Photograph: Catherine Bissell founder of the Bissell Pet Foundation (red shirt and cap) with some of the veterinarians who took part in a parish wide vaccination clinic at the Ag Arena in Opelousas. (SUBMITTED BY LAYNE HERPIN FOR ST. LANDRY PARISH GOVERNMENT.)
BOBBY ARDOIN
Editor/Consulting Writer
The recent completion of a well-attended small pet vaccination clinic sponsored by St. Landry Parish government is testimony says parish president Jessie Bellard, that an overall parish wide plan for improved animal care appears to be succeeding.
Bellard estimates that nearly 1,000 cats and dogs were recently vaccinated during free, one-day clinic sponsored by the parish and the Bissell Pet Foundation at the St. Landry Parish Agricultural Arena.
“From what I am being told by the people who were there, it was a great success. It was very well-organized, with five stations where people were able to drive up and have their pets vaccinated. Then afterward people could also drive up at other locations and have the chance to obtain free pet supplies,” said Bellard.
The vaccination clinic according to Bissell Pet Foundation founder Catherine Bissell, is just one of several programs the organization is instituting along with the parish in order to improve animal health care in St. Landry and reduce the large pet population.
Bissell said during a recent interview that her foundation agreed to partner with parish government to improve conditions at the St. Landry Parish animal shelter by reorganizing and training the staff at the facility and introducing programs directed at pet care and reduction.
Members of the Bissell Foundation team according to Bissell, have been in St. Landry since November, have also been attempting to make infrastructure improvements at the animal shelter and reduce the intake count for the large number of animals that were being surrendered there weekly.
Animals housed at the shelter now are confined in more enclosed structures, separated by genders, along with their vaccination records and names.
Some of the dogs have been treated for heartworms since arriving Bissell said and all of them reside in chain-linked cages that have concrete floors and outside access.
The pet environment is cleaned and maintained by inmate trustees, while the staff is involved in organization and attending to the dogs who might need medical attention.
Bissell said that when her team members which included animal shelter specialists and veterinarians arrived at the shelter late last year, they realized the magnitude of what they were facing.
There were over 200 animals that were sheltered at the facility and there were issues with animal disease control, animal intake recordkeeping and lack of training for the workers who were employed.
“One of the important things that has happened is we have an entire new staff that we are training with regards to proper animal care. Animals that are being accepted here now are being identified along with their histories, the names of the people who surrendered them and if there are any vaccinations or medical records,” Bissell said.
Animal control is also limiting the number of animals that are being accepted for potential adoption.
The current strategy said Bissell, is to limit the number of dogs at the facility to a maximum of about 70 weekly.
Some people have complained about the tactic of limited intake, Bissell said, but she maintains that in order to provide proper health screenings, perform spay and neutering procedures and overall care, the staff at animal control requires a manageable number.
The shelter is no longer accepting cats for surrenders, but those who were there previously have been spayed and neutered at are providing an important function, Bissell said.
Feral cats that were once at the shelter, have now become predators, Bissell noted, as they help reduce the small rodent population at the animal shelter, while being fed daily in what was previously a cat holding facility.
The Foundation and the parish have also created reduced spay and neutering opportunities for pet owners by providing vouchers to help reduce the costs of the procedures.
Educating the public said Bissell, is essential for helping control the number of unwanted pets.
Vouchers for the reduced spay and neutering costs can be obtained at Bellevue Animal Clinic, Copper Crowne, Fontenot Veterinarian Clinic and Spay Nation in Lafayette.
The vouchers can also be obtained at the animal control facility on Hangar Road adjacent to the parish airport and the parish government office at the St. Landry Parish Courthouse.
Bellard said the procedures created by the Foundation have helped direct the shelter in a better direction.
“It’s been going great. They (Bissell Foundation) are doing a good job. If it wasn’t for them, we would be in a serious bind. At one point there were 300 dogs (at the shelter) and you cannot manage that. The Foundation has found a way to get them adopted and they have been training our new staff in operation and care in addition to cleaning up the place,” said Bellard.
Bellard said the Foundation is also creating a program for individuals who might need to surrender animals at a facility which is now taking a limited number of intakes.
“We do have an issue with people being upset. Right now if someone cannot afford to keep pets, we are trying to make it easier for them by providing food and other supplies that might encourage them not to drop them off,” Bellard added.
(Photographs: SUBMITTED BY LAYNE HERPIN FOR ST. LANDRY PARISH GOVERNMENT.)
