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Pet Laws in Louisiana: Emergencies

This guide is about pets and their owners, but not about livestock or wildlife.

This is Louisiana

Be hurricane prepared.This is Louisiana, where emergency situations can happen because of tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes. Fortunately, emergency planning for these events now contemplates pets and their owners.

 

RS 29:729

§729.  Parish homeland security and emergency preparedness agency authorities and responsibilities

...

E.  The parish office of homeland security and emergency preparedness shall:

(13)(a)  In consultation with experts in the fields of animal sheltering, veterinary medicine, public health and safety, other professional and technical personnel deemed appropriate, and the state office of homeland security and emergency preparedness, formulate emergency operation plans for the humane evacuation, transport, and temporary sheltering of service animals and household pets in times of emergency or disaster that:

(i)  Require that persons with disabilities who utilize service animals, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, are evacuated, transported, and sheltered with those service animals and inform all facilities that provide shelter to persons with disabilities who are accompanied by their service animals of their legal obligation to provide shelter to both the person with a disability and the service animal.

(ii)(aa)  Identify or establish, as the case may be, in conjunction with the state office of homeland security and emergency preparedness, evacuation shelters designed and equipped to accept and temporarily house household pets and canine search and rescue teams.

(bb)  Develop guidelines for such shelters which may include standards or criteria for admission to such shelters, health and safety standards, basic minimum animal care standards regarding nutrition, space, hygiene, and medical needs, protocols, and procedures for ensuring adequate sheltering, management, and veterinary staffing for such shelters.

(iii)(aa)  Enable, wherever possible, pet and pet-owner evacuations for residents with disabilities, who are elderly, or who have special needs, and all other residents whenever such evacuations can be accomplished without endangering human life.

(bb)  The office shall establish an identification system to ensure that household pet owners who are separated from their household pets during an evacuation are provided with all information necessary to locate and reclaim such household pet.

(iv)  Allow household pets in cages or carriers that safely and securely confine such pets and are specifically designed for the containment and transport of such pets to utilize public transportation during an impending disaster, when doing so does not endanger human life.  If such pets are not allowed to use public transportation, the primary agency designated under the provisions of R.S. 29:729(E)(13)(b)(i) and (ii) is authorized to provide separate transportation for these pets.  The office shall, in consultation with the primary agency designated under the provisions of R.S. 29:729(E)(13)(b)(i) and (ii) and other appropriate agencies, develop plans to address the evacuation, transportation, and other needs of those household pets that are not evacuated or transported pursuant to this Item.

(v)  Establish protocols which require the parish designated animal control, animal sheltering, or animal care agency in each parish to develop a plan for evacuation of household pets.

(vi)  Require that animal shelters, humane societies, veterinary offices, boarding kennels, breeders, grooming facilities, hospitals, schools, animal testing facilities, and any other businesses or not-for-profit agencies that normally house household pets or service animals, create evacuation plans for such animals consistent with the provisions of this Paragraph. Such plans shall be made available to the public upon request and shall be filed annually with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, office of animal health and food safety, and with their respective parish homeland security and emergency preparedness agency.

(vii)  Implement a public information program to provide guidance to household pet owners in formulating their own evacuation plans for their household pets and service animals, inform such pet owners of the resources available to assist them in such evacuations.

(viii)  Ensure the primary agency designated under the provisions of R.S. 29:729(E)(13)(b)(i) and (ii) is included in emergency preparedness exercises conducted or arranged through the state or parish government, and that animal rescue, evacuation and sheltering needs of residents with pets are made a part of those exercises.

(b)(i)  In creating emergency operation plans pursuant to this Paragraph, the parish office of homeland security and emergency preparedness may delegate any or all of the evacuation, transportation, sheltering, or other functions delineated herein to the agency with authority over animal control or animal related issues in that parish which shall serve as the primary department or local entity, provided that such primary department or local entity may delegate any or all such functions to public or private agencies with expertise in the areas of animal control, animal sheltering, or animal care.  Emergency operation plans created pursuant to this Paragraph shall be submitted to the state office of homeland security and emergency preparedness and to the Department of Agriculture and Forestry on an annual basis with the first of such plans to be submitted on or before August 1, 2006, and on or before March first of each year thereafter.

(ii)  Any parish office of homeland security and emergency preparedness that chooses to designate a local parish department or local entity as the primary department or entity authorized to coordinate and provide for the evacuation, transportation, or sheltering of household pets and service animals shall provide written notification to the Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the state office of homeland security and emergency preparedness as to the primary department's or entity's physical location and contact information.  The Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the state office of homeland security and emergency preparedness shall coordinate with such designated primary department or entity as to their duties relative to the evacuation, transportation, and sheltering of household pets and service animals.

(c)  For the purposes of this Paragraph, "household pet" shall mean any domesticated cat, dog, and other domesticated animal normally maintained on the property of the owner or person who cares for such domesticated animal.

(14)  Do other things necessary, incidental, or appropriate for the implementation of this Chapter.

Acts 1993, No. 800, §1, eff. June 22, 1993; Acts 2003, No. 40, §2, eff. May 23, 2003; Acts 2006, No. 615, §1, eff. June 23, 2006; Acts 2009, No. 24, §2, eff. June 12, 2009; Acts 2014, No. 811, §15, eff. June 23, 2014.

                
 

RS 29:726

§726.  Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness; authority and responsibilities

E.  The office shall either directly or through authorized assignment to another state agency or department:

(20)(a)  In consultation with parish homeland security and emergency preparedness agency authorities, assist in the formulation of emergency operation plans for the humane evacuation, transport, and temporary sheltering of service animals and household pets in times of emergency or disaster.

(i)  Require that persons with disabilities who utilize service animals, as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act, are evacuated, transported, and sheltered with those service animals and inform all facilities that provide shelter to persons with disabilities who are accompanied by their service animals of their legal obligation to provide shelter to both the person with a disability and the service animal.

(ii)(aa)  Assist in the identification of evacuation shelters and other state facilities that are designed and equipped to accept and temporarily house household pets and canine search and rescue teams.

(bb)  Assist in the development of guidelines for such shelters which may include standards or criteria for admission to such shelters, health and safety standards, basic minimum animal care standards regarding nutrition, space, hygiene, and medical needs, protocols, and procedures for ensuring adequate sheltering, management, and veterinary staffing for such shelters.

(iii)(aa)  Enable, wherever possible, pet and pet-owner evacuations for residents with disabilities, who are elderly, or who have special needs, and all other residents whenever such evacuations can be accomplished without endangering human life.

(bb)  The office shall coordinate the establishment of an identification system to enable household pet owners who are separated from their household pets during an evacuation to locate and reclaim such household pets.

(iv)  Allow household pets in cages or carriers that safely and securely confine such pets and are specifically designed for the containment and transport of such pets to utilize public transportation during an impending disaster, when doing so does not endanger human life.  If such pets are not allowed to use public transportation, the primary agency designated under the provisions of R.S. 29:729(E)(13)(b)(i) and (ii) is authorized to provide separate transportation for these pets.  The office shall, in consultation with the primary agency designated under the provisions of R.S. 29:729(E)(13)(b)(i) and (ii) and other appropriate agencies, assist in the development of plans to address the evacuation, transportation, and other needs of those household pets that are not evacuated or transported pursuant to this Item.

(v)  Require animal shelters, humane societies, veterinary offices, boarding kennels, breeders, grooming facilities, hospitals, schools, animal testing facilities, and any other businesses or not-for-profit agencies that normally house household pets or service animals to create evacuation plans for such animals consistent with the provisions of this Paragraph. Such plans shall be made available to the public upon request and shall be filed annually with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, office of animal health and food safety, and with their respective parish office of homeland security and emergency preparedness.

(vi)  Implement a public information program to provide guidance to household pet owners in formulating their own evacuation plans for their household pets and service animals, and inform such pet owners of the resources available to assist them in such evacuations.

(vii) Ensure the primary agency designated under the provisions of R.S. 29:729(E)(13)(b)(i) and (ii) is included in emergency preparedness exercises conducted or arranged through the state or parish government, and that animal rescue, evacuation and sheltering needs of residents with pets are made a part of those exercises.

(b) Coordinate the development and establishment of requirements for the authorization and training of volunteer workers to assist the primary agency designated under the provisions of R.S. 29:729(E)(13)(b)(i) and (ii) in carrying out the provisions of this Paragraph.

(c)  For the purposes of this Paragraph, "household pet" shall mean any domesticated cat, dog, and other domesticated animal normally maintained on the property of the owner or person who cares for such domesticated animal.