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About us
MuttShack was formed in 2005 and operated as a non-profit under the umbrella
of the National Heritage Foundation until it received its independent
non-profit 501(c)(3) status in 2006. Initially, MuttShack’s primary focus
was shelter rescue.
MuttShack responded to Hurricane Katrina and established the only free full
service triage facility in the City of New Orleans where our volunteers
rescued and provided critical care to over 3,000 animals. Shortly after
Katrina, as area shelters (most with extremely high kill rates) became
overwhelmed with abandoned and owner-surrendered animals, MuttShack began
focusing on mass shelter rescue - transporting entire shelter populations to
viable metro areas such as Atlanta and New York where, in cooperation with
local media and area rescue and humane groups, all animals found loving,
life-long homes.
In Spring 2006 MuttShack worked with Louisiana Sen. Clo Fontenot and his
staff on passage of the Pets Act, which later became state law and
ultimately paved the way for the Pets Evacuation and Transportation
Standards Act which amended the Stafford Act. The Act ensures that people
would no longer be forced to evacuate without their pets.
"The Katrina Promise" became MuttShack's ongoing mission and the
organization began working with local, state and federal authorities with
which it had formed cooperative relationships during its Katrina rescue
efforts, (including the Louisiana State Animal Response Team, the LA
Department of Transportation, the LA Dept. of Agriculture, The Governor's
Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, FEMA and the USDA) - to
establish mass pet transport protocols and to plan for the mass evacuation
of shelters and mass pet populations in vulnerable coastal regions. In
August 2008, after 3 years of training, numerous Parish and State evacuation
exercises (as a LA State partner to the LA DOTD and LA DAF), MuttShack
helped successfully launch the largest mass evacuation of pets in U.S.
history 36 hours before Hurricane Gustav’s landfall (and nearly 3 years to
the day of Hurricane Katrina).
MuttShack provided assistance during Hurricane Gustav, Hurricane Ike, the
Southern California wildfires, flooding in the Midwest and Washington State
and continues to provide consulting and evacuation assistance to shelters in
the gulf region and across the country as well as to county and municipal
Offices of Emergency Planning, operating under all appropriate Emergency
Support Function (ESF) guidelines. MuttShack also provides ongoing disaster
preparedness and response training to a large national volunteer base.
In addition to disaster preparedness and response, MuttShack works closely
with local shelters, rescue and humane groups and coalitions in active
support of No-Kill Solutions across the U.S. – recently co-sponsoring the
2009 No-Kill Conference in Washington, DC. Whenever possible MuttShack
strives to direct media attention, public awareness and resources to those
smaller communities who, despite their great need. are frequently overlooked
by mainstream media and so are deprived of the public support that coverage
typically generates.
Mission
Statement
MuttShack is a volunteer driven organization which focuses animals in
disasters.
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Active in Disasters
Hurricanes, Floods, Fires, Earthquakes
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Animal Rescue Training
and Certification
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Mass Pet Evacuation
Transport
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Mass Rescue from
Shelters
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Shelter Rescue of
Redlisted Dogs.
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Mass Rescue in Hoarding
Cases
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Emergency Support
function for EOC
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