Receive up to $500 in Pet Grants from the SD Humane Society

UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM
1:34 p.m. November 9, 2007

SAN DIEGO – Pet owners who accrued extra costs to care for their animals during the wildfires can receive up to $500 from the San Diego Humane Society starting next week.

The society is launching a fire-relief pet-assistance program Monday to help households that had to evacuate and care for their animals, including livestock.

Residents can be reimbursed for food or supplies or for costs incurred for veterinary boarding and transportation of pets, said Candice Eley, a spokeswoman for the Humane Society.

The help will be made in the form of monetary reimbursements or supplies that amount up to $500 for each household, Eley said. Each reimbursement will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Pet owners can apply for the program by calling Kimmy O'Connor at (619) 243-3434, or by filling out a form at www.sdhumane.org. They will need to provide a Red Cross fire identification card; a completed insurance claim form; or a government-issued document related to the fires to prove their eligibility for the program, Eley said.

Once the form is filled out, pet owners will be contacted by a society member.
A similar pet-relief program helped victims of Hurricane Katrina, Eley said. The program is open to households countywide.