VDART has been quite busy since we last communicate as Spring stubbornly refuses to arrive in our state! Nor’easters, power outages and road closures have all had a hand in disrupting Vermonters lives and routines these past few months, and in response regional VDART teams have been activated twice since December to provide pet-sheltering services to our partners with the American Red Cross.
Our Central Vermont DART deployed its team on Christmas eve to provide supportive pet services to an emergency shelter in Barre. Team members quickly mobilized to move their response trailer to the site and set up several cages for potential animal residents. Although our services weren’t ultimately used, pet families had the peace of mind knowing that they had somewhere to go with their animals if needed.
In mid-March our Windham DART was deployed to a shelter at the Brattleboro Union High School after a Nor’easter dropped more than 3 feet of snow, creating extensive power outages. Similarly, the team brought supplies to the shelter and was on standby when our first (and only) overnight guest arrived—with her dog! “This is what our teams train for year-round,” said VDART board chair Joanne Bourbeau. “I’m thankful for our skilled and dedicated volunteers who were able to help their communities with this critical need.”