Pet friendly shelters: where to go with a dog when you have to leave

Build the list in six steps

Work through this once, on a calm day, and you will not be making these calls with a weather alert on your phone.

1. Start with your county emergency management office

   The number is on your county's website, usually under emergency management or public safety. Ask two questions: which shelters in the county plan accept pets, and where pets are housed when a shelter cannot take them inside. Note who you spoke with and when.

   Done when: you have a name, a phone number and a yes-or-no answer for at least one shelter.

2. Call your local Red Cross chapter and animal control

   The Red Cross says shelter workers do all they can to accommodate household pets, but depending on the situation, pets may be housed at a different location with support from animal welfare groups (American Red Cross). Your local animal control agency or shelter can tell you who runs that pet housing in your area.

   Done when: you know the likely location for displaced pets and who to ask on the day.

3. Add a hotel and a boarding option

   The Red Cross suggests knowing which hotels and motels along your evacuation route accept pets, calling ahead for reservations, and asking whether a no-pet policy could be waived in an emergency. The AVMA's suggested contact list adds an alternate veterinarian 30 to 90 miles away who provides boarding, a local boarding facility, and hotels that allow pets within a 90-mile radius (American Veterinary Medical Association).

   Done when: one hotel and one boarding facility are written on the list with phone numbers.

4. Note the service-animal rule separately

   Service animals that assist people with disabilities are always welcome in Red Cross shelters. If that applies to your household, say so when you call, and ask what documentation the shelter will want.

   Done when: the shelter knows a service animal is coming and what to bring.

5. Write it on one page

   Put every option, address, phone number and note on a single sheet. Tape one copy inside a kitchen cabinet, photograph it, and put a copy in the car tote. The AVMA suggests keeping a copy of your pet emergency contact list with your evacuation kit.

   Done when: the sheet exists in three places and everyone in the household can find it.

6. Practice once

   The Red Cross suggests including your pets in evacuation drills so they become used to entering and traveling in their carriers calmly. A five-minute drill in the driveway tells you whether the carrier still fits.

   Done when: the dog has been in the carrier this year and the carrier is in the car or by the door.

How to find pet friendly emergency shelters near me

The sources we cite do not publish one national list of pet-accepting shelters, so what you build is a local one: your county office, your Red Cross chapter, animal control, and a couple of businesses that will take a dog. Ready.gov frames it the same way. If you must evacuate and go to a public shelter, animals may not be allowed inside, so its guidance is to plan in advance for shelter alternatives that work for both you and your pets, including friends or relatives outside your immediate area who would host you and your pets.

Two habits make the search fast. Start with your county emergency management office rather than a general search engine. And ask the question as "where do pets go if the shelter can't take them," not "do you take pets." The second version gets you a location instead of a no.

Fill in your own version of this table with real names and phone numbers. A blank table is a plan; a table with your county's shelter and your sister's address on it is a solution.

What shelters require at the door

Pet housing has rules, and most of them are about disease control and identification, not about being difficult. The American Red Cross notes that many pet shelters require proof of current vaccinations to reduce the spread of disease, and that dogs and cats should wear collars with securely fastened, up-to-date identification.

The Red Cross also suggests keeping vaccinations current, considering having your pet microchipped by your veterinarian, and preparing a short information sheet: feeding schedules, medical conditions, behavior problems, and your veterinarian's name and number, in case you have to foster or board your pets.

• Vaccination record, photocopied and in a zip bag (American Red Cross)
• Collar with current ID tag, plus a microchip number if your dog has one (American Red Cross)
• Current photos of you with your dog, in case you are separated (American Red Cross)
• Medications and copies of medical records, in a waterproof container (American Red Cross)
• A one-page sheet with feeding schedule, medical conditions, behavior notes and your vet's phone number (American Red Cross)
• Bedding and a familiar toy, if they are easy to carry (American Red Cross)
• A pet rescue sticker for your home window, with the number and type of pets and your vet's phone; if you evacuate and time allows, write "EVACUATED" across it (American Red Cross, citing the ASPCA)

Ask your county contact whether they want originals or copies, and whether a rabies certificate specifically is required. Write the answer on your one-page list.

The car evacuation kit for one dog

This is a small tote plus a carrier, not a second household. It lives in the car from spring through fall if you can spare the space, and by the door if you cannot. The labeled items below are from the Red Cross pet-supply list; the rest are plain extras you add yourself, not requirements from any agency.

• Food for the days you expect to be away (American Red Cross)
• Medications and copies of medical records in a waterproof container (American Red Cross)
• A first aid kit for pets (American Red Cross)
• Current photos of you with your dog (American Red Cross)
• The information sheet: feeding schedule, medical conditions, behavior problems, vet name and number (American Red Cross)
• Bedding or a familiar blanket, and one toy, if easily transportable (American Red Cross)
• Collar with up-to-date ID and a copy of the vaccination record (American Red Cross)
• Extra you add: a leash, a folding bowl, a bottle of water, waste bags, paper towels and a spare towel
• Extra you add: a carrier or crate the dog fits in today; the Red Cross suggests practicing with carriers so pets travel calmly
• Extra you add: an emergency contact list built the AVMA's way, with your vet, an alternate vet 30 to 90 miles away, boarding facilities and pet-friendly hotels within 90 miles
• Extra you add: your one-page shelter list, so the plan travels with the dog

The pet emergency kit guide covers the fuller version you keep at home, and the 72-hour kit checklist shows where the dog's bag fits alongside the family tote.

Pet friendly storm shelters and the short-notice problem

Storm shelters open on short notice, so ask your county in advance whether pets are accepted when a shelter opens (Ready.gov). That makes storm sheltering a phone call you make now, written on your sheet, instead of a parking-lot decision later.

If the answer is no, the practical fallback is a sturdy interior room at home for short events, and a pre-arranged pet-friendly destination for anything longer. The Red Cross guidance still applies: if it isn't safe for you to stay behind, it isn't safe to leave pets behind either. Plan the drive, not the goodbye.

Households with more than one animal should be ready to house them separately. The Red Cross notes that although animals may be more comfortable together, you should be prepared to house them separately.

When the shelter cannot take your dog

This is where the list earns its keep. If the first shelter turns you away, you already know the next call: the boarding facility 30 to 90 miles out, the pet-friendly hotel on your route, or the relative outside the flood zone.

1. Ask where pets are being housed, not just for a no

   The Red Cross notes pets may be housed at a different location with support from animal welfare groups. Ask for that location and how to get there before you leave the check-in line.

   Done when: you have an address or a firm no.

2. Call your pre-arranged option from the car

   Use the hotel or boarding facility on your sheet. Calling ahead is what the Red Cross suggests for hotels along your evacuation route.

   Done when: someone has confirmed a space for the dog.

3. Split the household if you must

   One adult takes the dog to the confirmed option while the other takes the kids to the shelter. Decide this in advance so nobody is arguing in a parking lot.

   Done when: both adults know which role is theirs.

4. Keep the dog with you while you check in

   Take turns waiting outside with him rather than leaving him alone in a parked car, especially in warm weather.

   Done when: nobody is left in the car alone.

Troubleshooting

If your county says none of its shelters take pets

Ask specifically where pets are housed when a shelter opens. The Red Cross notes pets may be housed at a different location with animal welfare groups. Then put a hotel and a boarding facility on your sheet.

If your dog isn't current on vaccinations

Call your veterinarian now and ask what can be brought up to date. Many pet shelters require proof of current vaccinations (American Red Cross).

If your dog is anxious or reactive

Say so on your information sheet and to shelter staff on arrival. The Red Cross notes a pet's behavior may change after a disaster, becoming aggressive or defensive, so plan for a carrier and for keeping him under direct control.

If a hotel says no pets

Ask whether the no-pet policy could be waived in an emergency (American Red Cross), and move to the next number on your list.

If the carrier does not fit in the car

Use a leash and a harness for the drive and ask the shelter or boarding facility what they can provide on arrival.

When to get help

Frequently asked questions

Next in the manual

Your next step: the kits and plans section shows how the pet kit, the family plan and the 72-hour kit fit together.

Sources

1. Pet Disaster Preparedness, American Red Cross (accessed October 29, 2026).
2. Pets and Disasters, American Veterinary Medical Association (accessed October 29, 2026).
3. Pets and Animals, Ready.gov, FEMA (accessed October 29, 2026).
4. Evacuation, Ready.gov, FEMA (accessed October 29, 2026).
5. Disaster Preparedness, ASPCA (accessed October 29, 2026).