What To Do With Your Dog In Case Of A Disaster?
In the present Cool Dog newsletter, I want to cover a serious and important issue. What to do with your dog in the case of a disaster? Are you ready? Do you know the steps you need to take? Are you willing to leave your dog behind if you need to evacuate your home? Will the government be there to help you?
Learn what to do, by reading the article below.
Here is your article:
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Title: What to do with your dog when a disaster strikes.
Author: Dr. Mayra Alfonso
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Pets Evacuation & Transportation Standards Act (PETS), What you can't afford not to know?
We all have seen it happened, many dogs owners had to abandoned their dogs after huracaine Katrina, many other dogs where left without owners after the traggic 911 attack on US soil.
Since the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster, several new laws have been passed to ensure the safety and protection of our four-legged canine friends. The animal welfare organization has come up with a better emergency plan of action and more shelters have been established to keep the pets with their owners in case such an event happen again. Two major disasters had to happened to get these law passed, but at least we have something we can count on.
In October of 2006, President Bush signed a new federal law, called the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act. This act states that FEMA is required to include the needs of individuals with companion pets and service animals. It also states that evacuation rescues for emergency or major disaster is included in the funding of state as well as local disaster plans. The act also allows FEMA to help rescue pets and other service animals before, during, and after a disaster occurs.
This effort has not only been limited to the Federal Level but also to the State Level. In addition to the federal PETS Act, many states are also joining in on the effort to ensure animal safety during a disaster. These states have either passed their own pet evacuation bill or revised an existing bill that includes the protection of companion pets and service animals.
The state of Louisiana, for example, passed a bill on June of 2006 that enables the state to aid in the evacuation as well as give shelter and other assistance to pets when disaster strikes. These pets and service animals will be given a bar code tag and the owners will get a copy to help them locate their pets after the emergency.
Other states such as Louisiana, California, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey, Illinois, and New York have also established a better disaster action plan to make sure that no pets are going to be abandoned and left behind.
The American Red Cross has also modified its policy on pets. The organization is now joining forces with local animal welfare agencies all over the country to establish shelters that can accommodate pets in separate rooms or in a facility in the same location.
Animal control departments and local human societies are also using the World Wide Web to post pictures and descriptions of pets to help reunite them with their owners. For more information, call your local animal agency.
Have a great Cool Dog day,
Dr. Mayra Alfonso
