ASPCA Assists Sonoma County Animal Services in Sheltering of Animals Displaced by California Wildfires

Santa Rosa, Calif.—At the request of Sonoma County Animal Services the ASPCA^® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^®) has been on the ground fulfilling an overhead management role for the shelter to help care for hundreds of animals impacted by the wildfires that have devastated Northern California. As part of that effort, the ASPCA is assisting with assessments, coordinating resources and logistics and has mobilized its disaster response team to conduct welfare checks for displaced animals. The ASPCA also sent critical pet supplies to Sonoma and Mendocino counties to help shelter and care for the influx of animals affected by the catastrophic fires.

The ASPCA is also collaborating with Alaska Airlines to help transport dozens of homeless animals out of impacted communities. Yesterday, nearly 20 homeless shelter cats and dogs from the Humane Society of North Bay were relocated to animal shelters in Washington where they will be made available for adoption. By relocating homeless animals out of affected areas, impacted shelters will have room to take in an influx of displaced animals or provide temporary sheltering for owned pets. These animals were relocated to the Kitsap Humane Society in Silverdale, Wash. and the Seattle Area Feline Rescue in Seattle, Wash. This week, the ASPCA plans to relocate additional animals to the Cat Adoption Team in Sherwood, Ore., the Humane Society of Southwest Washington in Vancouver, Wash., and the Progressive Animal Welfare Society in Lynwood, Wash.

“The unrelenting wildfires that devastated much of Northern California have taken the lives of people and animals alike and have threatened the lives of many more,” said Dick Green, senior director of ASPCA Disaster Response. “The ASPCA is on the ground providing critical support for the animal shelters impacted by these fires who are working tirelessly to save the lives of affected animals and help pet owners get through this difficult time.”

Sonoma County Animal Services will continue to provide resources for displaced animals after the ASPCA concludes its response efforts on the ground. For more information on resources available for pet owners or how to help, visit www.theanimalshelter.org.

The ASPCA deploys its Field Investigations & Response team nationwide to assist in relocation, search-and-rescue, sheltering, and reunification efforts during disaster situations including wildfires, tornadoes, and floods. Most recently, the ASPCA has assisted more than 20,000 animals—mainly through distribution of critical pet supplies—in communities impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and continues to provide emergency sheltering for animals displaced by Hurricane Maria in St. Croix.