by Public Affairs, Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management | May 31, 2017
Pets are a part of family…..and in some instances (speaking from personal experience) they are the most important living beings in a household.
Their wellness and safety are a concern. That is why they get their own Ready.gov month focused on emergency planning every June.
Pet Preparedness Month highlights the need to include your pets in your emergency plans (whether they are furry and four-legged, swim, feathered and flies, have scales or a shell).
We see the concern Philadelphia residents have for their pets in the responses to the City’s Hazard Mitigation Plan Survey.
Statements such as “I don’t want to leave my pet”. Questions like “Can I bring my pet to a shelter?’ or “How do I prepare my pet for an emergency?”.
Here is the answer for those concerned about leaving their pets behind, or those who say they won’t leave them behind: Animals are welcome at all City of Philadelphia evacuation shelters, reception centers, and on SEPTA evacuation transport vehicles.
To kick-off Pet Preparedness Month, we are joining some of our partners in public safety tomorrow to highlight and promote the need for including pets in emergency planning.
We would love for you, and your pet, to join us.
- Thursday, June 1st
- 11:30 a.m.
- north side of Philadelphia City Hall
- Red Paw Emergency Relief Team, Animal Control & Care Team of Philadelphia (ACCT Philly).
- First-ResponDogs @ppdk9thor from Philadelphia Police K-9 Unit (and human partner) and Chance from the Philadelphia Fire Department Fire Marshall’s Office.
- Mascots Gentry from the Philadelphia Fire Department, Paws from SEPTA, and McGruff from Philadelphia Police Department will be on-hand.
- Information tables set up to learn more about taking care of your pets.
More importantly, the swag. We have Pet Go-Bags to giveaway to those who tweet us a pic of their pet pal using the hashtag #phlPetPrep.
Go-Bags include a water bowl, pet first-aid kit, leash, and window sticker to ID the animals in your house in-case-of emergency (to name a few).
Just show up at our event tomorrow, visit our table, and show us your tweet.
And please, most importantly, put your pets in your emergency plans, build them their own Go-Bag, listen to the advice of pet-pros who make emergency calls. You know they love you!
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