Tag Archives: Animals

National Dog Day: A look at American Red Cross’ pet programs

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By Kathryn Dean, American Red Cross volunteer

Every year on August 26, National Dog Day is recognized in the U.S. and globally as a way to celebrate dogs and the positive impact they have in the lives of people. The American Red Cross celebrates dog ownership and offers many services that support our canine companion friends. Read on to find out more! 

Megan Winans, American Red Cross, and Athena

Pet First Aid App – Would you know what to do if your pet had a medical emergency?  The Red Cross makes it easy with their free Pet First Aid App, available for download in both the Google Play and Apple App Stores, or text “GETPET” to 90999. This user-friendly app covers a wide range of potential emergency scenarios, specifically tailored for your dog (or cat!). From the basics of airway, breathing and circulation checks, to step-by-step CPR and first aid instructions, this app has you covered.  Scenarios include drowning, car accidents, burns, falls, poisoning and much, much more. It also includes an emergency vet locator,  preventative care tips and quizzes to brush up on your safety knowledge.   

Cat and Dog First Aid Course – So you’ve downloaded the Pet First Aid App, but still want to take your knowledge a step further with formal training. That is possible through the Red Cross Cat and Dog First Aid Course. Learn pet CPR and first aid and become certified to provide care in an all online, self-paced course that only takes around 35 minutes to complete. This paid course covers the basics of normal vital signs and what to do in an emergency, including wounds, bleeding, seizures and cardiac arrest. In addition, you will learn preventative care tips to help keep your pet safe. Click HERE to learn more about the course and to register! 

Animal Visitation Program (AVP):  Red Cross volunteers and their certified service dogs work in conjunction with the Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) program to offer canine visitation to both active-duty military members and veterans within the VA medical system or on bases here in Northern Ohio and around the world. Approved therapy dogs provide comfort, love and encouragement to service members who are deployed or away from home. To learn more about volunteering in this capacity, click HERE. 

Disaster Response:  The Red Cross deploys to disasters all over the U.S., from fires, to floods, to hurricanes and more. In addition to relieving human suffering, special teams are assigned to assisting families with any pet needs that may arise, including finding pet friendly shelters, providing access to resources such as food, cages, blankets and vaccines. In Northern Ohio, the Red Cross works in partnership with Faithful Companions, a pet cremation service for pets who unfortunately lost their lives in fires or other disasters, free of charge. 

To keep pets safe and prepare for evacuation during disasters, Megan Winans, a Red Cross employee who serves as Pet Liaison for National Level 4+ Deployments and also serves as the Divisional/Regional Pet Champion, offered these great tips: “I always encourage everyone I know to make sure they have a go bag ready ahead of time for not only themselves and their human family members, but a go bag for their pets too. Items such as extra food, water, medications, bowls, leashes, collars, a cage and copies of important documents are all very helpful to have together in one spot to grab as you go.”  

To learn more about disaster preparedness with pets, click HERE. 

Edited by Glenda Bogar, Red Cross volunteer

Helping all family members, human and pet, after a disaster

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By Tim Poe, American Red Cross volunteer

“We found a cat!” I was descending a stairwell, having spent the day assisting those impacted by a multi-family fire, when a firefighter and police officer rushed in. They had found someone’s pet, soot-covered, but alive. Reaching out to the family so they could contact the fire department about their pet is among my favorite American Red Cross experiences. I’ve also seen how much animal family members mean during times of crisis, whether helping recover from tragedy or mourning their loss.

Over the past year, the Red Cross Northern Ohio Region has improved its ability to ensure pets are included when assisting families after a disaster. Megan Sylvester, Regional Recovery Manager for the Red Cross, has led this initiative.

Megan Sylvester, Regional Recovery Manager for the Red Cross

Megan, who has a zoology degree and extensive experience caring for and working with animals–including having “two rescue pitties and a shepherd” of her own–realized the need for improved pet care after responding to a home fire in which three cats died. When asked what the family could do with the bodies, she did not have an immediate answer. She knew pets are important family members that bring joy and comfort to our lives, and that the issue had to be addressed.

The efforts are having tremendous results. In January alone, the Northern Ohio Disaster
Assistance Team (DAT) responded to 121 events, aided 454 people (330 adults and 124 children) and 226 household pets, including seven emotional support and three service animals. Most were dogs and cats, but there were also small mammals, lizards, and a bird.

Building partnerships has been key in this effort. These include Neighborhood Pets Outreach & Resource Center, which helps people of all income levels care for their pets, Berea ARF, a no-time-limit animal rescue, and Faithful Companion, which provides service after a pet has died.

Megan Sylvester, with the Central California Animal Disaster Team

These partners help ensure families recovering from a disaster have resources for pet food, bedding and, when needed, services to take care of their pet’s remains.

In addition to her local efforts, Megan said that nationally, the Red Cross now has a household pet program. Sadly, people have perished in large disasters because they did not want to leave their pets behind. There were no pet shelters, so they did not evacuate. The national household pet program is meant to address this issue.

Megan helped the national effort while aiding families impacted by California floods, where she saw how greatly pets helped those recovering from disaster as well as Red Cross members.

Working as a pet liaison, she helped coordinate Red Cross efforts with those of humane
societies, the ASPCA, animal control and shelter organizations, veterinarians, a pet groomer, and therapy dogs (pet visitation is also an important part of the Red Cross’s Services to the Armed Forces).

“Walking a dog brings a little bit of normalcy,” Megan said. “helping both human and animal.” She also spoke of a young girl who was comforted by keeping her pet fish nearby. Overall, the pets brought, “A little sunshine during rainy days.”

Tips on including pets in your disaster preparedness plans are available here. The Red Cross also offers an online Cat & Dog First Aid training course and a pet first aid app.

Posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross board member and volunteer

Pet CPR? Yeah, there’s an app for that!

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By Ryan Lang, American Red Cross board member and volunteer

As a lifelong pet owner and pet lover, I hope I’m never in a situation where I’d need to perform CPR on my dog. And while I hope it never comes to that, I can find comfort in the fact that if it does, the American Red Cross has a free app that can show me exactly what I need to do.

Amos and Dublin

From recognizing warning signs to the ABCs of pet CPR (airway, breathing, circulation), the Pet First Aid app has you covered. With lifesaving instructions on allergic reactions, bleeding, car accidents, poisoning and more, the app helps you prepare for virtually every scenario you can imagine. It also gives guidance on how to include your pet in your emergency preparedness plans. And after you’ve brushed up on your emergency pet response, put your knowledge to the test with a quiz.

In addition to emergency response information, the Red Cross provides wellness tips for your pet. It offers information on what supplies to have in your home and on hand for your cat or dog. You can upload not only your vet’s information, but also your pet’s information for easy access in case of an emergency.

So in the spirit of National Dog Day that just passed and National Cat Day that’s coming up in October, take a moment and download the free Pet First Aid app. You can find it by going to redcross.org/apps or by searching for ‘American Red Cross’ in app stores. Who knows, you could save your furry friend’s life!

Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer

Posted by Ryan Lang, American Red Cross board member and volunteer

Volunteers share their pets to help members of the military and veterans

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By Eilene E. Guy, American Red Cross volunteer

Pet visitation has long been offered by the American Red Cross as a service to the armed forces. In the Northern Ohio Region, the pet visitation program was recently expanded.

Pre-deployment event at Youngstown Air Reserve Station

Bree, a Goldendoodle, and Shane, a Rough Collie, are trained members of the Red Cross Animal Visitation Program (AVP) here in northern Ohio. They – along with their owners, Paul and Katie Svasta of Canfield – bring comfort to members of all branches of the military who deploy from or return to the Youngstown Air Reserve Station. The dogs are also welcome at family days at the air base.

Paul and Katie Svasta with Bree and Shasta

“Bree is spot on,” Paul said. “She can identify somebody who needs her. She’ll pull me over to the person, and if that person gives me the go-ahead, she’ll lean right up next to them, for
them to pet her or hug her.

“It breaks the tension, the anxiety. That unconditional connection,” he said. “It’s rewarding, that something so simple can give so much comfort.”

Paul and Katie began acclimating Bree to therapy work five years ago, when she was a puppy, so she’s the pro of the pair. Shane got a slow start because pandemic protocols interrupted the conditioning all therapy dogs go through. “But he’s coming along,” Paul said affectionately.

The animal visitation program has been operating at the Youngstown base, which hosts the 910th Airlift Wing, for a number of years. The Svastas are part of a team of more than three dozen handlers and their dogs who attend events there.

Red Cross volunteer Kate Mazzolini and Sully

Recently, Jessica Tischler, manager of Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces in northern Ohio expanded the visitation program to send canine therapy teams into the northeast Ohio VA healthcare system, to lift the spirits of hospitalized veterans.

“We’re so grateful that our volunteers are willing to share the love these animals offer during their visits,” Jessica said. Now she’s looking to make contact with more dog owners who already have therapy experience, as the Svastas did.

The Red Cross has been training and dispatching therapy dogs into military hospitals to comfort wounded warriors and veterans undergoing treatment since shortly after World War II.

Red Cross volunteer Michael Falatach and Macee

At Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Jen O’Keefe and her Leonberger (“They were bred to look like lions.”) Digory carry on the tradition. Digory is a three-legged cancer survivor, so he’s a uniquely positive presence, especially for amputees.

“We (Digory and I) can’t fix people, but we can help lift the anxiety, the stress, for patients, their families – and for the staff,” she said. “The staff is a huge part of our job.

“For me, this is the highlight of my week,” she said. “This is how I de-stress from my job as an emergency veterinarian. I don’t often get to bring good news, but with Digory, I know we’re welcome.”

If you’d like more information about the animal visitation program or any of the other volunteer opportunities with the Red Cross, go to redcross.org/volunteer.

Posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross volunteer