The PETSAFE Act: Bipartisan Federal Legislation to Improve Disaster Preparedness for People and Pets

Americans consider their pets to be part of their family, and many won’t evacuate during an emergency without them. Our nation’s emergency response plans must reflect this reality. The lack of emergency planning for pets results in the loss of animal and human life and puts first responders at greater risk.

The Providing Essential Temporary Shelter Assistance for Emergencies (PETSAFE) Act would help communities to better prepare and care for pets before, during and after disasters without increasing government spending by changing the federal cost match from 50% to 90% for states using the Emergency Management Performance Grant for pet-related disaster preparedness. The bill would also require state and local emergency plans to account for the needs of animal shelters, which bear significant burdens during disasters — including emergency pet-sheltering, housing stray animals and conducting pet reunifications.

Helping communities prepare for disasters today will save lives tomorrow.

The PETSAFE Act is endorsed by more than 60 national, state and local organizations.

View Organizations

Inclusion on this endorsement list does not imply partnership with the ASPCA.

National
American Red Cross
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
Animal Welfare Institute
Best Friends Animal Society
Humane World Action Fund
Humane World for Animals
National Animal Care and Control Association
National Animal Rescue & Sheltering Coalition (NARSC)
Arizona
AZ Pet Project
Humane Society of Central Arizona
California
City of Fresno Animal Center
Ridgecrest Animal Shelter
Pasadena Humane
Florida
Flagler Humane Society Florida Animal Protection and Advocacy Association (FAPAA)
Florida Association of Animal Welfare Organizations (FAAWO)
Florida State Animal Response Coalition (FL SARC)
Humane Society of Tampa Bay
Humane Society of the Treasure Coast
SPCA Florida
Michigan
Michigan Humane
Missouri
Autumn Acres Animal Rescue
New Jersey
Salem County Humane Society
North Carolina
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control
Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation
Oklahoma
Friends of the Shelter Foundation
Pet Adoption and Welfare Services of OK
South Carolina
Humane Society of Greenwood
Texas
A Different Breed Rescue
Allie's Haven Animal Rescue
Almost Home Animal Rescue
Animal Investigations and Response (AIR)
Bobosky Animal Law
City of Alvarado Animal Services
City of Crowley Animal Control
City of Ferris Animal Services
City of Hutchins Animal Services
City of Joshua Animal Services
Copilot Animal Rescue
Denton Animal Support Foundation
DFW Furgotten Friends
Don't Forget to Feed Me, Inc.
Duke and Oliver Foundation
Friends of Tri-Cities Animal Shelter
Houston Pets Alive
Humane Tomorrow
Legacy Humane Society
Legacy Humane Veterinary Center
Little Dog Rescue of North Texas
Lost Paws Rescue of Texas
Municipal Animal Services (Everman, Forrest Hill, and Kennedale)
North Texas Basset House Rescue
Office of Emergency Management, Hildago County
Operation Kindness Humane Society
Pawsitive Relations
PetSet
Rockwall Adoption Center
Rockwall PAWS
Society for Companion Animals (SFCA)
Street Dog Rescue
Texas Animal Control Association (TACA)
Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN)
Texas Humane Network
Yaqui Animal Rescue

Bill Resources:

Download our PETSAFE Act fact sheet [PDF]

View the 119th Congress bill text

View House cosponsors

What the PETSAFE Act Would Do

The PETSAFE Act incentivizes state, local and tribal governments to strengthen emergency preparedness for companion animals. Specifically, the bill would:

Amend an existing grant program to increase the federal cost share to 90% for animal-related emergency preparedness activities, such as investing in mobile equipment trailers, emergency sheltering equipment and supplies, medical supplies, training staff and providing other vital resources for animals.
Require state and local emergency plans to account for the needs of animal shelters, ensuring that pets are fully included in disaster planning.

Why We Need the PETSAFE Act

Many families won’t evacuate if they cannot bring their pets. And when people stay behind, it puts people, pets and first responders at risk.

During Hurricane Katrina, between 150,000 to 200,000 individuals didn’t evacuate — nearly half (44%) of whom reported staying because they didn’t want to abandon their pet. A 1999 study of a California flood found that 80% of the people who returned to an evacuation zone early did so to rescue a pet. The study recommended that “pre-disaster planning should [...] place a high priority on facilitating pet evacuation.”

Animal shelters are often under-resourced making it difficult for local governments to dedicate their limited funding to disaster preparedness.

Many local governments view animal services as a “revenue-generating” service because they can charge user fees like adoption and licensing fees. As a result, annual budgets often provide little funding for animal service divisions. This means that local governments rarely have available funding for pet-related disaster preparedness. A 90% federal match will incentivize and assist local governments with investing in this critical, lifesaving component of disaster preparedness.

The PETSAFE Act makes it easier for states and localities to invest in pet-related disaster preparedness without increasing government spending.

The PETSAFE Act does not increase government spending. It simply increases the federal match from 50% to 90% if states use an existing grant program — the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) — for pet-related disaster preparedness activities. The PETSAFE Act does not change the amount of funding for EMPG, which is subject to annual appropriations.

Passing the PETSAFE Act is fiscally responsible.

Investing in disaster preparedness is fiscally responsible and economically beneficial. According to a 2024 Climate Resiliency Report, “$1 invested in disaster preparation saves $13 in economic costs, damages, and cleanup.” Without adequate preparedness, pets are often injured, lost or trapped in homes, resulting in more expensive and high-risk rescue operations. The influx of stray and displaced animals also overwhelms local animal shelters and rescues and creates longer-term sheltering needs.