Shelters Helping Shelters: Staff From 85+ Agencies Aid Animal Tornado Victims
Not even a heat index that reached well over 100 degrees could stop staff from over 85 shelters across the country from pouring into Joplin, MO. After the devastating tornado hit on May 22, the ASPCA and its team of volunteer responders worked around the clock to track down lost pets and set up an emergency shelter alongside the Joplin Humane Society.
For weeks, they entered the rubble with a cause – from animal care technicians and shelter volunteers to vets and executive directors, each responder played a valuable role in bringing their skills to the service of the animals affected by the tornado. We know typical day-to-day shelter operations are busy and hectic – so we recognize the great sacrifice of the 85+ agencies that responded to our call and selflessly sent their staff to Joplin where their expertise and compassion were needed.
Thanks to them, nearly 500 animals were reunited with their pet parents, and over 700 more were prepped for adoption. The culmination of the shelters’ efforts was a massive adoption event that brought in thousands of attendees from 24 states – read all about it at ASPCA.org!
We extend our most sincere gratitude to the agencies across the U.S. that participated in this tremendous mission. (Or in other words, THANKS guys, you kick MAJOR butt!)
| Organization | State |
| Allen County SPCA | IN |
| American Humane Association | National |
| Animal Emergency Clinic – O’Fallon | MO |
| Animal Humane Society | MN |
| Animal Rescue League of Boston | MA |
| Animal Rescue League of NH | NH |
| Animal Welfare Association | NJ |
| Animal Welfare League of Alexandria | VA |
| Animal Welfare Society | ME |
| Asheville Humane Society | NC |
| Baltimore County Animal Control | MD |
| Bay Area DART | FL |
| Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society Big Bend DART |
CA FL |
| Boulder County Sheriff’s Dept | CO |
| British Columbia SPCA C.A.R.E. |
BC CO |
| California Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps | CA |
| Cat Depot | FL |
| CatSnap | IL |
| CHA Shelter | OH |
| Champaign County Humane Society | IL |
| Champaign Valley K9 Search and Rescue Team | NY |
| Charleston Animal Society | SC |
| Colorado Animal Welfare League | CO |
| Colorado Humane Society | CO |
| CT SART | CT |
| Dumb Friends League | CO |
| Dogs Deserve Better | FL |
| Eagle Valley Humane Society | CO |
| Emancipet | TX |
| Ericson Veternarian Hospital | KS |
| Erie County SPCA | NY |
| FEMA | NY |
| Foundation for Protection of Animals Garfield County Sheriff’s Office |
CO CO |
| Geauga Humane Society | OH |
| Greenhill Humane Society | OR |
| Hampton Animal Hospital | MO |
| Heartland Humane Society of Missouri | MO |
| Heartland SPCA | KS |
| Herndon Animal Medical Center | VA |
| Houston Area Doberman Rescue | TX |
| HSUS | National |
| Humane Alliance | NC |
| Humane Society Greater Kansas City | KS |
| Humane Society of Broward County | FL |
| Humane Society of Atchinson County | KS |
| Humane Society Of Berks County | PA |
| Humane Society of Chittenden County | VT |
| Humane Society of Pikes Peak Region | CO |
| Humane Society of Vero Beach | FL |
| Jacksonville Humane Society | FL |
| KSART | KS |
| LA SPCA | LA |
| Liberty Humane Society | NJ |
| Louisiana SART | LA |
| Massachusetts SPCA | MA |
| Mid America Bully Breed Rescue | MO |
| Missouri Emergency Response Service | MO |
| Naperville Area Humane Society | IL |
| Nebraska Humane Society | NE |
| Noah’s Ark | NJ |
| Oregon Humane Society | OR |
| PA SART | PA |
| Pet Helpers Peace River Refuge & Ranch |
SC FL |
| Petpoint | TX |
| Portsmouth Police Department | NH |
| Quincy Humane Society | IL |
| Red Bank Veterinary Hospital | NJ |
| Riverside County Animal Services | CA |
| Sacramento SPCA | CA |
| Santa Clara County Medical Volunteers for Disaster Response | CA |
| Saranac Technical Rescue Team | NY |
| Shelby Co Med Marine Corp | TN |
| Spay and Neuter Kansas City | KS |
| Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service (SCRAPS) | WA |
| St. Hubert’s Giralda | NJ |
| Sumter DART | FL |
| The Humane Society of Fulton County | IL |
| Tony LaRussa’s Animal Rescue Foundation | CA |
| United Animal Nations | National |
| Utah Responds- Medical Reserve Corp | UT |
| Vet Center of Liberty | MO |
| Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas | NC |
| Virginia Animal Fighting Task Force | VA |
| Washington Animal Rescue League | WA |
| Washington State Animal Response Team | WA |
| Wayside Waifs | MO |
| Western Pennsylvania Humane Society | PA |
Tags: Disaster & Cruelty, disaster response
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H. Reed Says:
This does not include the individuals who came without affiliations other then ASPCA. I, for one, came for ASPCA but am affiliated with HSUS NDART, UAN/RED ROVER, and Michigan SART.
aimee chappelle Says:
Hi guys, can you please add the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office (Glenwood Springs, CO) and the C.A.R.E. Shelter, also of Glenwood Springs.
Thanks! We enjoyed ourselves, and hope to assist any time that we are called upon!
Pune Dracker, ASPCA Shelters' Edge Says:
Aimee, thank you and your colleagues for your hard work, and sorry for any oversight! It looks like we may have a few more changes to make to this list, and we’ll let everyone know when we update it!
Michelle Helms Says:
I think it is a GREAT article- really encompassing and shows the power of team work and of sharing commom goals!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Belen Brisco Says:
It is amazing what team work can do!
Lisa Stoner Says:
I was there from Peace River Refuge & Ranch too…of course I am also affiliated with several other agencies too, but it would be nice to have our name on the list. What a wonderful experience it was!
L. Long Says:
HI All, you forgot to add, “Big Bend DART” Tallahassee, FL
What a pleasure to work with such professionals!!!! Adopt a shelter dog/cat today
Wendy Haugen Says:
Please add the Foundation for Protection of Animals to your list as well.
It was great working with all of you.
Pune Dracker, ASPCA Shelters' Edge Says:
Hats off again to everyone involved in the Joplin rescue work—and thank you to everyone who let us know about the agencies we needed to add to this list! We have just updated it to reflect your additions, and please—if anyone’s reading this and sees their agency is not listed, drop us a comment and we’ll add your organization.
I also wanted to pass on a message from the ASPCA’s Allison Cardona, Director of Operations, Field Investigations and Response, who told me, “There may be some groups we didn’t capture on our master list, because we initially contacted known organizations who then put teams together to send to Joplin. Many of our contacts recruited from their partner organizations, but for our purposes we only knew them as the group we were in contact with.”
Again, if your agency participated and isn’t listed, don’t be shy! Leave a comment so we can publicly give you props!
C. von Gontard Says:
We also had several from Florida State Animal Response Coalition that helped as well!!