2/11/10

Disaster Preparedness for Pets: What to do!

Allison Cardona

Show Description:

We are often prepared and know what to do in case of an emergency or disaster, taking steps to ensure the safety of our families and home, but do you know what to do for your beloved pets when disaster hits? Today on Everything Animal, host Catherine Bradford welcomes Allison Cardona, Director of Operations for the ASPCA Field Investigations & Response team to talk about disaster preparedness and what pet parents should do to ensure their pet's safety.

To call in during our show with questions, please call between 2-3 pm PST on 1 877 230-3062.

http://www.aspca.org

Guest Bio:
Allison Cardona
Director of Operations, Field Investigations & Response
ASPCA Anti-Cruelty

Allison Cardona joined the ASPCA in 2003 and is currently Director of Operations for the ASPCA Field Investigations & Response team.

Ms. Cardona is trained in technical and large animal rescue, swift water rescue, CPR, first aid and incident command systems. She is also a member of ESART (the Empire State Animal Rescue Team), a New York State Disaster Response organization. She worked on site in Louisiana and Texas in recovery and relief efforts for animals affected by both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, as well as Gustav and Ike in 2008. She also was instrumental in rescue efforts of hundreds of dogs from a puppy mill in Tennessee during the summer of 2008.

Ms. Cardona also oversees a variety of projects including the animal hoarding intervention efforts and a 12 member Disaster Response Team for the ASPCA. Her areas of expertise include feline and canine adoptions as well as general adoption issues.

Before choosing to pursue a full-time career in animal welfare, Ms. Cardona worked as a marketing coordinator for an architecture and design firm. Her volunteer work with a local cat organization, Neighborhood Cats, introduced her to the plight of NYC’s stray and feral cats and sparked an interest in spay/neuter education and outreach. She learned about Trap-Neuter-Return, a humane method of population control for feral cats, and was introduced to the work of the ASPCA’s Mobile Clinic Program.

Ms. Cardona was born in Buffalo, New York but moved often in her childhood, living everywhere from New York to Oregon and also in Northern Italy and Switzerland. She is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Italian and French, and she attended New York University.

Ms. Cardona lives in NYC with her two pit bulls, Ruby and Turkey, both adopted from the ASPCA; and two rescued cats, Book and Rita.