Arizona Humane Society: Disaster Response and Recovery Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

Arizona Humane Society (AHS) used this gift to help underwrite a portion of the expenses AHS incurred while deployed to the Gila Bend Flood from Aug. 14-19, 2021, to support pet owners and pets in crisis.

While AHS was deployed to the Gila Bend Flood, our Disaster Response Team cared for 36 owned pets in the field, 20 of whom were reunited with their loving families; the remaining 16 were transported back to AHS’s shelter. Sadly, the owners of the 16 pets had lost their homes in the flood and needed AHS to provide short-term boarding and care.

As of Dec. 7, eleven have been surrendered to our shelter and the remaining five have been reunited with their loving families. This grant helped our organization by underwriting a portion of the $17,000+ expenses we have incurred while caring for pets in the field and those who benefitted from AHS’s temporary care program, Project Home Away From Home, over the last four months.

How many pets did this grant help?

36

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

In August 2021, the town of Gila Bend experienced a deadly flood that left many homes uninhabitable and families with nowhere to go, including the Vega family and their four dogs: Zuko, Jasper, Ashton, and Chiquito. (The first photo show’s Jasper’s intake exam; the second shows Chiquito with his dad.)

While in the field, AHS’s Disaster Response Team provided the beloved dogs with temporary shelter and basic medical care while their family searched for a place to turn. Thankfully, the family was able to find emergency shelter, but their furry companions could not come with them.

To prevent this family from being torn apart forever, AHS enrolled the four dogs in our temporary-placement program, Project Home Away From Home. AHS transported the four dogs back to our Phoenix-based shelter and found them housing at a local boarding facility at $13/day.

While in the dogs were our care, AHS also provided them with the medical care they desperately needed to live happy and healthy lives. After 90 days, the Vegases were finally reunited with the other half of their family.

With support from the Petfinder Foundation, AHS was able to underwrite a portion of the dogs’ boarding and medical expenses. Please watch this video to see the long-awaited family reunion.