New state law inspired by Pomeranian rescued from Palisades Fire aims to protect pets in disasters

A new state law aims to protect pets during emergencies by requiring local governments to outline animal rescue procedures for their communities and share resources online to help owners reunite with their pets.

The FOUND Act, which stands for Friends of Oreo Uniting During Disasters, was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom last month. The bill that led to the law, AB 478, was inspired by Oreo the Pomeranian, who reunited with its Pacific Palisades owner in an emotional, viral video during January’s fires.

The law will require cities and counties to include procedures for rescuing pets during mandatory evacuations in their next emergency plans. Those plans need to be updated every five years to qualify for FEMA assistance.

Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, who represents Santa Monica and parts of Los Angeles, introduced the bill earlier this year. He told LAist January’s fires showed that officials hadn’t thought about steps to keep pets, and the people who love them, safe when disaster strikes.

“California has stepped up to really recognize how important people's pets are as part of their families,” Zbur said. “We actually have learned from some of the gaps we had in our laws and procedures.”

The law goes into effect Jan. 1.

About the new law

The emergency plans are designed to be flexible, Zbur said, giving local officials the ability to come up with systems that work best for their communities.

“Within five years, jurisdictions across the state of California will have these plans in place, and people … will not face the same kind of lack of information, not understanding where to go,” Zbur said.

The law extends the holding period for pets rescued during declared state or federal emergencies, which aims to give owners more time to reclaim them.

It will ban pets found in evacuation zones from being adopted, euthanized or transferred out of an animal agency for at least 30 days. Zbur’s office previously said it is a “significant improvement” from the three-day minimum.

The law will also require cities and counties to post publicly available information online about animals rescued from evacuated areas.

Oreo's story

Zbur’s office said the law will give families peace of mind and disincentivize owners from attempting to rescue their pets from dangerous situations.

In January, Casey Colvin wasn’t home when an evacuation order was issued for his Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

He rented a bike and tried to go back for his two dogs, Oreo and Teeka Teeka, but was stopped at a roadblock.

"I hope that nobody ever has to go through a disaster like we did, but unfortunately we know they will,” Colvin said in a statement. “But with the passage of AB 478, cities and counties will be prepared to help those residents who need to rescue their pets — their family.”

A Cal Fire battalion chief rescued Teeka Teeka. But Oreo was still missing as the Palisades Fire tore through the community, and Colvin’s home, that night.

“There was no official procedure for me to rescue Oreo,” Colvin said in a previous statement. “I contacted the non-emergency police line and animal control, but neither was able to help me coordinate a rescue.”

Five days later, Oreo was spotted alive among the remains of Colvin’s Pacific Palisades property. Colvin was able to bring his pet to safety.