A plan to hold a mock disaster drill for animal sheltering was one of the results of this Oct. 22 meeting. Representatives from these groups plan to set up at the fairgrounds one day, probably in January, and act as if the county was being affected by some disaster such as a hurricane.

The idea is to help area pet owners to avoid the dilemma that some victims of Hurricane Katrina experienced. During emergency evacuations, some of those victims in the Gulf states wouldn't leave their homes because they were told they couldn't take their dog or cat or other pet with them.

The upcoming mock disaster drill is designed to publicize options being provided for pet owners during a disaster, but also to train volunteers who will staff the fairground shelter if there is ever a need. "It's taken on a life of its own," Whipkey said of the enthusiasm for the drill.

"We'll be using foster animals and checking them in," she said of the pets that would be used during the drill.

While volunteers from animal rescue groups have already signed up to participate in the event, organizers are asking members of the community to also consider getting involved in the half-day event.

"This way we can work out the bugs and see where changes need to be made," Whipkey said. She said the drill would include tagging the animals and coordinating subsequent care for those animals brought to the fairgrounds shelter.

Malaspina said that in case of an emergency, his office would also have a team in both the northern and southern ends of St. Mary's County to collect pets to take them to the fairgrounds shelter for safekeeping. "We have plenty of room at the fairgrounds," he said.

The expectation is that the mock disaster drill will not be the last cooperative project for all the groups meeting regularly on animal issues in St. Mary's County. The biggest concern for all of them is people not caring enough about their animals, not just that they wouldn't care for them during an emergency.

The overpopulation problem is something that the community as a whole needs to be concerned with, Stephens said. "There's not enough homes for all these animals … there's the potential to spread rabies" … and stray animals are a hazard on the roads.

"The whole economy is playing into this, because people can't afford to keep their pets," Stephens said, noting that more and more people are coming to the shelter to give up their pets due to foreclosure or other economic issues. The shelter has nighttime drop boxes in the front of its property where people can leave animals.