Privately owned hotels, motels, etc., can still legally turn you away if you have pets with you. It just happened to Hurricane Harvey evacuees. Please do not go to a hotel trying to demand that they take your pets - You can get turned away, (the police will assist if needed) and you may end up back on the road in the storm. Which is the most dangerous place to be.
There has been a post going around saying that the PETS act means that hotels have to accept your pets… This is FALSE! The PETS act allows FEMA to spend government funds on creating pet friendly evacuation and disaster response plans, to fund pet friendly shelters, to fund veterinary services, and to pay pet fees to hotels that accept pets for displaced families who receive vouchers after a disaster. It has no bearing on private businesses, private businesses are not required to change or amend their pet policies.
Some hotels do, however, voluntarily change their policies during a storm. This will be dependent on each individual hotel owner, (they are usually franchises). So the best thing you can do is call the individual hotel before you go.
To evacuate, you will need to identify pet friendly hotels, shelters, etc.
To find pet friendly hotels, you can use BringFido.com or Booking.com (on Booking, select “Pet Friendly” in the filters).
The American Kennel Club has a list of Pet-Friendly shelters for you, your family, and your furry friends here.
And finally, for your general preparedness information, FEMA has a “Helping Pets” page for storm preparedness and facts you need to know here.
Please be safe and have a backup plan in place. I hope that cuddling your furry loved ones brings you much comfort.
I’m gonna keep reblogging this through the day.
