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Drive aims to bring a little puppy love
The St. Landry Parish Animal Control facility is encouraging the members of the public to adopt a pet for a significant other on Valentine's Day.
"There is no better gift to give. You save a life and have a friend for life," animal control supervisor Patricia Guillory said. "A lot of people want to go out and buy a dog, but you can find a great dog here and save their life."
Wednesday proved to be a lucky day for Sunny, a fox terrier mix, who was adopted by a family. The fluffy tan and white puppy with a bright red handkerchief around his neck lovingly licked the hand of his new owner."I'm very happy," said Susan Prince of Opelousas about her family's newest member.
Guillory said as of Wednesday afternoon, the facility had 30 adult dogs, 25 puppies and 12 cats in need of nurturing homes.
Animal control will be open until 6:30 p.m. today for people interested in rescuing a dog or cat from the certainty of being put to sleep. This is the first time the facility will remain open after business hours so more people have the opportunity to adopt, Guillory said.
The shelter requires those adopting an animal present a valid ID and be 18 or older. A fee of $4.50 covers the cost of a microchip tracking device implanted under the animal's fur.
Guillory advised people to pick a dog that will match their family and lifestyle.
"When adopting, people need to match breed with their family," she said. "If they have small children, they really don't want an aggressive or larger dog."
Animal control has a variety of breeds including lab, lab mix, rat terrier mix and a boxer available for adoption.
According to animal control officer Brandi Comeaux, five dogs were adopted Wednesday.
The facility picks up an average of 20 animals each day. "A lot of our time is spent enforcing ordinance and animal cruelty/neglect cases," Guillory said.
Guillory said overpopulation of animals is a perpetual problem, one solved by getting pets spade or neutered.
With a constant flow of animals into the animal control facility, often euthanization is the only answer. That takes places at least once a week.
Animal Control workers often take animals into their own homes to spare them that fate. Guillory has 15 dogs of her own.