The Disaster Response and Contingency Planning guide is a basic foundation for responding to a disaster or crisis by organizational entities ranging from businesses, schools, and government levels from local to regional to national.  One of the functional annexes typically included in such plans is one for pets and animals.  The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006 (PL 109-308), informally known as the PETS Act, provides that certain state-designated shelters are required by statute to provide co-located shelter facilities for pets.  Is this a best use of scarce resources?  What should the government’s responsibility be for pets?

 

Just like people, animals also have rights that have to be followed to the latter. Therefore, whether scarce resources should be used to cater to animals is taken into great consideration. The available resources should be employed in catering for both the citizens and animals found within its boundaries. Animals, including pets, play a significant role in the ecosystem; hence care needs to be employed in their handling. In terms of the environment, care needs to be taken to ensure pets live in proper houses, which need to be cleaned and disinfected regularly. The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006 advocates for proper shelter facilities during their transportation (Chadwin 2017). It is required that every law devised and adopted should be followed to the latter and the act is no different. Therefore, this should not be seen as a misuse of resources but rather a way of striking a balance between people and animals.

The government needs to accord pets similar attention to one given to its citizens. By developing laws to guide the way pets should be treated, the government ensures equality between citizens and animals. Regulations aimed at protecting pets ensure there are resources set aside for their protection. When it comes to allocating resources, failure to consider animals might imply an imbalance in nature. Failure to strike a balance between the two might result in disastrous results as nature always finds a way of striking a balance (LaVoy 2019). Through taking care of pets and associated animals, there is a balance in nature, and the environment becomes conducive for the survival of the people and the pets themselves. Therefore, every government should endeavor to develop laws and regulations that govern how pets and animals are treated. The laws should not only be based on the domesticated animals but also on the wildlife, which is a great source of income for any country.