FEMA: Key Planning Factors and Considerations for Response to and Recovery from a Biological Incident: Service Animals and Household PetsTo promote human safety in disaster situations, the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act of 2006 was passed. The PETS Act requires state and local planners to plan for the mass care of household pets and service animals during mass sheltering and evacuation operations, including provision of veterinary care.
During a biological incident, household pets and service animals present even greater complexities.
In addition to considerations laid out in the PETS Act, emergency managers must also consider planning scenarios in which the pathogen causing the biological incident may be transmissible from animal to person, from animal to animal, and/or from person to animal.