If something bad happens, very bad happens – no animals should be left behind. “When you’re told to evacuate, always take your pets with you,” says Sandy Monterose, director of national outreach at the New York City based ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).

            You may be told to evacuate for only a few hours, say if there’s a local gas leak. But then, for whatever reason, you need to stay away overnight, and then it turns into two nights. “It happened during Katrina,” says Monterose. “People were accustomed to leaving their home for a day or so, and then returning. So, many pets were left behind. Of course, they perished.”

            Monterose adds that it’s a common scenario that when the emergency doesn’t subside as expected, residents commonly return to retrieve their pets. “Breaking through the emergency line – even if you live in the area - may be illegal,” says Monterose. “Obviously, it may be difficult and dangerous to return to rescue the pets. As a result, you may require rescuing, which puts emergency responders at risk.”

            So, even if you’re not at home when an emergency occurs – always have a contingency plan, arrange for a neighbor or friend who can snatch your pets from harm’s way.

            During the Katrina emergency, the nation witnessed quite dramatically on live TV that people from all socio-economic levels refused to evacuate without their pets. “Our goal is for that to never happen again,” says Marie Belew Wheatley, president and CEO of the American Humane Association, Denver. CO.

            Post Katrina, American Humane helped organize the National Emergency Animal Response Coalition, a consortium of humane groups and other emergency responders. This group supported the passage of what’s commonly referred to as the Federal PET’S Act; it’s an acronym for Pet Evacuation Transportation Safety Act.

            Wheatley is an expert on emergency evacuation, following a nearly 16 year career with the Red Cross. “You have to understand, what many pet owners consider ideal isn’t ideal at all,” she says. “You can’t expect pets to be evacuated to a place shared with non-pet owners. Imagine, filling a gymnasium with pets and people – some allergic to pets, some afraid of dogs, some dogs not fully vaccinated, and other dogs who may be aggressive to other dogs. At best that would be uncomfortable for some, and might even be dangerous. Instead, we endorse and now the law endorses having a place nearby or adjacent where pets are accepted. For example, if the gymnasium is the (evacuation) location, perhaps the girl’s locker room is where the pets would be.”

            While Federal Law now encourages States to include pets in their emergency plans, specifically how that is done varies. Besides, the reality is that emergencies are generally local. Wheatley says to contact your local community’s office of emergency management or local trustees or city officials to insure not only that their emergency plans include pets, but those provisions for pets and pet owners are practical and reasonable.

            Often times, the reality is that even in many communities where there are provisions for pets, there just aren’t provisions for enough pets. Or that residents are told to leave their local community all together. If that’s the case – where do you go?

            “The secret is to plan in advance,” Monterose says. Have a list of hotels or motels fairly near your home that accept pets, and have another list of places to stay outside your city – and that list may should include a contingency of friends or relatives, if possible, since hotels and motels can fill up.

American Humane offers two day disaster training, ending with a mock drill using real animals. Attendees become credentialed for to help out in emergencies. Learn more, at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it , or call (800) 227-4645.

Prepare and Practice

Those that can deal best with an emergency are prepared all pet owners should have an emergency kit, .according to Sandy Monterose, director of national outreach at the ASPCA. You should be read to evacuate at a moment’s notice with these items:

• A document with your pet’s name, age, breed (if applicable) and pictures of you with your pet. Your contact information, including mobile phone number, email address, and information about where you may be staying (in case you are separated from your pet). Also include your veterinarian’s contact information.
• A carrier for a mid-size dog or smaller, as well as for cats and other small animals such as a bird, ferret, rabbit, lizard or turtle.
• A list of the current vaccines your pet has received. Also, a listing of any medications your pets may require. Of course, take the medication itself along.
• A copy of your pet’s microchip information – the number of your pet’s chip as well as the registry company’s phone number and/or email. Both the ASPCA and the American Humane Association endorse microchipping. Monterose points out, some pets are microchipped, but people sometimes forget to register the pets with the registry company’s data base. Without current information in the data base, your pet’s chip means little.
• Water (water may not be available for pets in all emergency situations).
• One extra collar and leash per dog.

Marie Belew Wheatley, president and CEO at the American Humane Association

says practice makes perfect, just as fire drills are suggested so are household emergency evacuation drills. “If you have kids, try to make it into a game,” she says.

Both American Humane, www.americanhumane.org and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, www.aspca.org (there’s a tab on the left, disaster preparedness) have lots more information on their respective websites.