May 4, 2026
Make pets part of your emergency plan this Emergency Preparedness Week
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Stouffville, ON (May 4, 2026) – This week is Emergency Preparedness Week and theOntario SPCA and Humane Society is calling on the public to include animals in their emergency plans to help ensure no family member is left behind in a crisis.
Having an emergency plan means being ready for a range of situations, from severe storms to evacuations. The Ontario SPCA encourages families to have supplies ready, know how to safely shelter in place, and plan ahead in case they need to leave their home quickly with their pets.
To help families prepare, the Ontario SPCA offers free emergency preparedness resources, including a downloadable Emergency Preparedness Workbook that will help you build a 72-hour emergency kit and create a plan to care for your animals during an emergency. Visit ontariospca.ca/ep to start planning today.
This week, the Ontario SPCA is also offering free emergency door decals, key tags and wallet cards at local animal centres, while supplies last. Door decals help alert first responders that pets are inside the home, while key tags and wallet cards ensure someone knows there are pets who need care if their person is unable to return home due to injury or illness.
“Emergency situations can be stressful and unpredictable, but having a plan that includes your pets can make those moments a little easier to manage,” says Jennifer Bluhm, Vice President, Community Outreach Services, Ontario SPCA and Humane Society. “Simple steps like preparing a 72-hour kit and identifying a safe place to go can make a big difference for your animals.”
To learn more about emergency preparedness for pets and to download free emergency preparedness resources, visit ontariospca.ca/ep
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Media Contact
Media Relations
Ontario SPCA and Humane Society
905-898-7122 x 375
The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society
The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society is a registered charity that has been changing the lives of animals for over 150 years. The Society provides care, comfort and compassion to animals in need in communities across Ontario. It values all animals and advocates to treat them with respect and kindness. The Society strives to keep pets and families together and does so through a variety of community support services, such as sheltering and adoptions, including emergency sheltering, feral cat management programs, animal transfers, food distribution, humane education, animal advocacy, and spay/neuter services.
The Ontario SPCA does not receive annual government funding and relies on donations to provide programs and services to help animals in need. To learn more, or to donate, visit ontariospca.ca. Charitable Business # 88969-1044-RR0002.
The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society Provincial Office sits on the traditional territory of the Wendat, the Anishinabek Nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Mississaugas of Scugog, Hiawatha and Alderville First Nations and the Métis Nation. This territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and the Ojibwe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. The treaties that were signed for this particular parcel of land are collectively referred to as the Williams Treaties of 1923.