National Animal Emergency Response Program
Animals are family. In times of crisis, they deserve protection, care, and safety. When natural disasters hit, animals are often left behind, frightened and alone.
Humane Canada's National Animal Emergency Response Program is working to change that.
Challenge
More than 60% of Canadian households have one or more companion animals, and 71% of those owners consider their animals family. Yet, emergency planning rarely includes them. Evacuation protocols and emergency services are typically designed for people, while the needs of animals—and the families who love them—are often ignored during both the preparedness and response phases.
This oversight can have dire consequences. Families are forced to make heartbreaking decisions. Some refuse to evacuate without their animals. Others flee and become separated for weeks—or forever. Misinformation, limited training, and a lack of coordinated animal response can create confusion and panic, endangering animals, their families, and even first responders.
The strain doesn’t end there. Canada's sheltering system is already at capacity, challenged by rising costs, limited access to veterinary care, a lack of pet-friendly housing, and the ongoing impacts of post-pandemic pet surrenders and unregulated breeding. As climate emergencies grow more frequent and severe, these gaps leave our communities—and the animals within them—deeply vulnerable.
Read our opinion piece: It’s time for animal welfare professionals to have a seat at the emergency planning table
Solution
Humane Canada is building a national emergency response network to ensure animal welfare is part of emergency planning from the very beginning—not as an afterthought.
By developing shared rescue protocols, offering specialized training, and fostering stronger coordination between shelters and emergency personnel, we can improve outcomes for animals and people alike. With your support, we can reduce suffering, better protect animals, giving them the best possible chance of survival and reunion.
This isn’t just about logistics—it’s about protecting the human-animal bond and keeping families whole.
Long-Term Impact
This project will change what it means to be prepared in Canada. Families will no longer face impossible choices. Shelters will be better supported, and responders will be trained and ready.
The long-term impact will be measured in every life saved, every family reunited, and every animal that gets to come home. With your support, we’re not just building a response system—we’re creating a compassionate, coordinated future for when crisis strikes.
The Future You Can Help Build
This isn’t just about saving lives in the moment. It’s about rewriting how we prepare for the future. A future where animals are integrated into Canada's emergency planning. Families stay together. Shelters are supported. Responders are ready.
And compassion is part of every emergency plan.
Your support makes it possible.
Please consider making a donation today to help build a compassionate, coordinated emergency response for animals across Canada.
Join a compassionate community creating long-term impact.
Every gift makes a difference when animals need it most.
Thank you for helping us build a future where animals are no longer an afterthought in emergencies. Your generosity makes it possible to protect the human-animal bond, support shelters on the front lines, and keep families together when it matters most.
