It’s the absolute dread of every owner: leaving your dog or cat alone at home to go to work and fearing the worst. To prevent risks, here are some solutions to put in place.
These last few weeks have been marked by forest fires on an unprecedented scale, particularly in Gironde, in the Landes and even in Fontainebleau, in Ile-de-France. Firefighters are fighting tirelessly on the ground as the flames progress, supported by a huge chain of citizen solidarity which has been organized to supply the emergency services and help the populations. At the heart of these emergency evacuations, wildlife is severely affected: roe deer, deer, wild boars, rabbits and birds of prey try to escape the flames and toxic smoke. Farm animals and horses are also impacted, just like our pets.
According to veterinarians, toxic fumes and carbon monoxide represent the first danger, well before burns. Even if the house does not burn directly, harmful fumes infiltrate very quickly through ducts, openings and corridors. Faced with this invisible threat, a domestic animal’s first behavioral reflex is to hide under a bed, a sofa or at the back of a cupboard, thus locking itself in a “death trap” where oxygen quickly runs out and toxic fumes accumulate.
This is also the anxiety of all pet owners who leave their dog or cat alone every morning to go to their workplace. But solutions exist to intervene as quickly as possible and remotely. Indeed, several technological tools allow you to be alerted instantly. Connected autonomous smoke alarm detectors (DAAF) immediately send a push notification to your smartphone at the first emanation, allowing you to call emergency services without missing a beat. In addition, intelligent indoor surveillance cameras are now capable of identifying the sound of a fire alarm or distress barking to send you a live video extract. In addition, there are now dedicated GPS collars or boxes that can locate your pet in real time in the home if it has fled into the garden or residence during the panic.
In the field, other simple physical devices are specifically designed to signal the presence of your companions to the firefighters. Stick an emergency sticker on a window or on the front door clearly indicating the number and type of animals present inside the accommodation. This will allow intervention teams to immediately identify the presence of a life to be saved. In addition, to mitigate the risk of the owner himself being the victim of an accident or stranded outside, emergency cards can be slipped into his wallet (bearing the words “An animal is waiting for me alone at home”) allowing the emergency services to directly contact a trusted person designated to take over.
Finally, the best protection is based on a solid and anticipated human organization. Entrusting a copy of the keys to an available neighbor or a relative living nearby constitutes the essential link in the rescue chain to evacuate the animal before the firefighters arrive. This neighborhood solidarity, combined with detection tools and emergency response, guarantees that in the event of a fire, your companion will not be left without assistance.
