We do this work together for pets like Duluth.
When the fires ripped through the Los Angeles area, her family lost everything. But thanks to our community partners there, Duluth and her family were able to move out of harm’s way and receive they care they needed.
Pets are family and when times are tough, we need their companionship more than ever. When disasters wreak havoc — like the wildfires and tornadoes that impacted multiple cities and states across the U.S. with the largest wildfires in California history happening only weeks ago in Southern California. Or the devastation of hurricanes like Helene and Milton, and floods— it’s critical to make provisions for our pets’ care, too. After all, they save us every day.
Many of us won’t forget Hurricanes Helene and Milton and their swift succession in the fall. Both exacted death, destruction and displacement. Millions of people and their pets were impacted, with an estimated cost of $250 billion across the southeast region.
We’ve all seen the footage of people that can’t bear to flee from fire or floodwaters without taking their precious companions. We understand, and we know pet lovers do, too. It’s why the PetSmart Charities Disaster Relief program makes grants available quickly to animal welfare partners and human service agencies that have pet-focused programs, because help can’t wait.
In 2024, PetSmart Charities awarded more than $1M in animal welfare grants for disaster relief. With your help, pets and people found safety and solace together.
Small change, big impact
You can imagine the chaos, fear and anxiety when natural disasters disrupt the hum of everyday life. Caring for animals is a busy job on any given day – much less when services such as power, water and/or communications are decimated. That’s what happened at Asheville Humane in North Carolina. Given that hurricanes tend to strike coastal regions, the magnitude was unforeseen. And punishing. When crises such as these strike, disaster response programs for pets make an immediate impact.
In an interview with Triple Pundit, Jennifer Walters, Interim Executive Director at Asheville Humane gave some insight into what it’s like for teams at animal shelters to cope. When Hurricane Helene struck, there was no time to waste as so much of the property was destroyed or flooded. They needed to get the animals out, quickly. In record time, their team coordinated the transportation of 100 pets to shelters in unaffected states with capacity, and nearly all were adopted quickly.
Within hours of Hurricane Helene and a week later, Hurricane Milton making landfall, PetSmart Charities made emergency grants for animal shelters and animal welfare and human service organizations with pet programs. In the days to follow, cash grants totaling more than $600K were sent to communities in North and South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Georgia. These grants supported pet lodging and medical needs, and also helped families with pets in their communities. Pet food is oftentimes a community need during disasters. PetSmart Charities heeded that call sending over $125K worth of pet food to North Carolina and to our Feeding America food bank partner, Feeding Tampa Bay in Florida.
As one of those grantees, Asheville Humane used the $25,000 grant to distribute pet food and supplies, creating a buffer for pet parents under financial distress from having to relinquish or rehome their precious pets, Jennifer said. And when people are coping with unimaginable stress, fur babies give the kind of unconditional love, support and stability that also helps families to move ahead.
After the news cycle faded, our friends at Asheville Humane kept going, making slow progress day by day like so many of our shelter partners. It took them weeks to have water and electricity restored. And the funds they received from PetSmart Charities helped provide for immediate needs and others as they recovered.
American Red Cross + PetSmart Charities = A Winning Partnership for Pets and People
No one organization can tackle disaster response alone. In 2022 PetSmart Charities and the American Red Cross forged a groundbreaking partnership to ensure pets were counted as members of the family. With a 3-year pledge of more than $2 million to the Red Cross’ Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP), the funding supports the infrastructure, capacity and programming for pets to be accounted for in disaster planning, response and recovery.
Now, with support from PetSmart Charities Red Cross pet-friendly disaster shelters ensure people and pets can find refuge, food and comfort together. And that brings us back to sweet Duluth. She was wheezing, and her family worried she was suffering from smoke inhalation after the fire. A Red Cross Pet Liaison —a role created because of our partnership— worked with her family to coordinate care from our partners at American Humane. They uncovered an upper respiratory infection, and Duluth got the care and medication she needed to heal.
In 2024, support from PetSmart Charities enabled the Red Cross to deploy 14 Pet Liaisons, open 308 shelters with Disaster Relief Operations, and provide 248,960 client/14,842 overnight pet stays, including nearly 6,000 overnight stays for pets with their families in shelters across five states in the aftermath of Helene and Milton.
These efforts are among many executed by a coalition of social and animal serving organizations that jump in to help with communication and coordination on a macro level.
We’re grateful so many people have dedicated their lives to the cause of natural disaster support for pets.
Your local animal shelter needs you when tragedy strikes — and all year long
When the storms recede, everyone in the community, region and nation can pay it forward with just a little effort all year long:
- Adopt or foster pets from your local shelter. Opening your home to a pet in need helps alleviate crowding on strained resources at your local shelter while adding love to your home.
- Donate: PetSmart Charities and other national funders commit substantial grants to aid animal welfare organizations and human service organizations with pet programs during disasters. But you can donate time and supplies to your local shelter/s all year long, and especially when disaster strikes.
- Future Support: With a promise to support continued disaster relief efforts in 2025 and beyond, PetSmart Charities reconfirms our long-term commitment to disaster response for pets and the people they love. Some donors even make provisions in their estates to ensure future generations receive lifesaving care. And, for those who like to make sustainable change possible with a monthly gift, becoming a Champion of Good is an easy way to affirm your commitment to pets and people.
Disasters remind us how much we need each other. When the unthinkable happens, pet rescue during hurricanes and fires makes a profound impact. We’re grateful for our partners, donors and best friends at PetSmart whose support fuels PetSmart Charities Disaster Response Grant program.
All year long, your donations make a difference, For Pets. For People. For Good.
