“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”
~ Mahatma Gandhi

Companion animals have become an increasing challenge in the field of emergency management (Botelet 2007, Hall et al. 2004, Heath et al. 2001a Heath et al. 2001b, Heath et al. 2001c). While issues of animal safety have always popped up during times of crisis in the United States, the plight of companion animals and their effect on human behavior was brought to the forefront of national attention during the crises surrounding hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In addition to the overwhelming loss of animal life that resulted from Hurricane Katrina (Humane Society 2007), it is reported that as many as 10,000 residents of the southern Louisiana coastal areas refused to evacuate the area because of the lack of accommodations for companion animals. This problem repeated itself in costal Texas and the Lake Charles areas during Hurricane Rita as well. The resulting public outrage over the treatment of animals in evacuation and disaster affected areas led to the creation of the Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act (PETS) which was signed into law the 6 th of October, 2006. While federal law now mandates humane treatment of companion animals, States and local governments are faced with implementing this policy without knowledge of the actual effects of animal well-being on human behavior.

This project seeks to understand the effects of companion animals by addressing the following questions:

• How do companion animals influence the behavior of their owners during times of crisis?
• To what extent do other behavioral indicators interact with animal ownership?
• What are the relative benefits to accommodating animals in evacuation and sheltering plans?
• What are the opportunity costs associated with companion animal accommodation?
• How salient is the treatment of companion animals during crisis response nationally and what are the ramifications?

Methodology:

This project uses a national survey of 2000, stratified on gender, pet ownership and previous experience in disaster.

Lead Researchers:

Warren Eller (SDMI), Rebecca McConnico (LSU-SVM), Michael Pennington (Lamar University)