Teach Your Old Dog Some New Tricks

Dear Black Bag Confidential Reader,

With all the importance placed on emergency preparedness, one aspect of prepping that isn’t addressed enough is that there’s more than one way to do it.

So today’s batch of must-read articles discuss prepping considerations specific to certain groups, including pet owners and students.

Take a look and be sure to send any prepping questions you may have to [email protected].

1. How to Train Your Dog for When the SHTF

Dogs are truly amazing creatures. They can be your best friend, your guide, your sentry and your protector — provided that they’re well-trained.

This practical post from Backdoor Survival discusses the importance of taking the time to train your pets before the SHTF. Not only will an obedient animal be one less thing to worry about in the middle of a crisis, but a dutiful dog could also be a big help when it comes to guarding your bug-out location, carrying supplies or hunting.

But first, your pet must master a few fundamentals. Click on the link above to discover the top four basic commands your dog should know — whether the SHTF or not.

2. What You Need to Know About Meals Ready to Eat (MREs)

I’m sure you’re familiar with MREs. But unless you have military field experience or you’re an avid outdoorsman, this piece will answer a few questions you probably have about freeze-dried food.

Questions about storage, shelf life, preparation, taste, nutritional value and more. Plus, you’ll discover what that weird four-digit code printed on each MRE is and why it’s important to track it.

Be sure to read this article before your next trip to the Army surplus store — especially if you’re considering adding MREs to your emergency food storage.

3. Essential Disaster Preparedness Tips for College Students

I’ve received several reader questions about emergency prep for kids — specifically emergency prep for kids who are away at college. Now, unfortunately, a disaster can happen anytime, anywhere, but your chances of survival increase exponentially with even a meager amount of planning.

I recommend sharing this article from The Prepper Journal with the students in your life. It will teach them how to make a dorm-worthy disaster kit, the importance of basic first-aid skills, how to prepare for four of the most common emergencies and what to do to deal with them should they occur.

4. New Credit Card Chip Could Put Your Life Savings at Risk

According to the National Crime Stop Program, “Thieves can walk by you at a shopping mall and steal your credit card information right out of your purse or wallet from up to 25 feet away, and you won’t even know it.”

The worst part? You may have a vulnerable card and not even know it. In fact, this flaw affects more than 1 billion new credit cards currently sitting in wallets all over the world.

Click on the link above to find out how you can stop this new kind of hack in its tracks with this surprisingly simple object.

5. Inside the Ring: North Korea’s Hack Threat

In addition to building up their nuclear arsenal and continuing missile tests, North Korea is also working to actively expand their cyber capabilities.

Both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security issued warnings last week that North Korea has taken another step toward launching a massive cyberattack on critical U.S. infrastructure.

Couple that sobering fact with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford’s concern about the decline of U.S. military might and you have a recipe for a catastrophe the likes of which we’ve never seen.

Now’s the time to prepare, folks. I hope I’m wrong about this, but from where I’m sitting, it looks like war clouds are gathering. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Stay safe,

Jason Hanson

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