Humane Society of the United States - Disaster Relief

With 66% of U.S. households who care for pets, during the time of crisis, individuals do not want to leave that loved “family member” or cannot take them to a local disaster shelter. The HSUS Animal Rescue Team fosters relationships in areas that are prone to disasters before the disaster occurs. We can go in before the disaster hits (most common in hurricanes) or shortly thereafter (flooding, fires, tornadoes) to empty out the shelters and move animals already up for adoption in the shelter to partners in other parts of the country. Emptying the shelters of their adoptable population gives the shelters room to take in any animals that are displaced by the disaster—either those who ended up loose or if the owner needs to shelter their animal(s) for a period of time while they figure out their next steps.

Every year, our passionate and dedicated teams of animal rescuers rescue thousands of animals from puppy mills, animal fighting operations, natural disasters and other large-scale situations of cruelty and neglect.

The Animal Rescue Team rescues not just cats and dog but farm animals and others needing assistance. During natural disasters, the team works with local agencies on pre-storm transports, developing pet-friendly evacuation plans, securing food and other resources and emergency field rescue for animals caught in harm’s way.

The ART typically gets called in to assist with cruelty cases when the scope of animal needs exceed what local law enforcement or animal services have the capacity or resources to handle. Resources we can offer in these situations include legal assistance, temporary sheltering, on-scene assistance with evidence collection and animal handling, animal transportation and assistance with placement through our network of shelter and rescue partners—all at no cost to the community requesting help.

Your support for the Humane Society of the United States - Disaster Relief helps us to work with local law enforcement to investigate the worst cases of animal abuse nationwide and rescue thousands of animals from puppy mills, animal fighting operations, natural disasters and other large-scale situations of cruelty and neglect.

While most pet owners do not want to leave their pet, emptying the shelters of their adoptable population gives the shelters room to take in any animals that are displaced by the disaster—either those who ended up loose or if the owner needs to shelter their animal(s) for a period of time after the disaster.

The Humane Society of the United States Disaster Relief Animal Rescue Team partners with our affiliate Humane Society International and local agencies to rescue ALL ANIMALS ACROSS THE WORLD. We not only help in times of disaster but also cruelty cases including puppy mills, hoarding, neglect, or dog fighting.

Your support enabled us to answer the call for any large-scale emergencies, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes, utility outages as well as cases of cruelty and neglect. With our affiliates, we rescued, helped, healed and sheltered animals in need. 

• 100,000+ animals directly cared for through our rescue team, veterinary programs and affiliated care centers and sanctuaries in 2019
• The Pets For Life program responded to the COVID 19 crisis and the ripple effect on animals in need due to increased poverty in under-served communities. Veterinary services, food and supplies were provided to those impacted most to maintain the human-animal bond during this difficult time.
• 52,000+ animals spayed or neutered and vaccinated in Puerto Rico through our Spay-A-Thon programs
• 30+ Beagles released from a research lab following our undercover investigation into animal testing
• 4,369 animals rescued from crisis situations by our Animal Rescue Team
• 10 States frequently impacted by natural disasters received assistance from the Humane Society of the United States over the past five years
• Partnering with our affiliate Humane Society International, 14 Dog Meat Farms in South Korea have been shut down rescuing over a thousand  dogs
• Rescue approximately 150 equines—including horses, mini-horses and donkeys—in an alleged large-scale cruelty cases.

The Humane Society of the United States is approved by the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance for all 20 of its standards for charity accountability, which address charity governance, finances, effectiveness reporting, appeal accuracy, website disclosures and donor privacy. Click this link to review our Annual Reports and Financial Statements https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/annual-report-financial-statements