Monroe County is ready to help pets if a disaster strikes.

The county has secured a pet disaster relief trailer, thanks to the American Kennel Club.

The trailer, with 65 animal crates of various sizes, made its debut at the West End Fair last week. It is equipped with a chip reader to determine owners of the pets.

Samantha Elliott, emergency preparedness planner with the county, said, “If there is an emergency, such as a flood, we can scan and try to unite pets with their owners.”

Monroe is one of 11 counties in the state to get a trailer at no cost to the taxpayers. Nearby Lehigh and Northampton counties also have a trailer.

Maryellen Keegan, director of the Office of Emergency Management for Monroe County, said, “It took us about a year to get this firmly in place.”

Keegan said they worked with the American Kennel Club out of Philadelphia through the AKC Reunite program.

AKC Reunite serves as a national database for microchipped pets, where a pet’s ID number and contact information (owner’s address and telephone number, alternate contacts, etc.) are safely stored and used to contact the owner when the pet is reported found.

Keegan said the trailer is available for other counties to use if requested.

The trailer can also be used in conjunction with an emergency shelter since most shelters do not accept pets.

“The number one reason people refuse to evacuate their homes during an emergency is because they don’t want to leave their pet behind,” a brochure for the Pennsylvania Animal Response Team said.

In conjunction with the trailer, Monroe County is reviving its animal response team.

Headed by Bruce Barton, chief of Pennsylvania K-9 Search and Rescue team, the team is all volunteers trained to facilitate a rapid response to emergencies affecting animals.

Keegan said, “We are really trying to breathe life into the team. We need folks to help.”

Keegan said the last major rescue was in Hamilton Township in 2019. Crews rescued two horses that escaped a farm and fell through the ice in the middle of a frozen lake near Stroudsburg.

Volunteers need to be trained and ready for incidents. Keegan mentioned Hurricane Sandy and other storms that have affected residents locally. “With every incident, we learn and try to do better,” Keegan said.

The county is looking for people who are knowledgeable about animals, such as vet technicians, but training is available.

If interested, call 866-420-1818 or email: Monroe@PaAnimalResponse.org.