Riverside County Receives Donation of AKC Pet Disaster Relief Trailer
AKC Reunite, the largest non-profit pet identification and recovery service provider in the United States, is pleased to announce the donation of its 112th AKC Pet Disaster Relief trailer to Jurupa Valley, CA for Riverside County, the second trailer for the county. This life-saving equipment will be available to dispatch to any local disaster scene that needs assistance sheltering pets. This trailer was delivered on June 19th and will assist Riverside County Department of Animal Services in helping community pets that may become displaced in an emergency.
“We are very pleased to deliver this second trailer to Riverside County,” said Tom Sharp, President & CEO of AKC Reunite. “The county deployed their first trailer last fall for wildfires, and as such a large county, having a second trailer will be essential for future disaster response.”
“This disaster relief trailer donation by the American Kennel Club provides our Field Services Division the ability to setup a temporary animal shelter when responding to emergency situat.ions”
Erin Gettis ~ Riverside County Department of Animal Services Director
AKC Pet Disaster Relief is a nationwide program sponsored by AKC Reunite, the country’s largest non-profit microchip identification and recovery service. AKC Reunite partners with AKC® Dog Clubs and pet lovers across the country to make these donations a reality. The Riverside Country trailer was made possible by the Kennel Club of Riverside, Kennel Club of Palm Springs, Desert Empire Terrier Club of Southern California, Toy Dog Breeders Association of Southern California, and Animal Solutions Konnection (ASK).
“This disaster relief trailer donation by the American Kennel Club provides our Field Services Division the ability to setup a temporary animal shelter when responding to emergency situations,” Riverside County Department of Animal Services Director Erin Gettis said. “Our existing shelters may be too far away from a disaster site or fill up quickly during large wildfires. This equipment provides additional fast response capability when displaced animals need to be sheltered at a remote site. We very much appreciate the AKC’s generous donation.”
The equipment in the AKC Pet Disaster Relief trailers helps to create a safe, temporary home-base for at least 65 pets during the first 72 hours after a disaster is declared. The trailers house and deliver essential animal care items including crates and carriers, AKC Reunite microchips and an AKC Reunite universal microchip scanner, bowls, collars and leashes as well as fans, lighting and a generator, cleaning supplies and maintenance items. These supplies can be used as co-location shelters, where people can evacuate with their pets, as well as emergency animal shelters for displaced animals.
“Riverside County is subject to floods, wildfire and earthquakes, so is in need of several disaster relief trailers to cover people and their pets in case of emergency,” said Jill Hopper from the Kennel Club of Palm Springs. “Fund raising for this second trailer was a success due to the combined efforts of the Kennel Club of Palm Springs, Kennel Cub of Riverside, the ASK Foundation of Riverside, Riverside County Animal Services, and affiliated specialty and group clubs that hold shows with our annual KCPS New Year Classic Cluster of Shows.”
Learn more about how to get involved in AKC Pet Disaster Relief at www.akcreunite.org/relief.
