SLIDELL, La. — More than two dozen shelter dogs on the Northshore are in warm homes tonight thanks to a community that made sure they were taken care of.
“All of these kennels were filled with just amazing dogs,” said Holly Marshall, as she pointed out empty kennels at the Slidell Animal Shelter.
With the empty kennels, the building is oddly quiet.
“This is what you want to see. This is what it’s all about,” said Marshall, who is a volunteer with the Animal Assistance League of Slidell.
Marshall says it all started with a need, before freezing temperatures set in this week.
“With all of the kennels having that indoor-outdoor access it just lets in so much outside air and when the temperatures are that low it really affects this whole building and it’s hard for any of our heaters to keep up with that,” said Marshall.
That meant every shelter dog, about 30 of them, needed to find a foster home quickly.
“We started putting some posts on Facebook and getting a little bit of traction,” said Marshall.
Days later, the lobby at the shelter was filled with people wanting to help.
“On Saturday alone we got 21 dogs into foster care,” said Marshall.
By the end of the day, every dog was gone.
“Since I’ve been volunteering, I’ve never seen the kennel empty, so this is really remarkable especially considering that just a couple of months ago we were over capacity,” said Marshall.
With dangerous temperatures expected, the Louisiana SPCA recommends bringing dogs inside. If they must be outside, make sure they’re guarded from any wind or rain and have plenty of warm blankets.
“A lot of people think that their fur provides them enough protection, but that’s not always the case,” said communications specialist with the Louisiana SPCA Britlyn Pham. “With our shorter haired animals, or older pets, or puppies, you want to give them the opportunity to have extra insulation.”
Since dogs can get hypothermia and frostbite, the Louisiana SPCA recommends monitoring their behavior as well.
“Dash has been with us well over a year now,” said Marshall as she pointed to his empty kennel.
Marshall is overjoyed at the kindness of strangers and says the shelter pups can be returned at the end of the week. However, some pups won’t be going back.
“People are already messaging our group saying, ‘Oh, we can’t let him go. We’re going to come in as soon as the weather passes and finalize an adoption,’” said Marshall.
If you’re interested in fostering or adopting any of the dogs or cats at the Slidell Animal Shelter you can give them a call or visit their website by clicking here.
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