P.E.T.S was started in 2001 when Ginny Kremer, a Red Cross Disaster worker and employee at Hopewell, noticed that disaster victims were reluctant to cooperate with the Red Cross workers trying to assist them until they were sure that their pet would be taken care of and taken somewhere safe.  Ginny brought her concerns back to Hopewell where she and Ron Whetstone, also a Hopewell employee, began working together with the help of the staff and owner of Hopewell to find a way to help.  Six years later P.E.T.S is  a strong organized group with about 15 members and all of their own supplies including leashes, carriers, a first aid kit specifically for animals that goes to every scene and an official group name.  P.E.T.S. members are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and are always ready for a call from a scene where animals need our help.  When called, a volunteer will pick up the pets from the disaster scene and take them to Hopewell where they are then examined by Dr. Rutkowski, Hopewell’s owner, and give any necessary treatment.  The pets are given a bath (especially after a house fire) and are then given a temporary home at Hopewell for up to three days.  All of this is at no charge to the owner and thus gives the owners one less thing to worry about while they try to recover from the disaster.  Currently, Hopewell and P.E.T.S are the only ones providing this 24/7 help for animals in disasters. This would not be possible without the kindness of Hopewell’s owner Dr. Timothy Rutkowski and the volunteers that make up P.E.T.S.  For more info on P.E.T.S you may email: roncvtpets@comcast.net or info@hopewellvet.com.