During the 416 Fire in 2018, the La Plata County Humane Society was overwhelmed with pets needing shelter as their owners were evacuated. The society was in desperate need of pet food, crates, bowls and leashes.
To help provide relief to animals in the event of another community emergency, a disaster relief trailer is being made available in the Four Corners capable of housing pets temporarily during the first 72 hours of an emergency.
“The Humane Society got hammered with people bringing in their animals during the 416 Fire,” Barbara Schartz, president of the Durango Kennel Club, told The Durango Herald. “That’s when we realized the value of the trailers.”
The trailers are wired for electricity and are capable of running off a generator. They come fully stocked with administrative supplies, maintenance equipment, cleaning supplies, training materials, crates, carriers, cat litter, microchips and scanner, collars, leashes and bowls.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, federal law required local emergency management teams to have readiness plans and resources available to assist residents and their pets in the event of a disaster.
“A lot of people put their lives at risk because they didn’t want to leave their pets behind,” Schartz said.
AKC Reunite, an affiliate of the American Kennel Club, helps local emergency management and response teams provide animal care services – including disaster relief trailers – after a disaster.
The disaster relief trailer will be available to respond throughout the Four Corners but will be housed at the Aztec Animal Care and Control shelter in northwestern New Mexico. Tina Roper, shelter director with Aztec Animal Care and Control, said the organization was “now better prepared to help the pets in our community during times of disaster.”
It is the 86th trailer donated in the country through AKC Reunite, according to its CEO Tom Sharp.
“This trailer will provide important resources to help the Aztec Animal Care and Control team quickly care for their community pets in times of need,” Sharp said in a statement. “Safe, effective pet sheltering solutions are crucial during an emergency evacuation or immediately following a disaster, and AKC Reunite is pleased to offer this trailer as a vital tool.”
The trailer in Aztec was part of a larger effort to get four trailers to all four corners of New Mexico, Schartz said. Currently, two have been purchased, including the one located in San Juan County. The first was placed last year in Hobbs, in the southeastern corner of New Mexico. The Rio Grande Kennel Club, located in Albuquerque, played an instrumental role, Schartz said.
“The trailers are helpful resources that are strategically positioned to provide necessary supplies to assist communities in New Mexico, southwestern Colorado and beyond if disaster strikes,” said Bob De Young with the Rio Grande Kennel Club, in a news release.
The group of national, state and local groups providing donations toward the purchase of the trailer include Rio Grande Kennel Club, Durango Kennel Club, Coronado Kennel Club, Long Leash on Life, The Village Mercantile, Dog Judges Association of America, the State of New Mexico and AKC Reunite.
“The trailer is a great asset in time of need,” Schartz said.
lweber@durangoherald.com
