Emergencies come in many forms and they may require anything from a brief absence from your home to a permanent evacuation like Hurricane Katrina.

The best thing you can do for yourself and your pets is to be prepared.

Most people view their pet as a member of the family, from sharing beds to giving birthday and Christmas presents.

Sue Ennis is one of them -- and her dog Jewel is prepared for anything.

Jewel is a certified therapy dog. She goes to hospitals and seniors' centres to cheer people up.

If disaster strikes, Sue is ready. She carries emergency supplies in her trunk, including supplies for her pet in a handy dog kit, which the dog can carry on its back.

"You have to try this stuff out. Your dog may really object to wearing something like this," Ennis warned. "You have to work with your dog, just like daily training."

Inside the bag is water and food in lightweight packets, and footgear -- little booties that will protect a dog's feet from debris like broken glass.

The kit has other uses too, Ennis explained.

"If you go day hiking. I live on the north shore so if you are going up the Grouse Grind, my dog carries her own stuff going up the grind, so that works very well."

Just don't forget to refill it.

In the event of a disaster, Vancouver could easily be dealing with 200,000 to 300,000 animals. That's a problem.

After Hurricane Katrina, abandoned animals roamed the streets. Many thousands never survived. It was a real eye opener.

"When it came to pets, there was no plan in place. There was no identification in place and it literally took weeks to put emergency care in place," said Paul Teichroeb with the City of Vancouver.

A key piece of identification to reunite you and your pet is a city dog license. The city has put out this one page guide to preparing your pet.

The steps are easy.

"Really it is about some basic food and some water," summarized Teichroeb.

And medication.

The city also has its own contingency plans.

"We're developing a network with pet supply companies so in a very short period we can bring in those supplies that will be needed during those particular times," said Teichroeb.

And while Ennis is prepared for disaster, she still hopes she never has to use it.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen