The catastrophic devastation in California is heartbreaking and everyone at the Humane Society family of organizations joins in expressing our concern and condolences for the immense loss of life and for the thousands of people who have lost their homes, communities and any sense of normalcy.  

Animals are, of course, impacted by this disaster too, and we’re gratified to see the outpouring of love, support and services to do everything possible to help. The needs of these communities will last long into the future.  

Our Animal Rescue Team offered assistance in the early days and continues to be available as the needs and response evolve.  

We are encouraging all residents in affected areas to evacuate with their pets, as pet-friendly shelter options are available. Should we be requested to deploy, we stand ready to provide on-the-ground support and additional grant funding and resources to aid the response.  

We are also in close communication with the California Animal Welfare Association (CalAnimals), the state’s Office of Emergency Management and Los Angeles County Emergency Management.

A substantial multi-year grant from the Humane Society of the United States to CalAnimals led to the creation and staffing of a dedicated position to coordinate disaster response between animal welfare and state agencies—a critical role in this crisis.

Our employees in the Los Angeles area are safe and not in evacuation zones, but are contending with road closures, high winds causing further damage, power outages and hazardous air quality. Our Pets For Life team has transported pets to veterinarians for families with urgent medical cases who can’t get there themselves.  

The immediate focus remains on human life and safety efforts. Our teams can only deploy for on-the-ground support when officially requested. Agencies typically prioritize local resources before activating national support so we remain on standby.  

Our hearts go out to all of the residents of Southern California whose lives have been upended by these fires.