DogBoston’s Dog Blog

This past Friday at the White House, President Bush signed the Pets  Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act into law.

“This landmark legislation, which was strongly backed by The Humane  Society of the United States, requires local and state disaster plans to  include provisions for household pets and service animals in the event  of a major disaster or emergency. When I was in the Gulf during  Hurricane Katrina, I saw the government’s failure to have a plan for  helping animals. Tens of thousands of animals suffered terribly and were  lost or left behind because our communities and responders didn’t have a  plan in place.

With more than 358 million pets in the United States residing in 63  percent of American households, the PETS Act will help ensure that  Americans never again are faced with the horrifying choice of abandoning  their pet and finding their way to safety, or staying with their pet and  remaining in a hazardous, and potentially life-threatening situation.

Some states and local communities have already engaged in disaster  preparedness for animals, and with a federal law now in place, the  future for you and your companion animal in a disaster is much brighter.

Thank you for helping us pass the PETS Act, and for all you do on behalf  of animals!”