TIGER TV ONLINE CONTRIBUTOR
DENHAM SPRINGS, La.– Every day, 70,000 puppies and kittens are born – seven times the number of humans born a day. As a result, the percentage of these animals being euthanized is rising.
According to the National Council on Pet Population Study, four to six million animals are euthanized every year.
The Denham Springs Animal Shelter, located in Denham Springs, La., is not a part of this high statistic. It is the only non-kill municipal shelter in Louisiana.
“We have been a no-kill shelter for over ten years now,” said full time volunteer Diane Cole. “We do not euthanize any animal unless it is terminally ill or extremely vicious.”
A committee of veterinarians, staff members and volunteers meet to determine if the pet must be euthanized.
“We have an average of 150-200 cats depending on the season and about 85-130 dogs at all times,” said Cole.
The shelter keeps animals until they are adopted, but it is running out of room.
“We have run out of space. We are located up on a hill with no where else to build on,” said Cole.
Because the shelter is crowded with animals, Cole spent $15,000 of her money to expand the shelter last year.
The shelter can only accept animals from inside the Denham Springs city limits.
“We have people wanting to drop off dogs and cats they found in Livingston Parish and East Baton Rouge Parish because they heard we are the only non-kill shelter in the state,” said Cole. “We just don’t have the room for all the animals.”
The shelter is funded partially by a city budget that only pays the full time staff of ten people. The rest of the budget is funded by donations and grants from different organizations.
“If it wasn’t for all the volunteers we have, we wouldn’t be able to remain a non-kill shelter,” said Cole.
To make its budget last longer, the shelter is run on volunteers. The volunteers walk the dogs, socialize with the cats and kittens periodically, bathe and feed the animals and help update the website with new pictures that are meant to entice adopters.
In an attempt to have its animals adopted faster, the shelter offers many specials throughout the year.
The animals cost $40 no matter the age of the pet. But if a person adopts two pets it only costs $60. This is how LSU sophomore Lyndsey LeBlanc ended up with two kittens.
“I went with the intentions of getting one kitten and I left with two kittens from different litters,” Lyndsey said. “It was just too good of an offer and their little faces were too hard to pass up. I wanted to take all of the animals home.”
“Baton Rouge is currently trying to open an animal adoption center and eventually become a non-kill shelter too,” said Cole. “The thought of this little town of Denham Springs started the movement for more no kill shelters is wonderful and amazing.”
Adoptions at the shelter include the pet’s first set of shots, spaying or neutering and a voucher for rabies. They are open seven days a week.
For more information email the shelter at [email protected] or call at 225-664-4472.
