General
Frequently Asked Questions Where are you
located? What are your
operating hours? -
I’ve lost my pet. Where
should I look for my companion? I
found a pet. May I bring
him to you? -
Is the LA/SPCA’s low-cost veterinary
clinic open?
I can no longer keep my pet. Will you
take him?
I saw an injured
animal on the street in New Orleans. What do I do? -
I was bitten by an
animal, what do I do?
-
I have a wild animal in my
yard. What do I do?
-
Who picks up dead animals seen on the road?
-
I’d like to volunteer.
How do I begin?
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How long will the shelter
hold a stray animal?
-
Are there 100,000 animals
roaming the streets of New Orleans as claimed by volunteer
rescue groups?
-
How many animals do you
think remain?
-
Are you still reuniting
animals and owners?
-
What is the LA/SPCA currently doing and what are your
plans for the future?
Where are you located?
We are located at 1700 Mardi Gras Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70114
(located on the Westbank in Algiers), at the corner of Mardi Gras
Blvd, and L. B. Landry.
Phone: 504-368-5191
fax: 504-368-3710
email: info@la-spca.org
Here is a map and directions to
the Dorothy Dorsett Brown
Louisiana SPCA Campus
1700 Mardi Gras Blvd. Top
What are your hours of operation?
We are open seven
days a week, 9 am to 5 pm. If you have lost your pet please come by
and fill out a report. One of our Attendants will take you through
the kennel to search for him or her. You may also bring "found" pets
during this time.
Dispatch Hours:
Report injured animal on the street or other emergency 24/7
Adoption
Hours:
Seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Please be advised, we no longer have a clinic available to the
public. We know this has been difficult for some of our clients. We
have plans to reopen in the future.
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I’ve lost my pet. Where should I look for my
companion?
If you’ve lost your pet post-Katrina, visit our shelter and
speak to our staff. We are capturing and receiving lost animals
everyday and your pet may be among them. If you are unsuccessful in
your first visit, we encourage you to visit the shelter multiple
times. You may also complete a lost report so that if someone calls
who has found an animal, we may be able to make the connection. Be
sure to search around your home, inside and outside - look under
bushes, in tight corners, at your neighbor's house and garage, and
in the vicinity as animals can move great distances quickly. You
should also post flyers in your neighborhood. Including a reward on
the flyers also proves helpful. Finally, don’t give up. It’s in fact
common for lost pets to be found after several weeks of searching.
If your pet was lost as a result of the storm, you’ll need to
conduct a thorough internet search as over 8,500 animals were sent
to shelters across the country. A list of the known shelters
fostering rescued animals is available on the
ASPCA website under hurricane relief. Our efforts to reunite
animals separated during Katrina are on-going. Internet databases of
the estimated 8,500 animals rescued can be found at
http://disaster.petfinder.org/emergency/ and
www.petharbor.com. Some shelters are able to hold animals
through mid-December in hopes that the owner will surface, but
others could only hold them through October and then placed animals
up for adoption. We urge those searching for their pets to check
these websites often as the databases are updated daily.
Additionally, for those who have lost pets in the St. Bernard Parish
area, a database has been established at
Lost St Bernard Pets.
Should you have a friend who doesn't have internet access please
have them come to our shelter to use our interactive kiosk. Our
knowledgeable staff will be on hand to assist in the search. Again,
we are open to the public seven days a week, from 10am to 5pm.
If you have not already done so, you should also file a lost report
at our shelter. The information we receive with a lost report is
continually checked against the database of rescued animals.
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I found
a pet. May I bring him to you?
Yes, you may bring a found pet to the shelter seven days a week 10
am to 5 pm.
Please be sure to keep an eye open for fliers that the owner may
have posted on telephone poles and in shops. You can also put up a
few of your own, but keep the message simple, for example, "Found,
hairy black dog, call XXXXX". When the owner calls, ask him or her
to describe the animal in detail. It’s important that the owner be
the only person to claim the dog.
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Is the LA/SPCA’s low-cost veterinary
clinic open?
Sadly, both our clinic and animal shelter were destroyed. We are
considering using our mobile spay/neuter center as a low-cost
vaccination clinic until we determine if and where a new
full-service clinic could be established. Until then, however, our
veterinarians will only be caring for the animals housed at the
animal control facility in Algiers.
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I
can no longer keep my pet. Will you take him?
Yes, we will. The Louisiana SPCA does not turn away any animal
regardless of breed, age, physical condition or temperament. We are
an open-admission shelter offering shelter and care to all animals
in need.
Before you bring your pet to us, however, please exhaust all resources in
trying to find him or her a home yourself.
It is important to understand that when an animal is in our care,
there is no guarantee that the animal will be adopted out and he or
she may be euthanized. Despite the dedication of the community,
available resources and a caring group of staff and volunteers,
thousands of animals remain homeless due to pet overpopulation. It's
an ever present challenge and a harsh reality that shelters deal
with everyday.
Please see:
Why
Must We Euthanize?,
Rosie’s
Story,
I Cried at Work
Today,
Twelve
Concepts
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I saw an injured animal on the street in
New Orleans. What do I do?
Please call us at 368-5191, ext 100, and let us know the animal’s
location. You can also make a report to dispatch@la-spca.org. If the
animal is in Jefferson Parish, please call their animal control
office on the eastbank at 736-6111 or westbank at 349-5111.
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I was bitten by an animal, what do I do?
Please call us at 368-5191, ext 100, and let us know the situation,
and the name and address of the animal’s owner, if known.
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I have a wild animal in my yard. What do I do?
Alligators are handled by Wildlife & Fisheries; they may be reached
at 504-568-5616. Raccoons and opossums are commonly seen in our
area. Since they have an equal right to be here, we ask that you
leave them be, but you can deter them by keeping your yard free of
debris and trashcan lids tightly closed. If you want the animal
removed nonetheless, you may call a private trapper. Animal Control
does not handle wildlife issues.
State licensed trappers:
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Who picks up dead animals seen on the road?
Waste Management used to pick up dead animals on
New Orleans' streets. Since Katrina this service has been discontinued.
Please call the City of New Orleans Hotline number which is:
658-2299 or “311”.
For the pick-up of dead animals on State Highways and the Interstate,
please call the Maintenance Department of The Dept. of Transportation and
Development.
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I’d like to volunteer. How do I begin?
The first step is to familiarize yourself with our volunteer
opportunities and complete a volunteer application. We are seeking
Client-Care volunteers who help people find lost pets as well as
administrative help. We will soon be expanding the program. A full
list of opportunities can be seen
here or by visiting
our facility.
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How long will the shelter hold a stray
animal?
The LA/SPCA is required under Louisiana law to hold all stray
animals for 5 days. We do not count the day the animal came to the
shelter and then count 5 full days. After this stray period we are
then able to make a decision to consider the animal for adoption,
transfer to another partner shelter, transfer to breed placement
partner, or consider euthanasia if the animal is not a candidate for
adoption or transfer. We make every effort to find every adoptable
animal a new loving family.
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Are there 100,000 animals roaming the streets
of New Orleans as claimed by volunteer rescue groups?
Thankfully, no. Consider that 100,000 animals equal 554 animals per
square mile. The silver lining in the very dark cloud that covers
our city is that our stray situation is better than it was before
the storm; but animals still remain. We have a great opportunity to
get a handle on our historically high stray population thanks to
private support of organizations and individuals who have given
their time and resources to help. Although we and visiting animal
control officers from other U.S. cities are working during the day
to capture animals, as well as trapping at night when animals are
most active, we are launching a high-volume campaign on January 4,
inviting other volunteer rescuers to join the effort.
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How many animals do you think remain?
In an effort to assess the number of animals remaining and their
general health condition, the LA/SPCA convened a team to work in one
of five hot spots – Lakeview, East, Gentilly, Lower 9th ward, and
St. Bernard. Each team worked the same area from 6am to 9am and 5pm
to 8pm. They were asked to look under houses, search behind brush
and other hiding spots, search for animal tracks, and to speak to
residents and workers about their animal sightings. Teams used bait
to lure pets to the area while assessors watched from afar.
The team consisted of two members each from the Humane Society of
the United States, the American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, Best Friends Animal Society, American Humane
Association, United Animal Nations, U.S. Public Health Service, LA/SPCA,
St. Bernard Parish Animal Control, and visiting staff from the
Nebraska Humane Society and Humane Society of Missouri.
Although the assessment was not statistically significant, it was an
attempt to provide an impartial view by those who have experience
working disasters. In general, the majority of the team members were
surprised by the low number of animals spotted in a city that has
typically had a high stray population. Some teams left fresh food
and revisited the station during the next shift. A few stations had
been visited by animals, but many were not utilized. Also, those
interviewed including National Guard, workers and residents did not
report seeing high numbers of animals, but did comment on seeing a
few animals occasionally.
Although not sizably visible during our assessment, teams agreed
that there are more strays than appeared during our study. However,
it’s important to note that we did not see thousands of animals as
reported by some volunteer groups. Finally, we want the community to
realize that the assessment was not done as a conclusive step in the
animal situation resulting from Hurricane Katrina, but a pro-active
action to help animals as efficiently and effectively as possible.
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Are you still reuniting animals and
owners?
Our colleagues across the country who have accepted displaced
animals are having great success reuniting animals and their people.
For example, the San Diego Humane Society has a 45-50% reunification
rate – exceedingly high following a disaster. Typically, only 10% of
animals are reunited with their families. Pre-Katrina, our
“return-to-owner” rate was 4%, very low but sadly common in the
South where animals are allowed to roam freely. Since late October,
all but one reunion that the LA/SPCA has
recently handled has been
with owners who have lost their pets since they’ve returned to New
Orleans post-disaster.
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What is the LA/SPCA currently doing and what
are your plans for the future?
We are currently focused on establishing the temporary Animal
Control facility, trapping dogs and cats, developing an aggressive
spay/neuter program, considering ways to offer low-cost veterinary
services, and reestablishing our normal services such as adoption,
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) for feral cats, cruelty investigation, and
humane education. While doing all of the above, we are seeking a new
home so that we may stay focused on our vision which is guided by a
priority to improve the quality-of-life of all companion animals; we
are committed to educating our community about issues affecting
animals; advocating and lobbying for improved local and state animal
protection laws; reducing animal overpopulation through aggressive
spay/neuter programs; investigating animal cruelty cases; ending
dogfighting in our state; promoting the human/animal bond; and
finding loving families for displaced and homeless animals. To learn
more about our what we are doing and our plans for the future,
please see About
the Louisiana SPCA.
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