Evacuating With Pets - Resources & Information

NOAA's National Hurricane Center is monitoring the season's first hurricane as it continues to strengthen and impacts the Caribbean islands. Hurricane Dean has just been upgraded to a Category 3 hurricane and continues it's approach to the Gulf of Mexico, now projected for Tuesday or Wednesday.

Please keep in mind that the State of Texas hurricane evacuation plan directs that people will be allowed to evacuate with their pets. Please urge everyone you know to take their pets with them if they leave. We must heed the lessons learned after Katrina.

If you have friends or family along the Texas Coast or in the Houston area that may need to evacuate with their pets, here is a list of resources that may help them prepare:

State of Texas Emergency Portal

Pets Allowed Hotels

Department of Homeland Security's Preparing Your Pets For Disaster

Please remind anyone evacuating with a pet to along a photo of their pet, vet records, microchip registrations, identification tags, collars, leashes, prescriptions medicines and a pet carrier or wire kennel.

[Note: If an evacuation is ordered for Harris County, the flood of evacuees with pets needing shelter will put great demand on the animal welfare system in the Metroplex. We will post needs for volunteers and/or donations here as we get word of them, so check back often if you would like to help.]