Save me, save my dog : increasing natural disaster preparedness and survival by addressing human-animal relationship

The willingness of people to risk their own lives during disasters to save those of animals has been well documented. Existing research characterises animals and pet ownership as risk factors for early evacuation from—and survival of—natural disasters. However, given high pet ownership levels in industrialised countries, this paper considers how animals might alternatively be reconfigured as protective factors. It offers some preliminary thoughts on how this might be achieved with innovative communication initiatives informed by post-structural approaches to human-animal relations. Specifically, the paper encourages communicators to take advantage of human-animal relations by addressing the human-animal relationship.