American Red Cross of Central Florida 

Disaster Services Help Center

May I bring my pets to a shelter?

The Red Cross does not accommodate pets or other animals in its disaster or evacuation shelters, or assume direct or indirect responsibility for sheltering animals in other facilities.

The reasons we do not accommodate pets include:

• Health, safety and comfort of all shelter residents (our concerns include allergic reactions, fear of certain animals, controlling animals' antagonistic behavior, waste elimination)
• Public health regulations that prohibit animals -- other than service animals — in public facilities
• Lack of separate areas for a wide variety of pets: cats, dogs, birds, reptiles, rodents to name a few
• Red Cross does not own the buildings used for shelters and we must negotiate the use of these buildings. An attempt to include animals in any portion of a proposed shelter building will likely make the owner less willing to allow us to use the building as a shelter
• Including pets within Red Cross shelters, if allowed, would increase the probability of claims against the Red Cross—by shelter residents for pet-related illness or injury, by building owners for pet-related damage to buildings, and by pet owners for the lack of adequate pet care provisions. Red Cross must guard against any liabilities and additional costs which limit its ability and capacity to carry out its mandate of meeting the basic human needs of those affected by disaster
• Red Cross does not have either the financial or human resources to assume the additional responsibility of caring for animals during a disaster

What about service animals (e.g. seeing-eye or service dogs)?

A service animal is defined as a guide dog, signal dog, or any other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. Service animals represent a special class, different from pets or other animals. The Red Cross permits an individual with a disability the use of a service animal in its disaster or evacuation shelters; or we will make special arrangements to accommodate the individual, together with the service animal, within the facility or in another appropriate facility. In all such circumstances, the care and supervision of the service animal is the responsibility of the individual, and not that of Red Cross.

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Headquarters: 5 North Bumby Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32803 Phone: (407) 894-4141

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