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40 J. Soc. & Soc. Welfare 185 (2013)
Shelter from the Storm: Companion Animal Emergency Planning in Nine States

handle is hein.journals/jrlsasw40 and id is 776 raw text is: Shelter from the Storm:
Companion Animal Emergency Planning in
Nine States
JESSICA J. AusTIN
Canisius College
Failure to evacuate pets in an emergency has negative implica-
tions for public health, the economy, emotional well-being of pet
owners, and physical health of animals. These effects may be at
least partially mitigated by a robust plan to accommodate pets.
Nine state companion animal emergency plans were reviewed to
determine the extent to which they addressed the needs of com-
panion animals, utilizing characteristics of a model emergency
plan. States were compared utilizing variables such as popula-
tion, pet friendliness, and emergency preparedness funding in
order to explain differences in plan composition. This compre-
hensive review produced a list of recommendations for emer-
gency managers as they create future versions of their plans.
Key words: Companion animals, emergency planning, animal
welfare, disaster management
The percentage of households in the United States that
own pets exceeds the percentage of households with children.
In 2007, over 37 percent of households owned dogs and over
32 percent owned cats, while just over 31 percent of house-
holds in 2005 had children under the age of 18 years (American
Veterinary Medical Association [AVMA], 2007; United States
Census Bureau [USCB], 2009). The extraordinary number of
households with pets demonstrates just how ubiquitous com-
panion animals are in humans' lives. Additionally, pet owners
overwhelmingly consider their animals to be family members.
A recent Pew Research Center poll found that 85 percent of
dog owners consider their pets to be family, while 78 percent
of cat owners said the same (Pew Research Center, 2006). It is
Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, December 2013, Volume XL, Number 4
185

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