FLOOD VICTIMS URGED TO PLAN FOR PETS' CARE

For more than three weeks now, the American Humane Association has been coordinating animal relief efforts in flooded Midwest areas by providing funds and manpower to keep local animal shelters operating and rescuing animals stranded by floodwaters.

Now, officials are issuing a warning to residents along the Mississippi River to prepare for their pets' care should they have to evacuate their homes.

"A lot of pet owners affected by the flood turned their animals in to shelters because they didn't know what to do with them," said Dennis White, director of AHA's Animal Protection Division. "Many others abandoned their pets. We want pet owners who have to evacuate their homes or have lost them in floods to know they don't have to lose their pets, too."

AHA offers this advice to pet owners who have been forced to leave their homes:

Ask your local animal shelter if they have an evacuation plan for animals and if they would be able to care for your pet during an emergency. Most shelters create foster care programs during a disaster.

Find relatives or friends who may be able to care for your pet for an extended period of time.

Contact boarding facilities and kennels outside the threatened area.

Make sure your pet's vaccinations are up-to-date and have an official record of them in case you have to board the pet of leave the state with him.

Have a health certificate or photo handy at all times. You'll need proof of ownership if you are separated from your pet during a disaster.

AHA also recommends having a leash and ID tag which includes an out-of-state contact, name and number, as well as a portable pet carrier the animal can stand up and turn around in.

Through AHA's Emergency Animal Relief Fund, funds have been provided for food, transportation, medical supplies, equipment such as portable kennels, rescue operations and any other expenses incurred by shelters helping the animal victims. A command center in Ft. Madison, Iowa, has also been established to handle the distribution of medicine, vaccines, food and equipment to animal shelters.