I personally am going to write a letter to all those that authored this bill and thank them for the speed in which they pushed this through.

WASHINGTON – The Humane Society of the United States today celebrated the news that President George W. Bush – who said during Hurricane Katrina that if he had to evacuate the one thing he would take would be his dog Barney – has signed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act to help ensure that America's pets and service animals aren't left behind in the next disaster.

The bill – which was introduced in the House by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus, and in the Senate by Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) – requires the inclusion of companion animals in disaster planning at the state and local levels. It was approved by unanimous voice vote in the U.S. Senate on August 4 and the U.S. House of Representatives on September 20.

"We're tremendously grateful to the House and Senate leaders who reacted swiftly by introducing the legislation, and shepherded it through the committee process and floor votes to today's signing by the President," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. "While Katrina wreaked so much devastation and disruption, it also highlighted the remarkable bond between this nation and our pets and service animals, and the need for public policy to echo that appreciation of animals."

The final bill that the President signed contains provisions to help with disaster planning, including:

requiring that local and state emergency preparedness authorities include plans for pets and service animals in their disaster plans to qualify for grants from FEMA;
granting FEMA the authority to assist states and local communities in developing disaster plans to accommodate people with pets and service animals;
authorizing federal funds to help create pet-friendly emergency shelter facilities; and
allowing FEMA to provide assistance for individuals with pets and service animals, and the animals themselves, following a major disaster.
"People victimized by disasters should not suffer needless additional injury by having to abandon their household pets or service animals to their fate," said Rep. Tom Lantos. "With the cooperation of state and local authorities under the mandates of this new law, nobody will ever again have to confront the choice between personal safety and that of their animal companions."

"During Hurricane Katrina, tens of thousands of animals became homeless or perished. Many pet owners stayed with their pets and perished," added Rep. Chris Shays. "Today, we ensured that won't happen again. Communities across the nation are now required to include pet owners and their pets in emergency evacuation plans. I am grateful for the advocacy of The Humane Society of the United States and the bipartisan, bicameral support of this measure."

HSUS disaster experts note that evacuations will run more smoothly if pets are included in pre-disaster planning. "People lost their lives in the wake of Katrina because government responders told them their animals had to be left behind and they couldn't bear to abandon their pets," said Pacelle. "For many people who face losing everything, their pet is the only comfort they have left."

There are over 358 million pets in the United States residing in 63 percent of American households. A recent Zogby International poll found that 61 percent of pet owners say they would refuse to evacuate if they could not take their pets with them.

"We learned many important lessons from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. One of these lessons was that we must put procedures in place to evacuate not only residents in areas impacted by a natural disaster, but also pets and service animals," said Sen. Ted Stevens. "This legislation is an important step forward in our efforts to mitigate personal suffering during times of disaster."

"People see pets as part of their family and they do not want to leave any family members behind," added Sen. Frank Lautenberg. "As we learned during Hurricane Katrina, when people need to choose between safety and their pets, some of them will choose their pets. Now, they don't need to make that choice."

In addition to Rep. Lantos, Rep. Shays, Sen. Stevens, and Sen. Lautenberg, who sponsored the legislation and shepherded it through to passage, The HSUS would also like to thank key committee members for their support, including Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), the chair and ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), the chair and ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Also of special importance were the efforts of Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), who included parallel language on disaster planning and response for people with pets and service animals in the FY 07 Homeland Security Appropriations bill, which provides the funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).