A $50,000 donation from the United Way of St. Charles has allowed the St. Charles Parish Animal Shelter to purchase a state-of-the-art trailer that will be used to transport animals during evacuations and case investigations, in addition to being used for on-site vet care.
The trailer was custom designed by Texas company Jones Trailers, and the company is well versed in the needs of animals as they also develop units for military K9s.
“The trailer also has side windows that make pets viewable at adoption events,” Dr. Jena Troxler, supervisor of the animal shelter, said. “The onboard generator and kennels with proper drainage enable transport to an evacuation site and proper comfortable housing within the trailer.”
Before securing this trailer, Troxler said that animal transportation was “cumbersome.”
“It involved the animal control units, which can accommodate six pets each,” Troxler said. “For example, during Hurricane Ike, the shelter maneuvered over 100 pets owned by the shelter six at a time to the shelter in Marksville, and then they were housed in a barn since animals couldn’t be inside the shelter our human evacuees were inside.
“It was then that we aimed to make this a more efficient process.”
Now, Troxler said pets owned by the shelter and those owned by residents in the parish’s assisted evacuation program can stay comfortably in the trailer so owners, who are located in a nearby building in case of evacuation, can walk and care for their pets.
After Hurricane Katrina, congress passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006. Parishes must now accommodate evacuation for both people and their pets if they don’t have transportation in a declared state of emergency and mandatory evacuation order.
“We also must evacuate every pet the shelter houses that we do not own, which are strays still in mandatory hold periods or court cases,” Troxler said.
This means the shelter is responsible for many animals if an evacuation is called for, but the new trailer means fewer staffing needs and pets and people are happier.
“Our goal is not to separate pets and people,” Troxler added.
The trailer will also be used for adoption events at the shelters’ five Petco stores it has a partnership with.
“We also plan to use it for school events such as The Reading Buddy Program, where children read to pets to socialize the animals and help our young readers build their confidence with reading aloud,” she said.
