Thursday, July 15, 2010, is National Pet Fire Safety Day

Help keep your pet and your family safe

The American Kennel Club (AKC) has partnered with ADT Security Services for the 3rd Annual National Pet Fire Safety Day this Thursday, July 15, 2010.

According to the club, an estimated 1,000 home fires are started by family pets. In an effort to educate pet owners and prevent accidental fires in the home, the AKC has put together a list of several safety tips including:

• Extinguish open flames before leaving pets unattended
• Replace traditional candles with flameless ones
• Know the danger of leaving a pet water bowl on a wooden deck in the summer

As important as preventing pets from starting fires, AKC and ADT have also compiled tips for keeping your pet safe in the event of a house fire. Those tips include where to store leashes and how to properly mark your home so police and firefighters know yours is a home inhabited by a family pet.

Read the tips in detail on the official AKC website here or download them from the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) here.

AKC is also working with the NVFC in offering free window clings that will alert rescuers to your pet's presence in the home. The window clings will be distributed at volunteer firehouses on Thursday. For a complete list of participating firehouses, click here. According to the site, there are currently no distribution points on Cape Cod.  A window cling (one per email) may also be ordered from ADT online.

Window clings are also available online for purchase.