Pet-Friendly Evacuation & Sheltering

Even before the devastating hurricanes of 2005, a handful of communities around the country were leading the way in a ground-breaking approach to emergency preparedness and response known as pet-friendly evacuation sheltering. This group of movers and shakers were able to change the face of evacuation and sheltering and have become heroes in their communities—but not without challenges.

Today, with the establishment of the Federal Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act, the demand to establish pet-friendly evacuation and sheltering has increased rapidly.

What is pet-friendly evacuation sheltering?

Pet-friendly evacuation sheltering can be planned and executed in a multitude of ways, but the objective is the same: Establish temporary shelter for pets when a community is forced to evacuate in the face of an emergency.

In some communities, the human evacuation shelter is within the same room, facility, or campus as accommodations for pets. This allows the animals’ owners to have a large role in caring for the pet. In other communities, the human shelter and pet shelter may be in separate locations. In this case, evacuees are told where to bring their pets, while they will be staying at a shelter for people.

Following is a list of experts in pet-friendly sheltering: