‘The community is awesome!’ Donations pour in for evacuated animals staying at Deschutes County Fairgrounds
Barney Lerten
(Update: Adding video, comments)
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Pet Evacuation Team said late Tuesday it is now caring for 175 animals evacuated from the Alder Springs Fire at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond – and thanks to the community, they are “all set” with donated food for them.
“We have horses, goats, dogs, cats and a rabbit,” a PET official told KTVZ News earlier in the day.
“At this time, we do not need any more dog or cat food,” the representative said. “A generous donor brought in grass hay last night. Volunteers are working four-hour shifts.”
Later Tuesday, we were told: “This community is awesome! We have received SO MANY donations! We’re all set for now.”
Obviously they help people get their pets out of harm’s way, but they also keep pets at a safe location while you’re evacuated. They’re fed, cared for, and the dogs even get taken for walks. It might seem like a difficult task to evacuate your pet, but the team here has some tips to make it easier.
“Prepare, prepare, prepare,” Vikki Sheerer said. “It’s not a matter of if, but we live in a wildfire zone, and someday the fire is going to get close to your neighborhood. So we encourage people to have a crate for their dogs that has food, water, their favorite bedding, all their veterinary medication, and have it ready in the garage.”
You can get your pet used to going into a crate by feeding them in the crate routinely before evacuations ever happen.
Everyone who uses the Pet Evacuation Team;s services gets documentation and a wristband linked to their pet’s ID. You can even visit your pet any time at the shelter, feed them yourself and spend time with them.
PET is an all-volunteer organization that relies on donations. To learn more, visit their website at petevacuationteam.com.