Marksville seeks 'good homes for good dogs' at city pound

The City of Marksville’s “dog pound” facility usually has a number of “really good dogs” needing good homes.
“People may not be aware that we have dogs for adoption,” City Manager Tommy Garrot told the City Council earlier this month. “We are looking for good homes for good dogs.”
Word must’ve gotten out somehow as the number of dogs dropped from 19 to nine in the two weeks after the council meeting.
Still, more discarded pets and hapless strays end up at the Street Department’s “dog pound” every month.
“We cannot let someone adopt a vicious dog,” Street Superintendent Cloyd Clayton said, “but we have some really good dogs available for adoption.”
Except for the vicious animals, the city tries to keep a dog until they are either adopted or able to be taken by another animal shelter. However, that is not always the case.
The “dog pound” is not a “no-kill” shelter. When a dog must be “put to sleep,” it is taken to a local veterinarian and the city is billed for the service.
“I go through there and pet the dogs and they lick my hand,” Garrot said. “In two or three months, if nobody has adopted them, we may have to put them to sleep because we have no room. It just kills me to do that, but if we don’t have the space there is nothing else we can do.”
Garrot said the city appreciates Walmart for providing dog food for the shelter dogs -- usually from large bags that have been dropped and broken.
“That helps a lot,” he added.
Anyone interested in adding a loving dog to their family can call 305-0143 for more information or come by the city’s work yard at 127 Spring Bayou Road to see the dogs.