Planning to bug out with a dog
This article is relatively blunt and straightforward. This looks at a dog without emotion. There are dogs that are members of a family, and there are dogs that are considered to just be a tool, like my uncle’s cow dogs that are all named spot. Most people’s dogs are somewhere in between. If you are prepared, hopefully you can avoid any hard decisions in regards to balancing the wellbeing of your dog against your wellbeing, or the wellbeing of your family. If you’re prepared for bugging out with your dog, you’re less likely to have to worry about it.
Benefits:
I don’t want to come off as just cold and heartless, because there are a lot of benefits that do include the companionship, and having that attachment. It’s healthy and a good thing. A dog is man’s best friend for a lot of reasons, bug in a bug out situation, here are some of the big ones.
Sound Alarm
A dog is naturally a security system. They alert you when someone is around. If you’ve ever heard a dog start barking before you’ve ever knocked on someone’s door, you know what I mean. A dog recognizes when something is out of the norm and when something is a threat. Then they alert you by barking. Like an alarm, that noise (barking) can scare away a threat, and at the very least it can alert you that a threat is near, and a dog can even point you towards the direction of the threat.
Defense
I once got bit by a dog. I was jogging and it bit me in the hamstring. It only barely broke the skin, and it wasn’t anywhere close to a serious injury, but it was a scary situation, and I didn’t jog in that area any more. Dogs are naturally protective. Most domesticated pets aren’t aggressive unless confronted, or if they or their people feel threatened. There is a natural instinct that kicks in can protect you in a dangerous situation. Even if your dog has had this aggression completely trained out of them, a stranger won’t know that. A dog is a threat and a deterrent to a would be aggressor.
Morale and Companionship
In a SHTF situation, many social aspects of your life will be cut down or eliminated. This is even more true if you need to get out of dodge. You’ll likely have your immediate family with you, and that’s about it. Having a dog with you in that situation would be a major comfort.
Challenges:
The biggest challenge in bugging out with your dog is the need for additional supplies. Food, water, medicine, additional shelter etc. There are more things you need, and if you need to bug out on foot, carrying all that is harder. Additionally, different pets have different levels of independence. I’ve known of dogs that require medication or shots 2-3 times per day, or that can’t walk more than a half mile. If that’s the case, you then need to carry both your dog and all your dogs gear, and could mean you’ll need to make a hard decision.
Should You Bug Out With Your Dog?
This is the hard decision. At what point should you leave your dog behind? This is one of those terrible things to think about, but if you’ve thought things through before hand, you’re more prepared in the moment. Some people treat their dog like a child, or they even love it more than their child. If that’s the case, there’s no question. You’ll bring that dog with you to the very end. But it might not be the smartest idea.
The less independent your dog is, and the more help and attention it requires, the harder it would be to bug out with your dog. A lap dog isn’t a hunting dog. A shih tzu doesn’t provide the same deterrence as a Doberman. That said, a shih tzu doesn’t eat as much as a Doberman. You need to assess your strengths and limitations, and then plan for your personal limitations.
Bugging In With Your Dog
Bugging in with your dog eliminates or at least reduces most of the challenges of bugging out with a dog. You still have to have supplies, food, and water, but you don’t have to transport all that stuff. Additionally, a dog loses none of the benefits while bugging in. It’s an asset where all the risks are able to be mitigated. They’re still a security sound alarm, provide defense, and are there for companionship and to improve morale.
Preparing Your Dog For Bugging Out
The first thing you should do with your dog is start going on longer walks. This will have the added benefit of helping you be in better shape, and both of you can be able to bug out if need be. Secondly, if your dog has an extremely picky diet, figure out what simpler foods your dog will eat, preferably any hard or dehydrated food. Third, take your dog to the vet. Your dog needs to be healthy. If your dog isn’t healthy, you could be faced with a medical emergency during a disaster.
Preparing a Bug Out Bag For Your Dog
When it hits the fan, you’ll want to be ready to evacuate as quickly as possible. Having a bug out bag for your dog prepared and ready to go will make you that much quicker, and that much more likely to survive. Here are some considerations for such a bag:
Can Your Dog Carry a Load?
Before you strap all your survival supplies to your dog, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself. How reliable is your dog? Does he listen? Does he have a history of running away? If so, don’t rig him with what you’ll need to survive. If he’s obedient, even under stress, then you’re on to the next consideration.
Secondly, can your dog carry the weight of the gear? I used to have a Yorkie that could barely carry a sock across the room. A full grown lab or other larger breed can carry a fair amount of weight. If they’re a medium sized dog, you’ll need to determine if and how much they can carry. Additionally, you’ll want to be prepared to adjust that amount as the age and condition of your dog changes. A 3 year old dog can probably carry more than a 9 year old dog.
Supplies
Before you head out into the wilderness with your pet, there are several things that need to be considered. Firstly, how much food and water will you need for both yourself and the dog? Secondly, what kind of terrain will you need to face? Finally, how will you carry all this gear and supplies?
Bug Out Food For Your Dog
The first step is to consider how much food and water your pet needs every day. Most dogs require around 1/10th of their adult body weight in calories every day as well as plenty of fresh water. This means that if you have a small breed like a Chihuahua or Pomeranian then around 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of dry food per day would have the requisite calories.
Dried kibble options are great, but you’ll want to experiment with different types and brands, especially if your dog is picky. If they’ll only take wet food, you’ll want to either experiment with other options to try to find a dry food they’ll eat, or you’ll want to consider a freeze dried food option. Simply Raw is a more natural option that has been freeze dried that, like most freeze dried food, is significantly lighter than most food options.
Water and Drinking Bowl
Water filter
If you’re planning on a life straw for your own water filtration, how are you going to get clean water for your pets? Yes, dirty water can kill a dog just as easily as a human. Our recommendation is the platypus water filter. This system is extremely durable, and is a gravity flow system, so it’s very easy to use. It’s our go to water filtration system 99% of the time, for pets and people.
Dog water bottle
Stay mobile with a dog water bottle. This dog bug out bag essential has a bowl built into the bottle, requiring one less piece of equipment. We love these for bugging out, and road trips, but remember, you want a separate one just for bugging out.
Leash
I prefer a retractable leash for walking a dog, but I’ve also had those leashes break. A simple, solid strap leash is not as convenient, but they’re solid. I’ve never had one fail on me. They’re also lighter and more compact.
Muzzle
Many dog owners hate the idea of a muzzle, but having a muzzle for your dog is important in a bug out or emergency situation. A dog’s bark can be an excellent tool to alert you to danger, but it can also be a liability if you don’t have control over it. If you want to keep your dog under control, especially in a stressful situation, then you need to have a muzzle on hand. If you are worried about your dog biting someone, then consider getting one of these muzzles from Amazon. It’s lightweight, comes in pretty much all dog sizes, and its the most popular muzzle on Amazon right now.
Soft Nylon Dog Muzzle
The first thing that people should do when going through the process of buying a dog muzzle is find out what type of muzzle they want. There are different types of muzzles that are available, including plastic ones and leather ones. The leather muzzles are typically more expensive than plastic ones because they are made out of real leather instead of synthetic materials like plastic or nylon.
One thing that people should remember when shopping for their dog muzzles is that they need to make sure that they buy one that fits their specific breed of dog properly. For example, if your dog has long hair then make sure that the muzzle fits around their neck properly so that they don’t get caught up in their own fur while trying to eat their food or drink water from their bowl at home or outside during
Poop Bags
Sanitation is so important. Keeping poop away from water, food, and away from your shelter in general is so important. If there’s an evacuation, there are often large groups of people in evacuation centers. Being able to bag your dog’s waste will also help make sure you’re not separated from your pup while bugging out, so put the bags in your bug out bag.
Shoes, Coat, Blanket
Dogs can get cold in an instant, so having a blanket or other warm gear for your dog is important. Shoes, a coat, or other gear can also be helpful.
Pet first Aid Kit and Medicine
I’m not going to give any specifics here, because it varies by your dog. Having a first aid kit that works for a person will cover most first aid needs for your dog as well, you just might want more of it. Additionally, having some antibiotics and some flea and tic treatments is also advisable in your bug out bag. In an evacuation or bug out situation, you’re the vet.
Medical Records
Having your pets medical records is also important and helps other veterinarians or other medical professionals to provide the proper care for your dog. Every 6 months to a year, be sure to get updated pet records from your vet.
Pre-made dog bug out bag
You can actually buy a bug out bag or evacuation kit for your dog. This kit comes with most everything mentioned. If you just want to have a good enough solution and your primary plan is to bug in instead of bugging out, then you might just want to buy one of these, throw it in the same closet as your other bug out bags, and not worry about it. If your primary goal is to bug out, or your dog has specific needs, you’ll want to build your own kit from the ground up.
Mode of Travel
One of the things you should consider is how you’re going to be bugging out and how that method will work with your dog. If you’ll be in a truck, load up all your gear and your dog, then go for a ride. If you’re bugging out on foot, load up your gear and go for a walk. It’s important to drill and practice if you want to be successful.
Noise and Barking Control
One of the other things you want to do is to train you dog on when to bark, and on when not to bark. You don’t want to attract attention, and you want your dog to be able to alert you to things, so you don’t want to completely eliminate the barking instinct, but it needs to be under control. It’s an important skill that you’ll really need to have if you’re bugging out with your dog.
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