e-6575 (Animals)

Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled

• More than 60% of Canadian households have a cat or dog (rising to almost 80% including non-traditional pets) and 71% consider their animals to be family;
• Animal response continues to be considered days and weeks into an emergency response creating unnecessary challenges or injury for animal welfare providers, increased animal suffering, and stress and grief for animal owners;
• Lack of pet-inclusive support services forces people to delay or avoid seeking safety, risking physical harm and potential maltreatment or death of pets;
• Misinformation, limited training and lack of inclusion of animal response often add to confusion and panic during evacuations, jeopardizing the safety and well-being of first responders;
• Facilitating safe co-evacuation of people with their animals may mitigate risk of physical injury, prevent acute and long-term psychological trauma and strengthen resiliency of persons displaced by and responding to emergency situations;
• Evidence highlights the importance of planning for better coordination of animal response including evacuating, extracting and sheltering during natural disasters; and
• During an emergency, people need help evacuating their animals and accessing pet-friendly accommodations, animal food, supplies and veterinary care.