For more than 100 years, American Humane Rescue teams have been First to Serve animals in their worst times. Last year proved to be one of the most devastating years for disasters and cruelty cases in recent history, tearing families apart and leaving hundreds of thousands of animals homeless, hurt, frightened, and hungry. Our teams deployed the American Humane Rescue vehicles—each stocked with medications supplied by Zoetis Petcare—to help animal victims of Hurricane Florence and Michael, the devastating California wildfire, a horrific puppy mill operation in Washington state, a cruelty case involving 26 malnourished dogs, and over 300 animals in a struggling Louisiana shelter.

We’re proud to help animals and pet owners in the midst of disasters, but American Humane is also dedicated to providing communities with the knowledge and tools they need to keep animals safe through emergency responder trainings. Last year, the American Humane Rescue team helped train 500 animal responders in 14 states and D.C. to save animals across the country when crises strike.

Today on National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day, we’re hopeful that by educating the public on disaster safety, conducting emergency responder trainings, and encouraging pet owners to put together a pet disaster preparedness plan, we’ll see a decline in the number of animals in harm’s way this disaster season.