Eugene was adopted earlier this year. Here’s an update from his new family:
“We’ve had Eugene about 2.5 months now, and he’s looking SO different, just from when we first got him! He’s put on about a pound and has a lot more hair now; he’s looking really healthy. Most of his days are spent in our laps.”
Shanshu is one of 2 purebred Chow Chow puppies that were recently turned into the LA/SPCA by a breeder who was unable to sell them. Her brother Sterling was quickly adopted into a loving home, but Shanshu has had a harder time. When she arrived it was clear that her left eye was never fully developed, and her right eye was suffering from what’s known as Cherry Eye, which is a prolapse of a dog’s third eyelid, causing the glad to protrude from the eye. After a fairly simple surgery to repair the Cherry Eye, our veterinarians decided the best course of action would be to remove the underdeveloped left eye to avoid the risk of complications later on. Shanshu’s left eye was removed last week and she’s now recovering in the comforts of her new foster home, where she’s finishing out her medication and healing up nicely.
This sweet, well behaved young lady will stay in foster care until her sutures can be removed and return to the LA/SPCA for adoption or transfer to a Chow Chow rescue group.
Volunteers Make All the Difference
This week is National Volunteer Week, the perfect time to reflect on the huge impact our amazing volunteers make day in and day out. Let’s start by looking at some numbers:
In 2012, 906 individual volunteers and 17 special volunteer groups spent 56,820 hours helping our organization through a variety of ways. That’s pretty awesome.
Lots of volunteers like to spend their time socializing animals. Others enjoy volunteering at special events, such as Dog Day Afternoon or Howling Success. Still others are behind the scenes, helping in our administrative department or posting our adoptable animals to Craigslist or PetFinder. It’s hard to even imagine the cumulative effect of all these volunteers and how their efforts make new programs and services possible. It’s safe to say that 2013’s Dog Day Afternoon wouldn’t have brought in over $82,000 in funding without countless volunteers donating their time to make it the best event it can be. That money will help fund lots of programs and services that help animals in our community and make a real impact on saving lives and reducing animal suffering.
Someone in our administration department recently put together a comparison between pet adoptions and volunteer hours. The result: when volunteers are in our adoption rooms, the number of adoptions shoot up. Some of this is perhaps coincidence: more volunteers can come in on the weekends, more adopters tend to come on the weekends. But even during the week, on a day to day basis, there’s a correlation. When a potential adopter walks into our cat adoption room and is greeted by someone who can ask a few questions and link them up with a few potential cats that would be a good match, the adopter is much more likely to adopt. It’s not a surprise, but just another way that we see our volunteers making a real impact on a day to day basis.
Our volunteers save lives, enrich our animals’ experience at the LA/SPCA, act as ambassadors for the animals of SE Louisiana, and much much more. We are truly grateful for each and every one.
If you’ve been thinking about becoming an LA/SPCA volunteer, hopefully you’re convinced that it’s a way to make a real difference. Visit our volunteer page to get started.
It seems that every year around this time adoptions begin to slow down as school comes to an end and families begin to make summer plans. Understandably it’s not the best time to add a new family member for many, but it’s also one of the best times of year to adopt!
An influx of puppies and kittens during this time of year results in our adoption rooms being filled with a wide variety of breeds and ages of animals. Sounder is one of 4 lab puppies that recently arrived at the shelter together. Two of his siblings have since been adopted and Sounder is hoping he find his forever home soon. Iris, one of two German Shepherd mixes currently available, is just 8 months old and already very well behaved. Shanshu is a purebred Chow Chow puppy who just had to undergo surgery to repair a cherry eye. Shanshu’s brother, Sterling, was recently adopted into a loving home. Lulu, a “pocket pit,” is a great candidate for anyone who loves bully breeds but is looking for a smaller dog. Lulu weighs only 35 lbs and stands no higher than knee level.
These are just a few of the fantastic animals that are currently available at the Louisiana SPCA. Visit www.la-spca.org/adopt to see who else is available. Even if now isn’t a great time for you to adopt, spread the word to friends and family that lots of wonderful best friends are available at 1700 Mardi Gras Blvd.
It’s a common misconception that you can’t find a purebred animal at an animal shelter. Yes, it’s true that many mutts and mixes pass through our doors (and make fantastic pets!) but we do regularly have purebred dogs both big and small available for adoption. Olivia (Boxer, above) is currently available for adoption and has both the physical characteristics and temperament that you would expect from a purebred boxer. Sweet, affectionate, loyal, and quick to learn, Olivia is a fantastic pet just waiting for the right owner to fall in love with her. Beignet (Persian above) is also currently available for adoption. Persians, Siamese, American Bobtails, Russian Blues, and other highly sought after breeds of domestic cats regularly arrive at the LA/SPCA as well.
So the next time you hear of a friend or family member looking for a certain breed of dog or cat encourage them to first check at their local animal shelter. They might be surprised at what they find. If not, the next step is always to check with a breed specific rescue group. Louisiana Boxer Rescue, Looziana Basset Rescue, Labs 4 Rescue, and Gulf Coast Doberman Rescue are just a few of the local rescue groups that specialize in placing rescued purebred animals in the best possible homes.
Don’t Shop, Adopt!
Who said Dog Day Afternoon is only for dogs?! The Frisky Felines virtual walking team, inspired by Orpheus (left) and Beignet, will be representing the felines again this year on April 7th in City Park. Here’s their story, as told by team co-captain Beignet:
“15 years ago, I was separated from my family and found myself living in a dumpster. I was scared, hungry and unable to defend myself because I was declawed as a kitten. Fortunately an animal lover found me and even though Loretta was a lifelong dog aficionado, I stole her heart. In honor of all the homeless cats, I partnered with Orpheus the Great to sponsor a virtual walking team. Orpheus is the mascot at the LA/SPCA’s Community Clinic which provides veterinary services to over 15,000 animals every year. I would like to invite all of you who can’t physically attend the walkathon to join the virtual walking team of the Frisky Felines. Just like the LA/SPCA shelter, we accept all furry (and not so furry) creatures on our team! Get Frisky for the Louisiana SPCA!!!”
