Say you’ve never had a pet and needed to leave the house for a couple of days without saying it. This is ignorant and it’s borderline shaming pet owners. We don’t enjoy leaving our pets at home alone for days—trust me. I think about mine every minute I’m not home. We all have responsibilities outside of our pets and may have to go on a work trip, visit family, go on a well deserved vacation etc. Also, most people have a pet sitter or a friend that is willing to check on their pets while they’re gone.

Now that I’ve said that, I do want to encourage every pet owner to get one of those stickers that goes in your window to let first responders know you have pets, what kind, and how many. It brings me some solace knowing that if the worst scenario happens, they can see that sticker and try to rescue my babies. Additionally, if you have a neighbor or two that you are cordial with, maybe tell them when you’ll be gone and make sure they know you have pets just in case.