100th AKC REUNITE PET DISASTER RELIEF TRAILER DONATED TO HONESDALE, PA

RALEIGH, N.C., Nov. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AKC Reunite, the largest non-profit pet identification and recovery service provider in the United States is pleased to announce the donation of its 100^th AKC Pet Disaster Relief trailer in Honesdale, PA. This life-saving equipment will be available to dispatch to any local disaster scene that needs assistance sheltering pets. It will assist the Wayne & Pike County Animal Response Team in helping community pets that may become displaced in an emergency. The donation of this trailer is dedicated to Patricia Laurans, a co-chair of the AKC Reunite Pet Disaster Relief Trailer Program. 

AKC Pet Disaster Relief is a nationwide program sponsored by AKC Reunite, the country's largest non-profit microchip identification and recovery service. AKC Reunite partners with AKC^® Dog Clubs and pet lovers across the country to make these donations a reality. The Wayne & Pike County Animal Response Team trailer was made possible by a donation from the Kennel Club of Philadelphia, Harrisburg Kennel Club, and the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America. 

"AKC Reunite feels honored to have been able to make an impact in 100 communities around the country by providing pet disaster relief materials to help them be prepared when disaster strikes," said Tom Sharp, President of AKC Reunite. "This trailer is dedicated to Patricia Laurans, co-chair of the program task force and the best champion and cheerleader one could ask for. With Pat's leadership, and the help of hundreds of AKC dog clubs around the country, we have been able to deliver lifesaving equipment since 2013."

Patricia W. Laurans, of Newtown, Connecticut, was active in the sport of dogs for 50 years as an exhibitor, all-breed dog handler and breeder of Best In Show, National Specialty winning and top producing German Wirehaired Pointers. She served as a Delegate for the German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America for over 30 years. During that time she was elected to the AKC Board of Directors and started an AKC Breeders Education program and helped establish the Junior Scholarship program. When Laurans left the Board of Directors in 2000, she was elected to the Parent Club Committee and served as its Chairperson from 2000 until 2022. During this tenure, she helped establish the Parent Club Conference Program and chaired three National Parent Club Conferences. In 2013, she helped establish the AKC Reunite Pet Disaster Relief Trailer Program.

The equipment in the AKC Pet Disaster Relief trailers helps to create a safe, temporary home-base for at least 65 pets during the first 72 hours after a disaster is declared. The trailers house and deliver essential animal care items including crates and carriers, AKC Reunite microchips and an AKC Reunite universal microchip scanner, bowls, collars, and leashes as well as fans, lighting and a generator, cleaning supplies and maintenance items. These supplies can be used as co-location shelters, where people can evacuate with their pets, as well as emergency animal shelters for displaced animals.

"We were so excited to hear that we were awarded the grant for a new trailer for the Wayne & Pike County Animal Response Team in Pennsylvania. When the trailer arrived, we were even more excited to see that it was fully loaded with equipment," said Fran Gavin, President of the Wayne & Pike County Animal Response Team. "Having this trailer is a blessing as it will increase our response time when we are dispatched to an emergency. On behalf of the Wayne and Pike CART and Wayne & Pike counties I would like to extend our most sincere thanks to AKC Reunite for this amazing donation."

"The Kennel Club of Philadelphia is proud to sponsor the 100th Reunite Disaster Trailer for Wayne & Pike Counties," said Wayne Ferguson, President of the Kennel Club of Philadelphia. "To date, our club has sponsored 13 Disaster Trailers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to help ensure that in the event of a disaster, our pets will be safe."

Learn more about how to get involved in AKC Pet Disaster Relief at www.akcreunite.org/relief. 

AKC Reunite 
The way home for lost pets.

AKC Reunite, an affiliate of the American Kennel Club®, is the largest non-profit pet microchip identification and recovery service provider in the United States. Since 1995 AKC Reunite has helped pet owners reunite with their lost animals via identification and 24/7 pet recovery specialists, enrolling over 9 million companion animals and recovering more than 500,000 lost pets. AKC Reunite microchips are a popular choice of pet professionals throughout the country for permanent pet identification.

AKC Reunite has donated more than $10 million since 2002 for pet-related causes including disaster preparedness and relief like the AKC Pet Disaster Relief trailer donation program. AKC Reunite also provides free recovery service enrollment for all active service, military, and law enforcement K-9 dogs.  For more information visit www.akcreunite.org or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/akcreunite).

SOURCE AKC Reunite