Helping Animals In Disasters
Veterinary professionals are vital partners in our work to provide services to pets during and after an emergency. VDART was thrilled to partner with the VVMA to provide a virtual training webinar to Vermont’s veterinary community featuring a presentation from Dr. Erin Katribe, medical director for Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. The webinar (Disaster Response: Temporary Sheltering) highlighted the vital role that medical care and veterinary professionals play in any emergency response, using a distemper outbreak after Hurricane Harvey as an example. VDART also shared some important lessons that we learned in terms of working with veterinarians and providing for the medical needs of animals after the July flooding here in Vermont. And we also used this as an opportunity to recruit more partners in the veterinary profession to join one of our regional teams across the state. You can view the recording here:
vvma.memberclicks.net/
Stoney stood in his crate and complained loudly, his high-pitched whines echoing in the near-empty B.O.R. Ice Arena in Barre. But the brindle mutt immediately quieted down once Cathy Plas, a volunteer with the Central Vermont Disaster Animal Response Team, or CVDART, leashed him for a quick walk outside.
“He’s been very vocal this whole time,” Plas said about the mouthy, 18-month-old pup that gnawed playfully on her fingers.
VDART requires all of its volunteers to take an Emergency Animal Sheltering (EAS) workshop before responding, which we provide free of charge in various parts of the state. On Sunday, May 21 st , the CCDART will be hosting an EAS at the South Burlington Police Department. More details will follow and you can also check our Facebook page and website for updates.
Saturday, October 15th – 8:45 am – 3 pm – East Barre Fire Department
CVDART hosted a mock drill designed for both new and seasoned members of VDART. This drill satisfies the requirement of attending an Emergency Animal Sheltering (EAS) workshop.
Sunday, October 30th – 10 am – 3 pm – Training Matters, West Brattleboro
WinDART is organizing this free workshop (which is a pre-requisite for VDART volunteer responders) for new and interested members. Among the topics we’ll cover are small animal behavior and handling (dogs and cats) and our emergency shelter set-up protocols. The training will culminate with a mock shelter set-up exercise that will allow us to practice these skills in a real-life setting, using the app being developed by DART Command Central.
This library is meant to be a resource for you to pursue training in the area of your interests. There are numerous websites with thousands of training videos, so the VDART’s Training and Development Committee selected a few that would be pertinent to our emergency sheltering work. Jump in and have fun!
Free Red Cross classes for non-Red Cross volunteers. One particular class that will assist VDART members is: “Psychological First Aid”. Here’s the link to register: http://bit.ly/ext_register
https://www.aspcaonline.org/#/catalog/77bf1b6d-aabc-470a-b983-7859c229eeb8
https://www.aspcapro.org/training-online-courses/online-courses-aspca-learning-lab
https://www.aspcapro.org/resource-library
The Vermont Disaster Animal Response Team (VDART) was established in 2007 in order to strengthen and support the state’s capacity to respond to animal needs in the event of a disaster. We provide vital resources and advice to pet owners, animal-related businesses and non-profits, local communities, and state agencies in this area. Read More