the meandering currents of the
Metolius and the whispering zephyrs of
the Th ree Sisters.
On behalf of the Nieri family
and myself, we sincerely thank the
Sisters community for the
outpouring of love and
support through this
diffi cult time. It is when
the chips are down
that the true colors
of a community show
themselves, and in the
case of Taylor’s passing
Sisters rallied in so many
ways demonstrating the depth of compassion
and love embedded in this stoic community.
For every hand and every heart that traveled
this journey with us, we are truly blessed.
Love and live,
James Th orp and the Nieri family
photo courtesy
Steve Gardner, PixelWorks