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FacebookHints to help you keep your pets safe at home
Sunday, August 03, 2008
The topic today is safety.
Besides the obvious — making sure your dog has valid ID and license, the current shots he needs and good food and exercise — what do you do to keep your pet safe?
Farmers Insurance Group in Ohio now offers coverage for pets who are injured or killed in an auto accident or stolen.
The new coverage applies to new and existing customers who renew their policies on or after Aug. 1.
Farmers said they are responding to requests from customers to add pets to their policies. Farmers estimates about 63 percent of its customers have pets.
The policy covers up to $600 per incident. There is no additional charge except that customers are required to have both comprehensive and collision auto coverage. The coverage is limited to injuries or death sustained during an accident or during the theft of a vehicle.
And the coverage is only for household pets.
For more information, visit www.farmers.com.
Fire safety for pets important, too
Keeping pets safe is also why the National Volunteer Fire Council, the American Kennel Club and ADT are joining forces. They hope to help save the estimated 500,000 pets affected by fires in the home each year.
For many pet owners, a big fear is coming home and seeing your house on fire and knowing your pets are inside.
ADT, which provides security systems for homes, believes home fire monitoring systems in addition to smoke alarms are the way to protect pets left at home while the owners are away.
But the organizations also offer other tips.
• When you practice escape procedures for family members, include pets. And think about how you will catch your pet and keep your pet contained outside the home if a fire breaks out. Is there a leash near the door you will exit? What about a cat carrier?
• Don't leave a pet unattended around an open flame, such as cooking, a candle or even a fireplace.
• Look around your house for hazards, such as loose wires or stove knobs that can be turned on and anything else that might be a hazard to your pet.
• Don't leave young pets, especially puppies, loose when you leave the home.
• Affix a Pet Alert Window Cling with the numbers of pets inside your house to a front window where arriving firefighters will notice. You can get a free window cling by visiting www.adt.com//pets or at www.akc.org. The Dayton Kennel Club will also hold a Responsible Owners Day event at The Greene, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 28, to meet breeds and pass out window clings.
• If you put up such a notice, you must keep the information updated so firefighters don't waste time looking for pets who may not be there anymore.
• Install smoke alarms and change the batteries twice a year.
• Consider a security system that monitors for smoke.
Tenth Life auction, dinner set for Aug. 9
Tenth Life will hold its spaghetti dinner and auction from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, at the American Legion Hall 526 on Broad St. in Fairborn. The spaghetti dinner is $7 and the all-you-can-eat salad bar is $5.
The auction includes many cat-related items but also round-trip airline tickets, Cincinnati Red tickets, artwork, jewelry, a wooden garden bench, Hummel plates, purses made of cat printed fabric, cat furniture, gift cards from local businesses, a ramp for elderly cats and dogs, and more.
The event is open to everyone and all proceeds benefit the cats of The Tenth Life.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2248 or ldenger@DaytonDaily News.com.
