Emergency Plan
Keep Pets Home:
Currently, there is no evidence you can contract COVID-19 from your pet, according to experts worldwide.
- Keep your pets home with you. Unless you are hospitalized and live alone, it’s the best place for them to be, and it will bring comfort to all of you in these turbulent times.
- Even if you have to self-quarantine, the best place for your pets is at home with you.
- Take precautions – your pet should be social distancing as well. You can take them on walks, but keep 6 feet of distance from other people and pets.
Plan Ahead:
Have a plan that includes your pets. Unlike a typical emergency, you need to have 2-4 backup plans as well! Create a care tree for how your pets will be cared for should you become sick or hospitalized.
- Reach out to friends, family, neighbors and pet-sitters who can care for your pets, if needed.
- Have 2-4 options lined up in case they become sick or hospitalized. Animal shelters are not the best option for your pets right now. They need the space to care for lost, injured or abandoned pets and they aren’t equipped to provide long-term care.
- Be sure to keep at least a 2-week supply of pet food and water for your pets, as well as any medications they may need and a travel crate.
- Create a written emergency plan for each of your pets. Include your name and contact information, your pet’s feeding schedule, any medical conditions and treatment instructions. Document whether your pet is up-to-date on vaccinations, and list the contact information for your veterinarian. Lastly, provide three backup options of family or friends who can care for your pets, if needed.
San Diego Humane Society recommends staying diligent in preparations, but not overreacting to COVID-19 concerns. By creating a preparedness plan for the unlikely event it becomes necessary to put into motion, pet owners can do their part to ensure our resources as an emergency service provider do not become overwhelmed and their pets are spared unnecessary stress.
For additional emergency preparedness tips, click here.
Learn more about providing for your pet in your will, and our Pet Guardianship program, here.
For more information from the CDC regarding animals and COVID-19.
San Diego Humane Society's Emergency Response Team
San Diego Humane Society’s Emergency Response Team is something of a model nationwide. The ERT consists of 165 people ready to spring into action to rescue or care for pets, manage tracking systems, run shelters—whatever’s needed.
