Legislation will protect animal companions in large-scale disasters

After a long effort by legislators and animal protection groups, the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act is finally law. President Bush signed the Act earlier this week requiring state and local disaster plans to include provisions for evacuating and sheltering companion animals during large-scale disasters. Thank you to everyone who contacted their elected officials in response to IDA's alerts urging passage of the Act in past eNewsletters. Your voices showed lawmakers that there is strong support among U.S. voters for protecting animal companions.

The landmark bill, introduced by Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), requires states to have animal evacuation protocols in place in order to receive disaster preparedness funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It will also authorize FEMA to finance the creation of special shelters for animals and their guardians in the event of emergency.
 
Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast last year and resulted in a massive loss of life, both human and animal. Many of these deaths could have been prevented if FEMA had allowed storm victims to take their animal companions with them when evacuating their homes and seeking shelter. According to a poll done by the Fritz Institute in April, nearly half of those who chose to stay behind when rescue workers arrived in New Orleans did so because they bravely refused to abandon their animal friends when their lives were in such severe danger. Passage and implementation of the PETS Act will prevent such tragedies from occurring again, and save thousands of animals' and guardians' lives in future large-scale disasters.

Learn how to create a disaster plan to provide for your animal companions in the event of an emergency.

Support Project Hope

For over ten years, Doll Stanley and the staff and volunteers of IDA's Project Hope sanctuary in rural Mississippi have been saving animals by the thousands from the worst kind of abuse and neglect. In addition to providing shelter and placing animals in new homes, Project Hope courageously investigates and exposes animal cruelty and takes abusers to court to hold them accountable for the suffering they cause. Driven by a commitment to justice for animals, Project Hope goes after the biggest offenders, including puppy mills and unscrupulous animal dealers, valuing animals as the individuals they undoubtedly are while trying to change the way people relate to the non-human species with whom we share our lives.

In order to continue their work, Project Hope always needs funds to run the sanctuary, rescue animals and conduct investigations. Please consider a donation to help Project Hope save even more animals' lives.

- Donate online. Be sure to enter "Project Hope" in the first name field of the "in honor of" section.

- To make a donation by mail, please send a check (with "Project Hope" written in the Note section) payable to:

In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner Blvd.
San Rafael, CA 94901.

- Please call (415) 388-9641 to make a donation by telephone.

Your generosity is greatly appreciated