When the Maryott family’s home on Kings Row, which borders Peavine Mountain’s open space, was put under immediate evacuation notice during the Hawk Fire in August, the only ones at home were their two dogs, Evie and Buddy.
Patty and Scott Maryott were on vacation in Europe. Their only son in town, Alex Maryott, was at work in South Reno.
Before Alex could leave work, he called his brother in Carson City and a couple of family friends to help evacuate his family’s pets and valuables. When he finally made his way to his parents’ home, he saw the fire coming down Peavine.
“It was definitely a scary thing, with the dogs (still in the hous),” Alex said.
By the time he got there, his brother and their family friends were already there gathering valuables. It took Alex 15 minutes to grab the dogs and get out.
“My priority was getting out as soon as possible, so that … if the wind were to change or anything, I would be out with the dogs as soon as possible,” he said. “I kind of rushed everyone out of the house and got them going.”
The Maryotts moved into the home in 2008, and this was the first time they had to evacuate. Their only preparation for a fire had been a fireproof box with important documents. It was a learning experience for everyone in the family.
“With how common wildfires are becoming here in Reno, it’s definitely taught me how to become more prepared for it,” Alex said.
The family plans to research dog-friendly hotels and create an evacuation plan for the future.
Preparing for your pet before an emergency
Washoe County Regional Animal Services (WCRAS) knows of 1,058 animals that were evacuated during the Bug, Fred, Stallion and Hawk fires in August. During the Hawk Fire, 314 animals were evacuated—155 dogs, 87 cats, 53 livestock, and 19 categorized as “other.”
While evacuating pets to a local shelter is free, the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe advises pet owners to use it as a last resort. Space is limited, and shelters fill up quickly.
A September press release from HSTT advises pet owners to identify several safe locations where their animals can stay before an emergency happens. Options include coordinating with friends and family, researching pet-friendly hotels, and asking your veterinarian or animal daycare provider if they offer emergency boarding.
After safe locations have been identified, make a list and prep an emergency kit with everything that your pet needs. This includes ID tags, vaccination records, medications, pet carriers and leashes, extra food and water and kitty litter. For livestock and large animals, have equipment, vehicles and carriers ready.
Evacuation sites for large animals are determined at the time of the fire. In August, the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center served as an evacuation shelter during the Bug Fire. For the Hawk Fire, it was the Ironwood Events Center in Palomino Valley. Updates on large animal shelters can be found on Washoe County social-media pages and on the Watch Duty app during an active fire.
A last resort
If you have nowhere to evacuate with your pet, WCRAS works alongside the Red Cross to help owners stay close to their pets when evacuated. At Red Cross evacuation sites, WCRAS will have two temporary trailers parked on-site where small, evacuated animals can stay. Small animals include dogs, cats and rabbits.
Each trailer is air-conditioned, with water available in all 50 kennels, and a combined capacity to hold 100 animals. The agency recommended that pets stay in the trailers no longer than 24 hours.
“The generator is running 24 hours a day,” said Arthur Westbrook, the animal services shelter supervisor. “They don’t get quiet time.”
When trailers are in use, owners can visit their pets and take them on walks as needed.
If all of the kennels in the trailers are full, Animal Services will open the shelter to take in more small animals. Pet owners leaving their animals will need to fill out paperwork outlining any dietary needs, medications and behavioral notes so the staff can meet the pet’s needs.
“All my care staff have (worked) in the veterinary field,” Westbrook said. “And we also go through a whole bunch of training to understand behavior.”
If a pet is being held at the shelter during an evacuation, WCRAS asks that owners don’t come to walk their dogs due to the large number of animals in the shelter. Dogs have indoor-outdoor kennels, meaning they can go outside to relieve themselves on their own, and the shelter has litter boxes for cats.
Once evacuation orders are lifted, owners have 48 hours to pick up their pets before they’re put on stray hold for five days. If an owner doesn’t pick up their pet and doesn’t communicate with animal services within that time frame, the animal will be put up for adoption.
After the Hawk Fire, two pets were never picked up from the shelter. Westbrook wondered if that might be due to the fire having destroyed 47 homes.
“I’ve worked here five years, and that’s been the only (time),” he said.
Funding for this story was provided by the Institute for Nonprofit News and Google News Initiative’s Disaster Response Fund.