Preparing your family for an emergency is one of the most important things you can do to protect your loved ones. But there are very important members of the family that don't always get the attention they deserve during the planning process, our pets. Think for moment...Do you know what would happen to your pets if you had to suddenly evacuate the city during an emergency situation? Do you know where pet-friendly emergency shelters are in the Tigard and surrounding areas? What items should you include for your pets in your 72 hour kit? Nowhere was the importance off pet preparedness better illustrated, than during Hurricane Katrina. It's hard to forget the pictures of lost, wet, and frightened pets. There is a new organization in Tigard whose sole mission is to help pet owners answer those kinds of questions and prepare their pets for an emergency and deal with their unique requirements during an emergency situation.

Tigard PETS is a nonprofit pet-support organization that operates during/after disasters in accordance with Oregon state requirements and FEMA best practices. They organize and administer a local pet and livestock sheltering plan. We are activated during/after small, medium, and large-scale disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, severe storms, volcano eruptions, pandemics, and acts of terrorism.

Tigard PETs has two main goals:

1. Educate pet owners to increase personal preparedness for care of their pets during/after emergencies.
2. Plan, organize, and deploy an efficient, effective pet-sheltering system that can scale to the size of the emergency.

Before a disaster...

Tigard PETS is responsible for planning how to care for pets and livestock during/after disasters, and for educating animal owners about emergency planning and preparedness.

Community Planning for Disaster Response

Tigard PETS works to:

Pet-Owner Emergency Planning

Tigard PETS promotes emergency planning for pet owners. This helps pet owners understand how best to manage and care for their pet during and after a disaster:

• Promote preparedness among pet owners, including: pet licensing, microchip IDs, and vaccinations.
• Encourage pet owners to prepare a pet-ID wallet that contains important information about the animal: pet photo, breed / color, pet name, animal license, microchip ID (if any), vaccinations and when they were given, and medical information for existing conditions.
• Encourage pet owners to prepare a pet evacuation ("evac") kit: pet carrier, collar, leash, harness, bedding, food/water dishes, medications, toys, and a minimum of three days of food.

During/after a disaster...

In the event of an emergency, Tigard PETS activates, sets up, and staffs pet shelters for Tigard animals. Tigard PETS arranges emergency transportation of pets to shelters; track pets that have been transported, sheltered, and treated; communicate with pet owners; and negotiate as possible veterinary services for animals at shelter facilities.

If you are a pet owner we would encourage you to visit their website at http://www.tigardpets.org to learn more and be sure to include your pets in your emgency preparedness planning by creating an emergency evacauation kit for them. Consider making a donation to their efforts by purchasing a Pet Emergency Field Guide from their website. Cash donations are also accepted and go toward ensuring Tigard's pets are cared for and kept safe in times of emergency.