Preparing pets for disasters: Insights from B.C.’s emergency groups

Last year, Lillooet and surrounding areas were in the midst of a wildfire crisis.  While the fires were burning, people were left without homes, jobs and, in some cases, ways to take care of their animals. Thankfully, the animal-focused disaster response group Canadian Disaster Animal Response Team (CDART) was there to help.

CDART set up emergency animal shelters to keep people's pets and farm animals fed and protected while people were unable to keep them in their own homes. The shelter was open 24/7, so people could pick them up and see them whenever they were free.

That isn’t where their services ended, however. In emergencies they provide feed, water and medicine for animals and can also help cover costs for veterinary assistance. CDART’s mission is to help domesticated animals in the event of a disaster.

CDART is a non-profit organization based in Mission, receiving funding primarily through donations and relying on volunteers to provide its services. However, in recent years, keeping those volunteers around has been getting harder. 

CDART also relies on community outreach during disasters, like in Lillooet, where they were provided materials by a local business to help set up fencing for their animal shelter.

In 2021, more than 600,000 animals were lost to the Abbotsford floods. In 2024, there were over 1,600 wildfires across B.C. During these natural disasters, the government calls CDART and similar groups to handle the animal side of things, whether that's going in a residence with firefighters or sheltering animals in an emergency.

In addition to responding during emergencies, CDART also works to educate animal owners on how they can prepare before disaster strikes to keep their pets safe. 

Cheryl Rogers, one of CDART's founders helped during the 2003 Kelowna firestorm and saw the dangers of poor preparation firsthand, while helping a rancher.

“Their trailer was only partially loaded… the horses he brought out were the horses he could get in the trailer. So, he only had about 50 per cent of his herd,” Rogers said. “It was a choice of either potentially all of them being lost, including him, or leaving the animals he couldn’t load on.”

Rogers remembers the stress and guilt the rancher felt, until later he found out his horses luckily managed to escape.

In the case an evacuation alert is issued, Rogers advises people to move their animals at the alert stage and not wait for the alert to become an order.

Rogers said that people who aren’t prepared may have to leave animals behind.

In the case of a large-scale disaster requiring evacuation, Daryl Meyers, president and information officer of Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team (ALERT), another of B.C.’s animal-focused disaster response groups, recommends planning ahead for potential evacuation. She said that when planning, the importance of practice shouldn’t be overlooked.

“Some people will move on to a piece of property and they'll take their horse with them, but their horse has never been in a trailer for 10 years. So, practicing getting your horse in and out of a trailer is hugely important,” Meyers said.

Meyers further emphasized the importance of having some way to transport animals off your property, whether it’s having trailers for larger livestock or carriers for smaller animals, such as chickens or dogs. It’s possible you may need to arrange to borrow a trailer from a neighbour or contact.

What you need to know

Tips to keep your pets safe in emergencies

Experts in B.C. say there are some essential actions you can take to keep your furry friends safe in case disaster strikes.

The “26 weeks to emergency preparedness” guide, developed by Lower Mainland Emergency Pet Services can be used to prepare. Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team (ALERT) also has a webpage with a checklist of what to include in a “Grab’n’Go” kit for your pet.

 “You should always have a go-bag ready,” said Daryl Meyers, president and information officer of ALERT. This bag should have all the supplies you might need when you evacuate: food, water, any medicine your pets take, collars, leashes and toys.” 

Meyers added you need to know where you plan on evacuating to, and whether or not they allow pets. If not, you need to find someplace you can temporarily keep your pets, which is a service groups like Canadian Disaster Animal Response Team (CDART) and ALERT can help with.

Cheryl Rogers, a founding member of CDART, recommended to involve your pets when practicing what you would do in a real emergency, such as bringing them with you during fire drills.

This story was written by a student in Kwantlen Polytechnic University's Journalism program as part of a partnership between KPU and Black Press Media.