Research & Resources
Animal Shelter Emergency Preparedness Research & Resources
Pet Safe SOP was created to help animal shelters turn emergency preparedness guidance into a practical, shelter-specific plan that staff can use before, during, and after an emergency.
The planning framework was informed by real-world animal shelter management and emergency experience, along with research from established animal welfare and emergency-management organizations.
Pet Safe SOP is an independent product. The organizations and resources listed on this page do not sponsor, certify, approve, or endorse Pet Safe SOP unless an explicit relationship is separately documented.
Built Around Real Shelter Operations
Emergency planning for an animal shelter involves much more than creating a document.
Shelters may need to plan for evacuation, shelter-in-place operations, power and utility failures, severe weather, staffing shortages, transportation, animal containment, emergency foster placement, communications, continuity of animal care, recovery, and other disruptions.
Pet Safe SOP was designed to help shelters organize this information around their own facility, people, animals, partners, resources, and local risks.
The goal is not to replace established emergency-management guidance. The goal is to help shelters put preparedness principles into a practical operational plan that can be reviewed, printed, accessed during an emergency, and maintained over time.
Best Friends Animal Society — Emergency Preparedness Toolkit
Best Friends Animal Society publishes an Emergency Preparedness Toolkit intended for shelter agencies, rescues, boarding facilities, veterinary clinics, and organizations involved in emergency response. Subjects covered include:
- Hazard analysis
- Essential services
- Emergency Action Plans
- Evacuation planning
- Evacuation order of animals
- Continuity of operations
- Return-to-base planning
- Shelter-in-place planning
- Partnership development
- Foster resources
- Emergency inventories
- Training
- Emergency exercises and drills
Best Friends describes its toolkit as educational material that may be considered when developing a facility's emergency preparedness plans.
Explore the Best Friends Emergency Preparedness Toolkit(opens external site in a new tab)ASPCApro — Animal Shelter Disaster Planning
ASPCApro provides disaster preparedness and response resources for animal welfare organizations, including a Customizable Emergency Response Plan for Animal Shelters. Planning subjects include:
- Identifying potential disasters
- Incident command
- Emergency supplies and equipment
- Evacuation protocols
- Shelter-in-place protocols
- Continuity and contingency planning
FEMA — Animals in Disasters & Emergency Management
FEMA provides emergency-management education relevant to organizations caring for animals.
IS-11.A — Animals in Disasters: Community Planning
- Developing community plans for managing animals during emergencies
- Identifying hazards and threats
- Reducing impacts on animals
- Understanding the Incident Command System
- Disaster recovery resources
- Building community support for animal disaster preparedness
FEMA also offers related training such as Animals in Disasters: Awareness and Preparedness and Incident Command System courses. These courses are optional and are not required to use Pet Safe SOP.
Explore FEMA Animals in Disasters Training(opens external site in a new tab)Additional Emergency Preparedness Resources
Shelters should also consult relevant resources from:
- Local emergency management agencies
- State emergency management agencies
- Local fire and law-enforcement agencies
- Public health agencies
- Veterinary professionals
- Animal control authorities
- State and local regulatory agencies
- Utility providers
- Local transportation and evacuation partners
Emergency requirements and available resources differ by location, organization type, facility, and hazard.
Your Shelter's Emergency Plan Must Be Local
No national resource can account for every shelter, building, community, hazard, law, staffing model, animal population, or available resource.
Shelters should coordinate with their local emergency-management partners and review applicable state and local requirements when developing and maintaining emergency procedures.
Pet Safe SOP helps organize a shelter's emergency information and procedures, but shelter leadership remains responsible for determining what is appropriate for its organization.
Experience Behind Pet Safe SOP
Pet Safe SOP was also informed by the founder's experience working in animal shelters, including:
- Working at an animal shelter during the historic 2015 South Carolina flooding, when the shelter did not have a complete SOP for an event of that magnitude.
- Later becoming a shelter manager after a county took over operation of a nonprofit shelter, and helping develop shelter SOPs and operational procedures from the ground up.
- Working with and receiving guidance from Best Friends Animal Society during a hurricane threat.
Build a Plan Your Shelter Can Actually Use
Emergency preparedness guidance is most useful when it becomes a plan your team can understand, maintain, and access when something goes wrong.
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