How to Locate Your Pet After a Disaster

In the hours and days following a major disaster, our minds teem with shock, horror, dismay, and bewilderment. If we've left a pet behind in the disaster zone, those emotions are doubled. However, even if, you don't have either photographs of your pets or any of their veterinarian records, it is still possible to reunite with the animal.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Telephone numbers to animal shelters working in the disaster zone
• Disaster address
• Accurate description of pet
• Access to computer

1. As soon as possible, telephone the animal shelter that's opened closest to the disaster zone to report that your pet has been left behind.

2. Give the full address of the pet's last known location.

3. Provide a very detailed description of your pet. Your description of your toy poodle could be a plum nosed, apricot colored and female toy poodle that weighs approximately eight pounds.

4. Go to websites that are providing pages for pets found in disaster zones and scroll through them. On certain sites, you can narrow your search down by zip code, breed, and even type of animal.

Tips & Warnings

• It helps to also call the sheltering facility where disaster animals are being housed.
• Post to blogs on pet sites.
• Have patience.
• Expect disappointments.
• Finding a pet after a disaster is a long, slow process that sometimes lead to dead-ends or the knowledge that your pet didn't survive the disaster.

Resources

• Find pets
• Find pets in US and Canada

[Smintch]

on 11/8/2007 Your welcome. I'm glad you liked the article. BTW, I forgot to mention that you should also provide your animal's name as well!

[BarryWaite]

on 11/8/2007 Although I'm a Green Bay Packer Fan, I think you make some good points on finding your pet after a disaster. We just got a dog so this is timely information. Thanks!