L’Observateur / August 19, 2000

DEAR EDITOR: What’s all the yapping about? In response to the first (May) of the recent “shelter-bashing” reports, we visited the St. John Parish Animal Shelter and were totally surprised ontwo counts. First, we were welcomed inside. Second, the facility hadimproved several times over. Why are some people complaining?We would like to know of any specific aspect of the physical plant which is worse than before May. In less than two weeks after taking the helm,the parish removed and destroyed the more dilapidated of two trailers and added a new office trailer and a utility pole. The other trailer, which hadbeen in deplorable condition for several years, has now been cleaned.

Clutter from the trailers and the grounds is gone. Dogs no longer run allover the grounds and into the trailers, urinating on the floors and walls.

There are only cats in the cat trailer, not dogs, puppies, iguanas, and prairie dogs. The endless piles and stacks of bowls, boxes, and other itemsare no longer there. Cage cards have been ordered. No one speaks of apetting zoo. Many of the improvements could have been made without alarge amount of money; they just weren’t. In short, the shelter is no longernauseating, but is beginning to be a decent place for unwanted animals.

The parish government actually seems to be moving in the right direction, albeit slowly, but its reward is to be lambasted regularly for not solving the problems immediately. Where has everybody been? We had presentedthe shelter’s problems to previous administrations since 1994 and offered to help in several ways. Our offers were declined. We tried to convince theparish to operate the shelter itself, knowing that merely keeping the place clean and uncluttered would not require a large budget. No one seemed tolisten. If looks as if today’s critics never even saw the shelter during thepast few years and therefore cannot compare the past to the present. Yet,we know that many of those who are complaining actually visited the shelter frequently during 1998 and 1999.

Let’s give the parish a little more time. The parish’s next task is to staffthe shelter appropriately; there is no way for the present kennel-master and one part-time assistant to take care of animal control and the shelter, too. There must be two more full-time employees, at least one of whom(preferably both) must be an animal control officer. The ACO should workunder the sheriff; law enforcement capability and familiarity with the law are certainly required. Providing adequate animal control andmaintaining the shelter appropriately for a parish this size (and located on both banks of the Mississippi) require four full-time employees. Thepresent staffing (1.75 persons) is woefully insufficient. Adding the oneACO (now done) will help, but the parish needs to plan for more in the very near future.

The rest of us need to help, too. People need to visit the shelter and adoptanimals. We are developing an agreement with the parish for movingshelter animals slowly into our adoption program. We need volunteers totake care of the animals, to provide short-term foster care, to transport animals to veterinarians or adoption sites, to help with our feral cat program, and to assist with animal adoptions. Of course, everyone mustspay or neuter his own animals and convince everyone else to do the same.

The parish has publicly committed itself to build a new and badly-needed animal shelter, but no shelter can be big enough to overcome the current reproduction rate.

Humane groups and individuals have worked hard during the last few years, but the time has come for everyone to join the effort. Let the newmillennium be the turning point for St. John Parish. Remember thatanimals are a “people” cause, too.

Betty Everitt Riverlands SPCA, Laplace

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