Establishing and Operating a Disaster Pet Shelter
Intro
66% of Americans own a pet; 35% of them own more than one. In 2022 over two million pets were affected by disasters. Shelters for people who have lost their homes are some of the most important facilities to be created after a disaster, providing evacuees a safe place to stay with food, community and other resources. But sometimes these shelters do not allow pets (though they are required to make accommodations for service animals). What happens to the pets of the rest of the evacuees? In order to provide a safe place for cats and dogs to stay, as well as birds and other small animals, we will need to set up an emergency pet shelter.
Setting Up A Shelter
Setting Up A Disaster Pet Shelter Video (external site)
Location
The emergency pet shelter should be located in an area away from the disaster and away from populated areas, as the animal shelter will be noisy. The location should be on level ground, have room for possible expansion, and have running water or at least a way to bring in water. If electricity is not available onsite, generators can be used to supply lights and power.
Dividing the Space
Fencing should be used to create a perimeter around the shelter, as well as to establish separation between areas if the location you have chosen does not already have separate rooms.
Set up distinct areas for the following functions:
- Intake
- Dog housing
- Cat housing
- Exotic and small animal housing
- Segregation for animals whose owners have not yet been identified
- Vet triage
- Quarantine for sick animals
- Animal food storage
- Cleaning - disinfection stations and storage for supplies
- Staff and volunteer rest area
- Volunteer parking
Crates
The shelter must include separate areas for dogs, cats, exotic and small animals.
Small or medium crates can be stacked two high, but large crates should never be stacked. Crates should be covered on at least two sides and the top, using cardboard, light-colored sheets, blankets or other fabric, to prevent animals from seeing each other and to reduce stress.
Animals of the same type that are from the same household may be housed in crates next to each other without a covering between them, but each crate is limited to only one animal. Crates should be set up in rows with doors facing the same direction for ease in cleaning and for evacuating animals in an emergency. Cages ready for animals should be clean and open, empty of everything.
Food
Animal food should be kept in an easily accessible location away from the pet population. Only dry food should be kept at the shelter.
No food for humans should not be kept in the shelter.
Trash
The shelter will need separate receptacles for:
- Regular trash: paper, blankets, dirt, dust, empty food bags, etc.
- Biohazard trash: anything other than poop that has blood, pus, vomit on it, like a urine-soaked blanket from a crate.
- Poop: normal poop without blood, pus or excess liquid. Animal waste cannot be commingled with regular trash.
- Biohazard poop: Diarrhea or poop which contains blood or pus.
There will be an immense amount poop! Clearly label and color code each trash can.
When the shelter is initially set up, work with the county refuse collection to ascertain how all the poop will be picked up and taken away so that you will have a plan before the amount becomes overwhelming.
Forms and other materials (include links to printable forms)
Shelter Log Sheet
Intake Form
Ident-a-band
Cage Card
More Than One Animal Form
Deceased Animal Form
Running A Shelter
Running A Disaster Pet Shelter Video (external site)
Volunteers
Because of liability, no one under age 16 is allowed in the shelter, even if they are accompanied by an adult.
Before a volunteer agrees to work at the shelter, be sure they are made aware of how noisy the shelter will be and that there will be a tremendous amount of poop.
All volunteers must wear:
- Close-toed sturdy shoes or boots
- Long pants
- T-shirt or long-sleeved shirt
- CERT Identification or dedicated ribbon color
- A whistle to alert other staff of an animal escape or other crisis
Only authorized personnel accompanied by shelter staff with visible identification may enter the shelter. Members of the press, the public and even the pet owners themselves must not be allowed in the shelter.
Intake Procedure
When an animal is brought to the shelter, a staff member will:
Fill out an intake form (link to intake form). This form will include a unique intake number and important information such as owner contact information, names of other authorized persons, and date of most recent vaccinations. The original form will be filed at the shelter and a copy will be given to the owner. If an animal ever needs to be transported to a vet or another location, another copy should be made so that the original can remain on file at the shelter.
Create and attach an Ident-a-band (photo of ident-a-band) to the animal with its name and intake number, and the shelter phone number.
Create a cage card (link to cage card form) with animal name and intake number, date of entry into the shelter, and whether its owner is known or if it is a stray.
Take a photo of the animal with its owner to further ensure animals are only returned to the correct people.
Remove and return any personal items such as collars, leashes, toys or blankets and encourage pet owners to retain these items in order to keep them from getting lost, and to bring them back when they return to pick up their pets. The familiar smells they contain will help ease their transition from the shelter to home.
Note any required animal medications or required special foods on the intake form and cage card and alert the shelter manager. Special food must be provided by the owner and should be stored in an area close to the animal. Volunteers should also be alerted to this need.
Inform pet owners that pets of the same category (i.e. cats with cats) from the same household may be housed in adjacent crates without a visual barrier, but in order to prevent the spread of disease and to allow for cleaning, each animal must still be housed in its own crate.
When intake is complete, shelter staff will bring each animal to their crate. Pet owners are not allowed into the shelter and may not come visit their pets. Explain to them that separation will cause their pet anxiety but if they come to visit, their pet will think they are going home and will have to experience separation again when the owner leaves. Assure owners that their pets will be well cared for and will be returned to them after they have found a place to live.
Strays:
If an animal has been brought in by a non-owner such as a concerned citizen or animal control, it is important to notify the shelter manager that the animal is a stray before it is allowed into the shelter. Stray animals should be put into quarantine/separate are while their ownership is investigated or until a vet says they can be moved into the general population.
Chickens:
If a flock of chickens or other fowl is to be housed at the shelter, each chicken does not need an ident-a-band; a single band should be created and attached to an enclosure that can house the flock together. This is the only exception to the general shelter rule that each animal must be housed in its own container. The chaos and stress caused by a disaster can lead to counting mistakes so be sure that both you and the owner count how many animals are present.
Best practices for running shelter
Shelter Hygiene
Crates should be cleaned before an animal is placed inside and should also be cleaned daily. Crate trays should be removed if possible and the entire crate should be sprayed with a soapy water and 10% bleach solution, followed by a wipe down with a towel. Food and water bowls should likewise be cleaned and sanitized and left empty until an animal is housed in the crate, and ideally stored away from the general animal population.
Bag all animal poop before throwing it in the correct trash container.
Staff Hygiene
There are many diseases that can be transferred between animals, and between animals and humans. This is why strict disinfecting and hand sanitizing protocols are followed and no unauthorized personnel are allowed in the shelter. Educate yourself and your team on this important subject. If a volunteer is bitten by an animal they should seek medical care promptly, as animal bites can lead to very serious problems, and a Notification of Human Injury form (link to form) should be filled out.
Staff and volunteers should wash and sanitize their hands after touching an animal or cleaning a surface. Nitrile gloves may be worn to protect hands and can be sanitized about 5 times before needing to be changed.
To prevent the spread of disease an aluminum pan of bleach water for sanitizing shoes should be placed at the entrance to the quarantine area and should be emptied and refilled frequently. Alternatively, booties may be worn over shoes but must be changed every time a volunteer enters or exits the shelter.
Whistle
A whistle should be worn by everyone working inside the shelter. If an animal gets loose or a volunteer has an accident or is injured, the whistle is blown. When you hear the sound, secure every door to the outside and wait to hear what has happened. The shelter manager should be notified immediately of the incident.
Food
No human food is allowed in the shelter; staff and volunteer lunch, snacks and drinks should be stored and consumed off-site or in a dedicated staff rest area.
Animal treats and wet food are not allowed in the shelter, as they can cause a multitude of issues. You may need to explain to pet owners that only dry food is allowed if they try to bring treats for their pets.
Security
Security is an important consideration in an emergency pet shelter. If untrained people are allowed into a shelter they might unthinkingly pet an animal through a cage and get bitten, or someone might take advantage of the situation by trying to take home an animal that is not theirs. To keep everyone safe, only authorized individuals are allowed to enter the shelter, and staff and volunteers must have identification on their person at all times. Any approved visitors to the shelter must be accompanied by authorized personnel.
Members of the press will want to come into the shelter but you should not allow them, especially if they are alone. The shelter manager or designated staff member should be the only person to deal with the press. And remember that what you say to the press may or may not be what ends up being printed or reported. Photographs should not be taken of pets in the shelter, however if a pet owner is picking up their pet from the shelter they are of course allowed to pose for photos with their pet outside the shelter if they wish.
Stray animals may need to be viewed by people other than shelter staff in order to locate their missing pets, which is why they should be kept in an area that is accessible without having to pass by the general animal population.
All exits must be known by all shelter volunteers working inside the shelter at every shift.
Caring for dogs
All dogs need to be walked at least twice a day, once in the morning and once in the late afternoon. Additional walks are allowed if a volunteer wishes, if it can be done without disturbing other nearby animals. Be sure to take two plastic bags with you if you are walking dogs, to safely clean up after the dogs. At the end of the walk poop bags should be disposed of in the proper trash container. Please note on the cage card for an animal if you notice any diarrhea, blood or pus present in their poop.
Dog crates must be cleaned daily, as described above. A good time to clean a dog’s cage is when they are out for a walk. Crate trays should be removed if possible and the entire crate should be sprayed with a soapy water and 10% bleach solution, followed by a wipe down with a towel.
Plastic food and water bowls are hard to disinfect and may become stained or chewed up, so only stainless steel bowls should be used. Each crate should contain one bowl for water and one for food, and both should be cleaned and disinfected daily.
Dogs should be fed dry food once per day, typically 1-1.5 cups for a large dog and 0.5-1 cup for a small dog, and water should be offered at least twice daily. Volunteers should note on the cage card if the dog ate all, part, or none of its food. If a dog has not eaten all of its food after one day, throw away the remaining food and notify the shelter manager. The same protocol should be followed for water intake.
Caring for cats
Cat crates should be cleaned and disinfected daily. Sweep litter out of cages each day and add new litter if necessary. Cats with injured paws cannot use litter, so you can add human incontinence pads or shredded paper to the crate of an injured cat.
Stainless steel bowls are recommended, however paper French fry holders can be used for food, as cats do not typically chew up paper bowls like dogs do. Food and water bowls should be cleaned and disinfected daily.
Cats should be fed dry food twice per day, typically 0.25 cup in the morning and 0.25 cup in the afternoon, and water should be offered at least twice daily. It is important to monitor food intake so if a cat has not eaten its morning food before the second feeding, do not add more food but do make a note on the cat’s cage card.
Cats do not need to be walked.
Shelter hours and scheduling:
Shelter hours of operation should be determined and posted for all to see. Shifts for volunteers typically are: Shift 1: 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. Shift 2: 3 p.m. – 11 p.m. Shift 3: 11 p.m. – 7 a.m, if you have enough volunteers. Typically a shelter would be open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. NOTE: The shelter is never left without a team of volunteers inside, in case the shelter needs to receive animals after hours, if there is an emergency with an animal, or if the shelter must be evacuated.
Sample daily schedule
8:00 am - shelter opens
- count animals and log numbers on Animal Count Form
- dog feeding
- dog walking
- cat feeding
- cat cage cleaning
12:00 - 2:00 pm - quiet time
3:00 pm - dog walking
- cat feeding
- check cat litter boxes and refill water
5:00 pm - count animals and log numbers on Animal Count Form
- shelter closes (but volunteers continue to staff shelter until it opens again the following day)
Death of an animal
In the event an animal dies while at the shelter, fill out the Death of an Animal form (link to form) and contact the owner, if known, to ask them how they would like to proceed. An owner may choose to collect their deceased animal, to come say goodbye before it is collected by animal control, or if it is too painful for them they may elect to just have animal control collect it without the owner having to see it.
Checking out of the shelter
As pet owners find post-disaster long-term housing they will begin to return to the shelter to collect their animal/s. Owners should go to intake and show identification, a staff member will go into the shelter and bring the animal out, and the owner will sign on the intake form to indicate they have retrieved their animal.
When only a few animals remain at the shelter and it is time to close it, owners should be contacted to see what they would like to do. If they are unable to retrieve their pet, or if they cannot make arrangements for someone else to do it, contact animal control.
Other
Slip Leads
Pet leashes will be returned to owners at intake, so when an animal is taken out of its crate for a walk you should employ a slip lead as an improvised leash.
Animal Body Language
File:Animal Body Posture.pdf For everyone's safety, shelter volunteers should familiarize themselves with animal body language.