In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the southeastern United States. The media showed countless pictures and videos of dogs standing on roofs as raging waters rushed by and cats swimming in toxic rivers. As waters flooded their homes, thousands of people refused to evacuate without their companion animals and refused to heed rescuers instructions to leave their companion animals behind. As a result, people passed away because they stayed behind with their animals, and many companions passed away as well.

Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina was a learning moment for emergency management organizations. It showed that the lives of humans and animals are intertwined and that officials must look at the family unit as a whole when approaching disaster response. Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, significant reforms in the U.S. were created to include household pets and service animals in disaster relief plans and to afford them with better protection during natural disasters. The PETS – Pets Emergency and Transportation Standards – Act, established in 2006, was one such reform.