Published: November 05, 2006 12:07 am         

Paw Prints: PETS Act protects animals in disasters

On Oct. 6, President Bush signed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act (HR 3858) into law. The Humane Society of the United States has been working with Congress to ensure that animals will not be left behind in the next disaster. The legislation was also supported by the Doris Day Animal League, Best Friends Animal Society and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The HSUS was the first group to respond to Hurricane Katrina’s stranded animals. Some 10,000 animals were rescued in Louisiana and Mississippi but many others were left behind. An estimated 50,000 pets had been abandoned.

A city or state must submit a plan that details a disaster preparedness program to qualify for funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The PETS Act will require the state and local emergency preparedness officials to include a plan of how they will accommodate households with pets or service animals.

Hurricane Katrina demonstrated that when given a choice, many people will remain behind with their pets, thus risking their lives. It is clear that it’s necessary to have a plan that includes populations with pets as a “matter of public safety.” Health and safety risks within a disaster area are only exacerbated by abandoned pets.

The PETS Act also authorizes federal funding to states to assist emergency shelter facilities that are pet-friendly. This act allows FEMA to provide assistance for people with pets and service animals, and for the animals themselves after a major disaster.

The bill was passed unanimously in the Senate and by 349 “ayes” in the House of Representatives. “The House and Senate have taken an important step in ensuring that Americans will never again be forced to make an impossibly difficult choice: leave their animal behind while they flee a disaster or take their chances by staying in a disaster-stricken area with their pet,” said Wayne Pacelle, HSUS president and CEO. Pacelle goes on to say that, “It’s important to have pets included in government disaster and evacuation planning, but responsibility still lies primarily with individual families to plan ahead and be prepared. If it’s not safe for you, it’s not safe for your pets.”

Currently there are more than 358 million pets in the United States living in 63 percent of the households.