Countless times people have been told to leave their homes for a “short time,” only to find that they cannot return for days or weeks. Having a plan in place prior to a disaster will help you accomplish a successful evacuation and maintain the safety of your animals. The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) offers a detailed Planning Guide, while the Center for Disease Control offers a focused, helpful Pet Disaster Kit Checklist.
SMART is a network of organizations, agencies and individuals committed to the needs of the animal population in disaster situations throughout Massachusetts. Through training and education, SMART assists in the development of disaster animal response teams such as Hudson DART.
How to Start a Community Disaster Animal Response Team
In 2015, we put together a Power Point presentation on How To Start a Community Disaster Animal Response Team.
Lessons from Louisiana
The State of Louisiana has done some remarkable work on cosheltering people and animals (including both pets and livestock). This presentation shows recent work on a Cohabited Human/Pet Shelter.
Pet Toxicology for Laypersons
Many common household items are toxic to pets. We hope that this summary of Pet Toxicology for Laypersons will help you to avoid an emergency.