Charleston Animal Society closed until after Hurricane Matthew passes lowcountry: Pet owners urged to make pets part of their emergency evacuation plan

Charleston Animal Society is closed until after Hurricane Matthew passes the Lowcountry. Employees are working to make sure all of the animals at the shelter are cared for. Essential personnel will be riding out the storm inside the shelter to make sure the animals stay safe.

“We want to thank everyone who came in and took one of our animals into foster care. These fosters, along with other transport measures, will help insure the safety of our animals and allow us to help other shelters,” said Charleston Animal Society CEO Joe Elmore. Shelters from Aiken and York, as well as the Humane Society of the United States are coming to transport animals to safety. 45 volunteers are on standby to help with area pet evacuations or other needs at Charleston Animal Society.

Pet owners are urged to make pets part of their emergency evacuation plan. “Leaving a pet behind to fend for him or herself is not a safe or humane option,” said Elmore.

Charleston County Officials announced that Burns Elementary School at 3750 Dorchester Road in North Charleston will operate as a People & Pets Emergency Shelter. The shelter is scheduled to open Wednesday at 3pm.

• Pet guardians must bring vaccination records for pets
• Pets must be in carriers
• Pet guardians are responsible for their pets and must stay in the shelter with them
• Pet guardians must bring all supplies for pets including crates, bedding, food, leashes, poop bags, litter boxes, food bowls etc.
•  Here is a helpful website if evacuating: visit www.bringfido.com for pet-friendly hotels and other options.

Charleston Animal Society is posting pet-related information and updates on Hurricane Matthew at www.CharlestonAnimalSociety.org and Facebook.

This is a video link showing the Humane Society of York County transporting animals from Charleston Animal Society:https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6oHAtEfWEhdX1dObFd6eFZmcGc/view?usp=sharing

This is a video link showing Charleston Animal Society Hurricane Matthew planning meetings: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6oHAtEfWEhdeG0xQzRuTzVSR0k

This is a video link showing foster families picking up animals at Charleston Animal Society to ride out the storm with:https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6oHAtEfWEhdb0RUTnpiSDBzQ