Companion Animal Alliance (CAA) is the only open-intake animal shelter in the East Baton Rouge Parish, located at 2550 Gourrier Ave, just outside of LSU’s campus.
The shelter has around 230 dogs and 100 cats, with a variety of other species including guinea pigs, horses, rabbits, pigs, and more all ready to be adopted soon. If you aren’t ready to adopt, the shelter is looking for foster homes to temporarily take in a dog or cat until it can find a home. If fostering is not a possibility, the shelter offers a program called date-a-dog.
“We have our date-a-dog program where people can actually take a dog around Baton Rouge for the day,” Jen Hollas, the communications and events senior manager at the shelter, said. “They can take it on a walk around the lake, take it to get a pup cup and then just bring it back before the end of the day.”
CAA strives to give stress free shelter to as many animals as possible; however, with the shelter accepting 100% of surrendered animals in East Baton Rouge, they quickly get overwhelmed. The shelter is around 30 dogs over its ideal capacity of 200, which means worse conditions for the dogs, so now is the best time ever to adopt.
“The shelter environment itself can kind of cause the animals to shut down, with the noises, and being away from home, it’s tough,” Jen added.
The best thing you can do to help these animals is to adopt and give them a safe home. This way, that the shelter can continue to serve East Baton Rouge Parish. Here are just a few of the adorable and adoptable pets at CAA:
Odd Ball
Odd Ball is a brown domestic shorthair cat. He’s named Odd Ball because of the funny look on his face, like he is trying to wink but can’t quite get the hang of it. Once you’ve befriended Odd Ball, he will work tirelessly to keep your attention, all this kitty needs is lots of love to thrive.
Blue

Next up we have Blue. Blue is a female domestic shorthair with an eye for the camera. If there’s one thing Blue knows exactly how to do, it’s hit her poses to get the perfect shot. She loves scratches and will put her face up to the cage to sneak in a few pets while the camera isn’t looking. Blue would undoubtedly add a spunky attitude to any future family.

Marley and Martha

These next two shy guys are Marley and Martha. They were brought to the shelter together, and they come from the same litter. Marley and Martha are a little on the shy side, but once you warm up to one of them the other follows their lead. They are two peas in a pod and would be the perfect addition to anyone looking to adopt two delightful kittens.

Kova

This confident lady is Kova. Kova is an Australian kelpie who was found stray on Halloween. She has a beautiful brown coat and is very well behaved. She always has a smile on her face, making it the perfect greeting after a long day at work. Kova is adventurous and energetic, so she would be perfect for someone with an active lifestyle.

Chilli
Next up is Chilli. Chilli has a special connection with the staff at CAA. Chilli arrived a few months ago with a litter of puppies that she had. The puppies were only about two weeks old, and Chilli was nursing them at the shelter until they were transported to another shelter. 
“Whenever she first came in she was super, super nervous, but our staff kind of worked with her to help her open up and trust people again,” Hollas said. “So now she’s one of the sweetest calmest dogs.”

Bingo

Bingo is 3 to 6 month old and by far the friendliest dog you’ve ever seen. This love bug is a terrier mix and just one of the many young puppies at CAA. If interested in Bingo, be sure to act fast because with this dog’s personality he isn’t likely to stay around for too long.