How Can We Help Ensure Your Animal Companions Are Safe at Home?
By Jennifer Brehler
All of us at the Humane Society of Sedona are extremely grateful to the outpouring of support our community has shown us and the animals who depend on us during the COVID-19 crisis. Thank you for helping our employees and volunteers stay safe so we can continue to help animals in need. In this uncertain time, we leaned on you, our community for support to foster and adopt animals to provide them with the love, care and a home they deserve. You opened up space at our shelter for animals in crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. You’ve provided us with masks, animal food and care supplies and well wishes that will help us get through this. You’ve allowed us to practice social distancing at our animal shelter and keep our high-risk employees and volunteers at home and healthy. Thank you for helping us!
Now, let us know how we can help you through this difficult time. We want to know what you and our community needs right now and how we can help you through this crisis. We are listening so please go to our website, https://www.humanesocietyofsedona.org to take a brief survey that will help us serve you through this difficult time.
Thankfully, there continues to be no evidence that you can contract COVID-19 from your pet, however it’s very important to plan ahead to protect your pets in case you become sick. The two most important actions we want all pet owners to take: make a plan for your pets in the event you are unable to care for them and ensure pets are safe at home.
Prepare Your Pet’s Emergency Plan
– Identify at least two or three people to take care of your pets in case you become hospitalized. Make a plan for how your pet’s appointed caretaker will have access to your pet’s before an emergency happens.
– Have your pet’s toys, food, crate, leash, litterbox & litter, medicine and Veterinarian contact easily accessible near your door and ready to use at a moment’s notice.
– Your pets should have identification including a collar with current identification tags and a registered microchip.
– An Animal Shelter including ours, the Humane Society of Sedona’s should be your very last resort. The best place for your animal is to stay in yours or another’s home with your appointed caretaker.
Protect Your Pets
– If you are sick with COVID-19, restrict contact with pets, just like you would with people. Have another member of your household take care of your pet. If you have a service animal, or must care for your pet, wear a facemask, and wash your hands before and after any contact with them.
– If you are not ill, you can interact with your pet as you normally would, including walking, feeding, cuddling, and playing.
Reunite Dogs and Cats If You Can
– If you find a stray dog or cat, please attempt to reunite them with their families for at least three days before bringing them into the Shelter. If you are in need of supplies, we can help.
– If the animal has a collar check for a tag and call and text the number immediately.
– Take a good clear photo of the animal and post it on social media, Facebook, NextDoor and Craigslist.
– Call us at the Humane Society of Sedona (928) 282-4679 so we can help you with the search and to have the animal scanned for a microchip.
– Post lost and found fliers in your neighborhood.
– While being safe and practicing social distancing, ask your neighbors for help and walk the dog in the neighborhood it was found if you and the dog are comfortable to do so safely.
Leave Healthy Stray Cats Alone
– Healthy stray cats and kittens should stay where they are during the crisis unless they are in immediate danger, sick or injured. Healthy owned cats are likely to find their way back home; nationally only 2.8% of cats are reunited with their families through a shelter and studies have shown 25% of lost cats return home on their own. When in doubt contact us at the Humane Society of Sedona for guidance.
Help Our Neighbors
– Join others to help our neighbors who are at increased risk for COVID-19. If you are healthy and not in the high-risk group for COVID-19 consider reaching out to your neighbors to offer assistance with their pets if they find themselves in need.
– You may also sign up with Humane Society of Sedona’s “I can help you with your pet” program where we will match you with pet owners who are still in need of identifying someone to care for their pets if they are unable to do so as a result of COVID-19. To sign up take our survey at https://www.humanesocietyofsedona.org.
We are here for you, so please go to our website, https://www.humanesocietyofsedona.org and tell us ‘How We Can Help You and your Pets Through?’. For more information on resources, programs and services provided by the Humane Society of Sedona, visit https://www.humanesocietyofsedona.org or email info@humanesocietyofsedona.org, or call (928)282-4679.
