Alaskans Prepare Their Pets for Volcano Eruption
A volcano near Anchorage is expected to erupt soon, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory. Elevated levels of volcanic gas emissions, increased earthquake activity, and ground deformations all point to the likelihood that Mount Spurr, about 80 miles west of the capital, will blow its stack in the coming weeks or months.
Residents of the area are taking precautions to protect themselves – and their pets. The city is recommending that pets and livestock are kept inside as much as possible if and when Spurr starts spewing ash and smoke. If animals need to go outside, folks should protect their paws with booties because volcanic ash contains tiny jagged particles of rock and glass.
Anchorage pet shop AK Bark has a line of protective gear to address any contingency: respirator masks, raincoats, goggles, booties, snoods, wipes (“Wipes may save us all. Wipe down everything (dogs included) before it comes in the house! Hypoallergenic, made specifically for pets.”), paw balm, and eye rinse.
The shop sold 500 pairs of eyewear protection in March alone, including $85 Rex Specs, high-end doggie goggles. “It's kind of nice that the goggles are not only a safety precaution, but they look fantastic,” owner Mark Robokoff tells NPR. “Appropriate for the sidecar of a motorcycle.” Even before Mt. Spurr started acting up, the doggie goggles were a hit with customers because “some people just wanted them so their dog could stick their head out the window.”
There is also demand for canine respirators, which AK Bark has ordered in small, medium, and large sizes. The store has presold 1,800 of them, and Robokoff suggests that dog owners start acclimating their best friends to wearing them now. “I don't know how many of my customers are actually going to go to the trouble to do that,” he says. “I hope a lot of them do, because if you just try to put one of these on the dog and let them outside, it's going to last about three or four seconds.”
It is possible that the volcano won’t blow its top at all in the event of a “failed eruption,” according to the Observatory website. “If the magma stalls and does not reach the surface, as happened in 2004–2006, we expect to see earthquake activity, ground deformation, gas emissions, and surface heating slowly decrease over several weeks or months.”
Whatever happens, Alaskans and their pets are getting prepared.
Photo credit: AK Bark via Facebook
