The Tri-State has a new tool to help pets and their owners during a disaster.
Thanks to a donated trailer from the American Kennel Club, the Tri-State County Animal Response Team (CART) can house nearly 100 pets during an emergency like after flooding or tornadoes.
"We will be able to set up temporary canopies and stations for intake, for medical treatment, for food preparation because it came equipped with a generator; it came equipped with a microwave," says CART President Bonnie Morrison. "It came equipped with tents. So now we're able to set up more of the proper stations to handle the animals with dignity and get them returned to their owners."
The group's current truck can hold 30 animals. The new trailer holds 65.
"This will make it easier for us to co-setup a temporary animal shelter with other groups like ours in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio," she says.
Morrison says the trailer allows the organization to go throughout Ohio and across the United States, if necessary.
The trailer means the group's 87 FEMA-certified volunteers may also start responding to disasters anywhere in Ohio, she adds. The group has historically served a 31-county region in Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Southeast Indiana.
"We just want the public to know, if they tell you to evacuate, do so, and know that you have a safe place to take your pets," Morrison says.
The group will also shelter farm animals and other large animals.
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