This deployment of the 100-year-old Red Star Recue program comes at the request of the state and will be part of an effort with National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (NARSC) members ASPCA, CODE 3, and IFAW.
The Red Star program's presenting sponsor is Mars Petcare US, makers of PEDIGREE Food for Dogs. Both giant rescue vehicles on the scene were made possible by philanthropist Lois Pope and the Northeast truck is sponsored by Banfield Pet Hospital.
American Humane Association will also act as the recipient of a generous grant from PetSmart Charities on behalf of South Carolina and distribute a bountiful supply of vitally needed supplies and resources to pet owners who have been left stranded by the historic flooding.
The Red Star Rescue team and NARSC partners will support the distribution from their base camp outside Columbia. The team will also perform an assessment of animal issues and the overall need in the disaster area.
"The Red Star Rescue team is there for the families, pets, and shelter animals who have suffered in the wake of this devastating flooding," said Randal Collins, the new National Director for Red Star Rescue for Animals.
"Our hearts break for these two- and four-legged flood victims, but we will do everything in our power to help restore normalcy to this tragic situation. Thank you to Mars Petcare US, makers of PEDIGREE Food for Dogs, philanthropist Lois Pope, Banfield Pet Hospital, and PetSmart Charities for their generous support."
To further help pets and pet owners, American Humane Association's century-old Red Star Rescue program has a partnership with mobiPET, a free new, high-tech, visual "AMBER Alert" for missing pets that helps reunite lost pets with their owners.
Any pet owner who has lost a pet in the Columbia, South Carolina area, who has a photo of their pet in their smartphone or computer can go to www.mobipet.me and click on the Red Star Rescue tab to fill in the information including a photo of their missing pet and enter their 5-digit zip code to verify.
This program requires a smart phone with a wireless connection or a computer with an internet connection to activate the lost pet photo alert to the designated animal shelter(s). mobiPET has waived the $50 fee normally associated with non-registered pet owners who have lost a pet in the deployed disaster area.
If you are outside the designated area and have lost a pet, please click on FIND MY PET button on the front page of the website and mobiPET will send the alert out to shelters and animal control centers within a 30-mile radius.
Generally, non-registered owners whose pet becomes lost can access the service for a $50.00 emergency registration fee, but during a Red Star deployment, mobiPet is waiving the fee for those within the disaster area.
Image via AmericanHumane.org
That is so nice to know. i was thinking about the animals there and worried they were being without care and attention. Such a disaster. It's a relief to know some help is there for them too.
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