Washington State Animal Response Team

Mission

The Washington State Animal Response Team (WASART) helps animals and their owners in disasters and emergency situations through technical animal response, emergency animal sheltering, disaster preparedness, and education.

Description

If a dog is stranded on the side of a cliff, we're the volunteers who put on climbing gear and set up a rope system to return her safely to her worried family. If a horse collapses on the ground and can't get up or is stuck in a well, we have the training and specialized equipment to get it up on his four legs again. If a community needs to evacuate but won't leave their pets behind, we'll set up a temporary emergency animal shelter to care for them so their owners can take care of themselves.

We respond statewide to save lives of both animals and humans since many animal owners will put themselves in harms way to save their four-legged family members, whether they be companion animals or livestock.

We help out owners, law enforcement, animal control, fire departments, and emergency managers.

Although our response efforts are centered on the animal themselves, we have a profound impact on the overall safety of the human lives associated with these animals. Most owners, when faced with an inaccessible and possibly injured animal, will put their own lives at risk to help them. We not only prevent this from occurring but aid in the reunion of owner and animal.

We have also been called upon by various government county agencies, the ASPCA and Red Rover numerous times to aid in various sheltering operations in the State of Washington and in various states within the United States.