FOSTER A HURRICANE PET Connects Pet Owner Evacuees with Emergency Temporary Housing In The Wake Of Hurricane Irma

Joe Garcia carries his dog Heidi from his flooded home as they are rescued from rising floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey on August 28, 2017, in Spring, Texas. 

Photo by: David J. Phillip / AP

While people in Miami and the Florida Keys are racing to escape the wrath of Hurricane Irma, Adopt-a-Pet.com, North America’s largest non-profit pet adoption website, is offering dog and cat parents help through Foster a Hurricane Pet.

Foster a Hurricane Pet is the first peer-to-peer platform that allows pet owners anticipating the need to evacuate their homes due to hurricanes to quickly and easily post their pets and be connected with local foster families to care for them temporarily until the crisis has passed.

Authorities anticipate hundreds of thousands of people and their family pets in Florida and beyond may be displaced by Hurricane Irma. Foster a Hurricane Pet gives evacuees the ability, both before and after the storm, to directly connect with other pet lovers in their community who can care for their pet.

“The peace of mind of knowing a much-loved pet is well-cared for and will return home safely is so important to the emotional recovery from such a crisis,” said Dr. Pia Salk, spokesperson for Adopt-a-Pet.com and psychologist with expertise on the human-animal bond.

Only people local to the areas affected by the storm are being asked to open their homes to foster a pet.  Pet lovers in the rest of the country who want to help are encouraged to visit Adopt-a-Pet.com or Petfinder.com to adopt a pet from their local shelter to make room for homeless pets being moved out of the hurricane-affected areas.

People who are not able to adopt but still want to lend support are encouraged to make a tax-deductible donation that will entirely be used to cover the costs of foster care for hurricane impacted pets.

Donations to North America’s largest non-profit animal adoption website can be made HERE!