Five lovable canines were on the move this week thanks to a partnership between the St. Charles Parish Animal Shelter, Louisiana SPCA and the Atlanta Humane Society, each of them very likely to soon find new homes.
Volunteers drove the dogs to Atlanta Wednesday night, part of what St. Charles Parish Animal Control Supervisor Jena Troxler hopes will be an expanding outreach between their agency and others around the country. Troxler said the St. Charles shelter is working on increasing its involvement with those groups that aren’t overpopulated with pets.
“Everyone (locally) is pretty full right now,” Troxler said. “The SPCA has a relationship with (the Atlanta Humane Society) and some in other states and when they have an opportunity to move some animals, they will reach out to surrounding shelters. We touched base with them and they invited five animals.”
Regionally, shelter situations can wildly vary, noted Troxler. While locally, many shelters have something of a full house, many shelters in northern states are actually underpopulated.
“They’re more than willing to accept animals, (because for them) getting them can be a hurdle,” Troxler said. “Further north, they tend to be very responsible with their pet ownership. They spay and neuter. It’s a great partnership, because they don’t see as many puppies and we have plenty to offer.”
Troxler said each of the five animals in this case had been with the shelter for over a month. Before sending each potential adoptee to another shelter, the Louisiana SPCA must approve and tell the receiving group.
“So, they have adopters waiting, or (the dogs) will be adopted in the near future,” Troxler said, also noting that the St. Charles Shelter will update the community on who the adopters are. “They’re all super sweet, small dogs.”
In order to further facilitate that kind of movement, as well as offer the sheltered pets protection in case of a disaster, the Shelter is working with the SPCA in an effort to purchase a transport vehicle, specifically a Jones Trailer, which is made with built-in cages in order to safely transport each animal. The current animal control vehicles hold about six animals each, while the Jones trailer can transport 40-50 at a time. The cost of the Jones is $57,000, and the Shelter is working with the Humane Society in order to facilitate donations.
Troxler said a concern is with the current transportation, moving all of the shelter’s pets in a disaster simply wouldn’t be realistic, but she noted other shelters have been very receptive to offering help in such a scenario.
“We have more people to reach out to that would come and take the animals off of our shoulders so we can concentrate on critical needs, transportation animals owned by our residents or rescue if needed. “We’re trying to grow (those relationships) right now.”
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