Shelter Staff Participate in Training Opportunity

Marshall Animal Control Officers and Shelter staff recently had the opportunity to attend training about the PETS (Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards) Act of 2006. This federal act was created in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, during which many people refused assistance because their pets could not be accommodated in the rescue and sheltering efforts. The act was developed as a way to serve the human population by creating a process to care for their pets. The participants in this training learned about pre-planning and thinking through processes, discovered many resources that our community can access for pet sheltering, and finished the day by partially setting up a mock shelter, using the Cooper County Emergency Management Pet Shelter trailer. The trailer was filled with nearly everything needed to set up a temporary shelter that could ideally be located nearby to the emergency shelter for people, which would be serving the owners of the pets. The training was conducted by a member of the Missouri Voluntary Veterinary Corps, who send qualified veterinarians to disaster areas as part of a coordinated state-wide network of resources designed to respond quickly to disasters.

The training was attended by not only our staff, but by members of the Saline Medical Reserve Corps, Animal Control Officers from Sedalia and Slater, and community members. For more information, contact Russ Donnell with the Saline Medical Reserve Corps at donner1@lpha.mopublic.org