cover story Dali, an Abyssinian-tabby mix, waits to be adopted at ARNO.
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ARNO is one of only two shelters in the U.S. offering feral dog rehabilitation, which provides up to 10 wild puppies and dogs with long-term care. “Each dog is different. Some are hard-wired and it may take up to a year to rehab them, which is why most shelters put down feral dogs,” says ARNO executive director Charlotte Bass Lily. “But we got used to tracking and trapping feral dogs after Katrina because the pets went feral, so we thought, why don’t we just continue that.” ARNO also offers veterinary care and outreach programs — last week, ARNO’s animals visited Tulane University’s campus to give students some stress relief during exams.
JEFFERSON PARISH ANIMAL SHELTER, EAST BANK
1 Humane Way, Harahan, 736-6111, jpas.petfinder.com
JEFFERSON PARISH ANIMAL SHELTER, WEST BANK 1869 Ames Blvd., Marrero, 349-5111, jpas.petfinder.com Adoption hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon.-Wed. and Fri.; 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thu.; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat.
Gambit > bestofneworleans.com > marcH 22 > 2011
Diane Guichard, director of the Jefferson Parish Animal Shelter (JPAS), holds a puppy ready for adoption.
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THE SCOOP: Adoption fee is $67 and includes spaying and neutering, rabies, distemper and parvo vaccinations, microchipping and lice treatments.
Sarah Fanning, a Colorado State University student volunteering at ARNO for spring break, poses with Billy, a beagle puppy.
THE POOP: Jefferson Parish’s East Bank shelter in Jefferson houses 80 cats and 40 dogs; about half of each are available for adoption. At the West Bank facility in Marrero, there are 72 cats and 97 dogs, and 20 cats and 30 dogs are adoptable. A list of the shelters’ adoptable pets can be found on its Petfinder.com website. In 2010, the shelters combined took in more than 12,000 animals. Volunteer opportunities include walking, bathing and grooming dogs, socializing and grooming cats, dog training, assisting with offsite adoption events, transporting animals, and photographing the pets for Petfinder. Fostering opportunities also are available. Volunteer-run nonprofit groups Friends of the Jefferson Animal Shelter (www.fjas.petfinder.com) and the Jefferson SPCA (www.jeffersonspca.org) also offer volunteer opportunities with the shelters. The shelters offer rabies vaccinations (Tuesdays on the West Bank and Wednesdays on the East Bank) and microchipping daily. Upcoming adoption events are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Jefferson Feed (4421 Jefferson Hwy., Jefferson) April 2 and April 16.
LOUISIANA SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (LA/SPCA)
1700 Mardi Gras Blvd., 368-5191; www.la-spca.org Adoption hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon.-Sat; noon to 4 p.m. Sun. THE SCOOP: Adoption fees for dogs weighing fewer than 20 pounds or younger than 6 months are $150. Fees for cats, kittens and dogs more than 20 pounds and older than 6 months are $80. Rabbits and other small pets are $80. All animals are spayed
and neutered, and fees include microchipping, heartworm and flea medications, all vaccines and tags and licenses for Orleans Parish residents. THE POOP: The LA/SPCA has served as New Orleans’ animal control provider for more than 60 years. Its Dorothy Dorsett Brown campus in Algiers holds 350 animals, with approximately 100 available for adoption daily. Animals may be relinquished to the shelter 24 hours a day. It’s an open-admission shelter and won’t turn away any unwanted or homeless animals; however, LA/SPCA staff euthanize sick and injured animals once all opportunities are exhausted, if there is no room at the shelter or the animal is considered dangerous. “We do consider the animal’s quality of life and the health of the herd when euthanasia decisions are made for sick or injured animals,” says LA/SPCA communications director Katherine LeBlanc. “No animal will be turned away from the LA/SPCA, and all adoptable animals will have an opportunity at adoption. We are proud that the number of adoptable animals euthanized is below the national average, but these decisions are the most difficult part of our work.” Volunteer opportunities are available for people ages 18 years or older, and youth opportunities also are available for teens ages 15 and older. The LA/SPCA also employs an Animal Cruelty Investigations Team and offers education outreach programs, a TNR program, wellness clinics, annual checkups with a veterinary care team, disaster preparedness and hosts other public events throughout the year.
PLAQUEMINES ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY (PAWS)
9596 Hwy. 23, Belle Chasse, 392-1601; www.paws4life.org Adoption hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sun.
THE SCOOP: Adoption fees for dogs are $100 and $25 for cats. All pets are fully vaccinated and microchipped, and cats are tested for leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus. THE POOP: The Plaquemines nonprofit, no-kill shelter is home to more than 70 cats and 45 dogs and will soon move into a new state-of-the-art green facility shared with Plaquemines Parish Animal Control. “It’s unique — a nonprofit moving into a Plaquemines Parish building,” says shelter director Jacob Stroman. “It’s unusual, but we’re going to make it happen.” Volunteer opportunities are available daily. “We’ll take any help we can get,” Stroman says. Volunteer duties include dog walking, socialization, grooming, and assisting with adoption events and the shelter’s social networking websites. PAWS also accepts donations — check the shelter’s “wish list” on its website to find other ways to help. While PAWS is transitioning to its new home, which broke ground in April 2010, it will continue to offer low-cost spaying and neutering and offsite adoption events. PAGE 30