Guardian Angel Ministries Helps
When Pets and Their Owners Are in Need

Team Overview

In 2017 the American Pet Products Association, Inc. conducted a National Pet Owners Survey.  Their data shows that currently, pet ownership stands at 68% of all US households.  With the US Census reporting 124.587 million households, the number of pet-owning households nationwide is 84.7 million.  Guardian Angel is headquartered in Franklin County, Vermont and Vermont pet ownership is above that average with 71% of families having pets.  That means in Franklin County alone, according to the 2010 US Census figures, those numbers equate to 18,513 households with an estimated 13,144 of them having household pets.   That is a lot of cats, dogs, bunnies, and turtles that are affected when disaster strikes.

The fact that most people consider their pets as members of the family and refuse to leave them behind when being evacuated due to an emergency has been proven over and over in emergencies all over the country.  The same is true in Franklin County, VT.  

The sheltering of humans is pretty well organized in the area however the ability to shelter and care for pets in close proximity to their owner’s evacuation location is not quite as well organized.  Guardian Angel Ministries is taking the lead in developing, building, organizing and managing a Disaster Animal Response Team or DART in the county. 

Just a note, Guardian Angel Ministries is a faith-based organization but we DO NOT discriminate in the provision of Emergency Services.  Our volunteers come from all walks of life; some claim a particular faith background and others do not; and we serve ALL people regardless of their faith background.  We are sharing the love and compassion that we believe is an essential piece of the mission of our lives.

Preparedness & Emergency Response

Our Disaster Animal Response Team goal is to strengthen and support the capacity of our region and state to respond to animal needs in the event of a disaster.  Our team is trained, equipped, and prepared to setup shelters for pets in time of disaster or other emergency.  And, we provide vital resources and advice to pet owners, animal-related businesses and non-profits, local communities, and regional and state agencies around the protection of pets during disaster events.  Our goal is to provide uniformity and excellence in response to animal needs by training and exercising our volunteers in best practices, participating as an independent regional DART team in the state, and providing local emergency managers with guidance on including the community’s pet population in local response plans.   

Day-to-Day Support

Pet Food Distribution Project

Thanks to the Humane Society of the United States and Chewy.com, Guardian Angel Ministries was previous;y the recipient of over 32,000 pounds of donated pet food and supplies and we hope to be again.  We are working on a trailer so that we have a location for storage.  More information will be coming soon.

We will be distributing this food to food shelves, other organizations, and directly to individuals and families with pets as a way of supporting them when times are tough.  We will also have food and other supplies available when an emergency affects a family with pets.