R.A.L.P.H.- Ready and Living Prepared Hero's!

 Louisiana, Texas, and Puerto Rico have bags from this Ralph's Responders Program. Thanks to our Puerto Rico friends, you can now find the Spanish version of the children's materials associated with Ralph's Responders under the Kids Corner tab.

What is Ralph’s Responder’s? This is a special program that one of our volunteer responder’s started to honor her horse and keep his memory alive so that his passing has some good come from it. This includes both the creation of a large animal responder go-bag drawn from the responders own experiences, and an educational portion to teach kids through activity/story books, games, and presentations how to include their pets in disaster planning. Two Ralph's Responder go-bags were donated by the volunteer to stock each of the LSART trailers. The reference guide in the bag with an inventory list are free to download for others to make their own Ralph's Responders bag, as well as the kids activities under the Kids Corner tab.

Ralph's Responders Educational Goals-

1. Importance of Health/Microchipping-Your pet should have an annual visit with a veterinarian for vaccines. Keep your pet on heartworm prevention. Check your microchip each year. Spay/neuter your pet.

2. Training- Your pet should know how to walk on a leash. Have a good recall. Be calm when kenneled. Know how to sit and stay. Be able to ride in a vehicle or trailer calmly.

3. Disaster Preparedness- Each pet should have a pet profile sheet and vet records. Have a pet go-bag pre-packed. Know where you can evacuate with your pet and have multiple routes.

4. Community Helper- You can help strengthen your own community by sharing 1-3 with others. You can do school or club presentations, talk to neighbors, and help others prepare. You can also volunteer at your local animal shelter by helping do things such as collect donations, foster an animal, walk or read to animals at the shelter, or help with shelter maintenance.

Who keeps large animal response go-bags? Professionals trained in large animal handling that may respond to a large animal emergency such as veterinarians, vet techs, animal control, first responders, and volunteers. Equine owners are encouraged to have an emergency kit as well, and tips on what to include can be found on the LSART large animal page.

How can I help my parish get training and a Ralph’sResponder’s go-bag? You can sponsor a bag in honor of your own pet, or help raise money to supply your Parish animal control or response team with a bag. 

What else can I do to help? By being prepared for emergencies with plans that include your pets, and asking your friends to do the same, you can help save lives. There are activity book that is free to print to help educate children on emergency planning with their pet under the Kids Corner tab.

Who was Ralph? Ralph was the barn name of the American Quarter Horse Pine Ridge Bay. While he was never used in competitions, he was very valuable as a teaching horse. His owner, one of our volunteers, learned to ride on him and had logged over 1,000 hours in the saddle and even more on the ground. She could shoot off of him with her bow and his most missed skill will be bowing so that she could hop on bareback without needing a step-stool. He helped train many responders by being such a bomb-proof horse that he didn’t need sedation for training exercises, such as to be washed by groups of students in full body PPE. He helped train 84 vet students during the 2010 Student American Veterinary Medical Association conference. Having such a patient, calm, and collected live animal made hands on training stress free. 

Ralph's Responders Bag Reference Guide

Ready and Living Prepared- Horses(Ralph) Coloring Book

 Hurry, Hurry, Hurricane! - Children's book and coloring sheets 

Hurry, Hurry, Hurricane! Colored book version.

 Ralph's Ready and Living Prepared Activity Book

Pet Packing Bag Tag