Number of animals brought into shelter steadily rising

Taking care of 170 animals, including cats, dogs and even a snake, can be a difficult chore for anyone to handle, but workers at St. Charles Parish Animal Control are trying to do the best they can with what they have – even though one of those tasks would rather be avoided.

“A lot of times people think that all we do here is put down animals,” Animal Control Director Angie Robert said. “We don’t ask to have these animals here, and we do the best we can to get them adopted.

“But if we do have to lose them, I know they are content and happy while they are here.”

Mirroring the growth of the parish, Robert and her employees have seen a steady rise in the amount of animals brought to the shelter. Those numbers increase even more in the summer, since the spring is mating season.

“A lot of the stray male dogs we find might be three miles away from their home because the females are in heat,” Robert said. “Owners can’t understand how their dog could travel that far.”

While some of the animals brought into the shelter are captured by Animal Control workers on the streets of St. Charles Parish, most are brought in by residents who can longer care for them.

“We have a lot of kittens and we’ve had times where people will come in and say they found a box of kittens, including the mother, somewhere,” Robert said. “Sometimes, people find out that they are unexpectedly allergic to the animals.
“But we don’t turn anyone away. We take every animal that is brought to us.”

As soon as dogs and cats are brought in, they are immunized and isolated. If they are feral, they are put to sleep after five business days. Tame animals are kept by the shelter after that time period and put through temperament tests.

“If they have a good temperament, we give them a heartworm test and put them up for adoption,” Robert said.

If the animals can’t get along with others, or if there is not enough space at the center, they are put to sleep.

“That’s a decision I hate to make,” Robert said. “A lot goes into that decision, such as if an animal can share space, but if they can’t, we have no other option.”

However, Robert does make every attempt to find the animals a good home. Immediately after a pure breed comes in, such as a lab or collie, Robert is on the phone with rescue workers to see if the dog can be trained for their department.

“We’ve had a lot of success with that,” she said. “This week, the rescue squad is going to take two of our dogs.”

But while pure breeds do have a better chance of finding a home, that’s not always the case – especially when they come into the shelter more than any other breed.

“We get more pit bulls than any other dog,” Robert said. “I think a big part of that is because of irresponsible pet owners. It’s seen as a status symbol and people think they can get a male and female pit bull and make a ton of money off of the puppies.

“That doesn’t always happen.”

And while pit bulls do have a bad name, Robert said that it’s more about how they are raised than their inherent nature.

“I know some great pit bull owners and the breed is very intelligent,” she said. “But they get a bad name because people force them to fight and force them to be aggressive. I can’t help thinking that if poodles were taught to fight all the time, we might be talking about their aggressive nature.”

And that’s why animals brought into the shelter aren’t judged on their breed or appearance. Several times, Robert says, animals just need attention and care to show their true nature.

“We have a specific room just for our cats that are going to be sent to PetSmart,” she said. “Every day, someone is in there with the cats to play with them and get them used to social behavior.”

When a cage at PetSmart is available, the more sociable cats are sent to the store where they can be adopted by a loving family.

“That’s just another way of finding homes for our animals,” Robert said.

While the center is currently over capacity with 170 animals, Robert said she is studying plans for a new center. While the center doesn’t have to be much bigger than the current facility, it will be more efficient.

But until that day comes, Robert is focused on getting the most out of what she has been given.

“I’m not 100 percent content with what we have now, but we make it work,” she said. “The animals here get top-of-the-line food and are cared for by a very capable staff.
“Every one of the animals is getting attention, and that’s all that matters.”

 

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