🐾 Crisis In Avoyelles Parish: Abandoned Animals Need Our Help! 🆘

Animal Abandonment and Cruelty Cases Strain Limited Resources in Avoyelles Parish

By Jeff Dorson
Humane Society of Louisiana Director

Animal welfare advocates say Avoyelles Parish is facing a growing crisis as pet abandonment and cruelty cases increase while shelter space and animal control resources remain extremely limited.

Humane organizations report a surge in abandoned dogs, cats, puppies and kittens being left along roadways, at gas stations and in wooded areas throughout the parish.

The problem has worsened following the recent closure of the Cottonport animal shelter.

With the Cottonport shelter closed, Avoyelles Parish now relies on a small shelter in Marksville and the facility and foster-care program operated by Atchafalaya River Rescue. That leaves very few options for stray or surrendered animals.

Inflation has also contributed to the issue, advocates say. Rising costs for pet food, veterinary care and spay-and-neuter services have led some pet owners to delay sterilization, often resulting in unexpected and unwanted litters.

In recent weeks, four puppies were discovered abandoned at two separate locations. Leslie Bordelon, a local homeowner, said she was shopping when she noticed two small puppies shivering along Highway 71. She stopped, brought them home and was able to place one puppy, while the other was turned over to Linda Desselle of Atchafalaya River Rescue (ARR).

ARR also recently took in two additional puppies, Sid and Shelly, found in a ditch along Highway 107 outside Marksville. Both puppies were suffering from parasites and required immediate care.

Like many rescue groups across the state, ARR reports being overwhelmed by calls for help, stray animal reports and requests for animal control services. However, the organization is not staffed, funded or equipped to serve as an animal control agency.

Avoyelles residents have been calling the Humane Society of Louisiana (HSLA) for more than two decades. We’ve repeatedly asked parish officials to fund even a modest shelter and provide basic services. We can only do so much long-distance, but we still spend about $10,000 each year boarding and vetting criminally neglected animals from this parish.

HSLA works closely with local law enforcement on multiple investigations each year and often covers veterinary costs when animals are seized during cruelty cases.

That cooperation was evident in a recent investigation in Ruby, where a coordinated response by the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Department, along with local volunteers Malaine Pitre Glover and Lydia Laird, led to the rescue of multiple neglected animals and the arrest of a parish resident.

Deputies and volunteers responded to reports of animal mistreatment at a residence described as being in extreme disrepair. Authorities said multiple deceased dogs were found in the yard, none of which had been removed or buried. Inside the home, conditions were described as landfill-like, with garbage, debris and filth throughout the structure.

Four small dogs were found alive but severely malnourished and frightened. Glover and Laird transported the surviving animals to a veterinarian for emergency care, with donations to the Humane Society helping cover examination and treatment costs.

According to Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office arrest records, Shirley Dunn, 75, of Ruby, was taken into custody on Dec. 7 and booked on multiple counts of aggravated cruelty to animals. The case remains under investigation.

The Humane Society emphasized that Glover and Laird are private volunteers, not parish animal control officers, and stressed that entering hazardous properties to rescue animals should be the responsibility of a funded parish program.

Avoyelles Parish currently does not operate a public animal shelter or provide structured animal control services, leaving volunteers and nonprofit organizations to shoulder much of the burden.

Sid, Shelly and Joy, the puppy found along Highway 71, are available for adoption through Atchafalaya River Rescue. Interested adopters may visit atchafalayariverrescue.com or email info@atchafalayariverrescue.com. Adoption fees range from $175 to $225.

Donations to support ARR may be made via Venmo (@ARR-linda71369), PayPal (paypal.me/ARRrescue), or by mail to P.O. Box 96, Simmesport, LA 71369. Donations to the Humane Society of Louisiana may be sent through PayPal at humanela@gmail.com or mailed to P.O. Box 740321, New Orleans, LA 70174. All donations are tax-deductible.

We hope the Avoyelles Parish Police Jury will finally give residents an overdue gift by approving funding for a shelter and creating a way to support its operation and staffing. The parish has waited decades. We’re hoping this is the year action is taken.

Residents concerned about animal welfare issues are encouraged to contact parish officials. Police Jury contact information is available at www.avoypj.org/contact-8.