Be Prepared:
Your Dog’s Life Depends on You

Noah’s Wish is a unique nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing, sheltering, and caring for animals when disaster strikes. The group is based in El Dorado Hills, California, but reaches out to help animals wherever there is a need for evacuation and emergency care, from Slidell, Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, to Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami. (In the three months following Katrina, the group cared for 2,000 animals, including 1,099 dogs.)

The staff at Noah’s Wish has collective experience in responding to more than 70 disasters, so they have clearly established procedures on how to evacuate and rescue animals—as well as how to get lost pets quickly reunited with their owners. Also, if a family is temporarily displaced because of a disaster, Noah’s Wish will set up long-term foster care for the animals as close to the pet’s family as possible. The good news is that Noah’s Wish often has more welcoming homes available than they have animals that need placement.

Before Disaster Strikes

Sheri Thompson, Assistant Director of Field Operations for Noah’s Wish, spent 93 days rescuing animals in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, and offers valuable tips to dog owners about preparing for disasters. She says there are two very important things to remember before you are faced with an emergency:

1. Know where you are going to take your dogs: Identify a pre-arranged safe location for your pets outside of your community, for example with a friend in another city. (You can offer the same service for your friend to create an inter-city buddy system.)

2. Know how you’re going to get there: Here’s where timing is important. If disaster occurs, whether it’s by fire or flood, the longer you wait the more roads could be blocked and your options could be limited. “If it’s not safe for you, it’s not safe for the animals,” says Thompson.

3. Emergency kit: Remember your dog’s needs while putting together your family’s emergency kit! Be prepared to care for your pet for at least 72 hours, and include items such as:

• food (especially if your dog has special dietary needs)
• water
• dishes
• any medication your dog needs
• a copy of your dog’s vaccination records, and
• current photographs of your dog (be sure to show any identifying marks).

After the Storm

When the most immediate danger is past, get your dog back into its familiar routine as soon as possible. Also, try to focus on keeping your dog calm and quiet. This can be difficult when you’re in the midst of highly emotional settings, but it’s important because your dog will pick up cues from you, the leader of the house.

If You and Your Dog are Separated

Rule #1: The more identification you have for your pet, the more likely you are to get it back. Some other tips from Noah’s Wish:

• Put an alternative emergency contact and phone number on your dog’s ID, preferably for someone outside of your hometown.
• Get your dog microchipped: Every animal retrieved by Noah’s Wish during a disaster is scanned for a microchip!
• Keep a picture with you that shows both you and your dog. This acts as another proof of ownership should you get separated. Some owners, say Thompson, even put photos and information about their dogs on a disk. If they lose their dog, the owners just go to the nearest copy store to print out photos that can help them locate their beloved pet.

United Stated Congress Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act (PETS Act)

President Bush Signs H.R. 3858, the "Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006"

On Friday, October 6, 2006, the President signed into law: H.R. 3858, the "Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006," which amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to ensure that State and local emergency preparedness operational plans address the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals following a major disaster or emergency.