Parish Council hears more complaints about care at animal shelter

FRANKLIN — The St. Mary Parish Council on Wednesday heard a tale of two shelters — or two versions of what’s going on at one animal shelter.
One version is about a July 12 inspection of the St. Mary Parish Animal Shelter by the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry. The shelter passed without a single black mark on a detailed inspection list.
The other version is about pets coming out of the shelter with fleas, filthy fur, untreated injuries and paws damaged by cleaning chemicals. That version includes the death of Bubbles the cat and a mislabeled boxer named Max.
Both versions emerged at Wednesday’s Parish Council meeting. Both sides agreed to talk about the problems and search for solutions.
The shelter houses pets that have been abandoned, have been picked up as strays, have been abused or neglected, or have bitten someone, Chief Administrative Officer Henry C. “Bo” Lagrange said.
Janelle Yates of Rescue Revolutions, a nonprofit organization that “rescues, rehabs and rehomes abandoned dogs throughout South Louisiana and Texas,” according to its Facebook page, spoke for a group of people at Wednesday’s meeting.
“The questions, concerns and testimonies being presented to you show that the animals have been and are, in fact, being neglected, mistreated and abused,” said a letter from Yates to the council.
Animals are being harmed while people turn a blind eye, she wrote, but “we are offering to leave the past behind in exchange for changes being made.”
Among the concerns Yates cited:
—Cats are still being housed in the old shelter, sometimes without water.
—The shelter lacks cameras that would allow staff members to be monitored.
—Some staff members lack knowledge or experience with animals.
—Animals are sprayed with chemicals and are left wet and flea-infested while the spray causes blistered paws.
—Animals are sometimes euthanized before the seven-day stray period is over.
—Staff members don’t always scan animals with implanted chips that would identify their owners.
Yates said the shelter could make use of volunteers at the shelter and use social media to raise money for cameras.
“We’re not asking for people to get fired,” Yates told the council Wednesday. “We’re not asking for anything insane, just changes.”
Her presentation included 10 written stories, mostly from local people, many about animals that came out of the shelter covered with fleas and with blistered paws. In some cases, animals died soon after leaving the shelter.
Lacy Louviere wrote about Bubbles the cat. In June 2020 at an Animal Advocates of St. Mary event, Louviere was asked but declined to provide a foster home for Bubbles. But she changed her mind and went to the shelter to pick up the cat two days later, she wrote.
But something wasn’t right, Louviere said. A veterinary clinic said Bubbles had sustained head trauma. The cat died the next day, and Louviere said no one at the shelter will tell her what happened.
Paula Duval told the council that her registered boxer, Max, got out of her Patterson yard through a temporary gate July 14. She looked for the dog that day, and on July 15 called the shelter. She said she was told there was no boxer there.
But a friend’s Facebook post showed Max at the shelter. Duval later learned that her dog had been mislabeled as a pit bull even though he has a chip that identifies him as a boxer. His collar has her phone numbers, she said.
Duval brought Max home from the shelter and, four days later, an animal warden brought her Max’s collar. She was cited for a violation.
Max came home “covered in filth and fleas,” Duval wrote, and had dried blood on his back.
In response to earlier allegations of neglect at the shelter, some council members have said they have visited the shelter, sometimes without prior notice, and found no sign of the conditions that have appeared in recent complaints.
Parish President David Hanagriff acknowledged that Duval’s boxer should have been scanned and said no shelter provides perfect care.
But “we do not neglect the animals at our shelter,” he said. “We don’t abuse animals at our shelter.”
He pointed to the report from the July 12 state inspection. The report said the shelter complies with the law in all these categories:
—General standards, including the posting of fees, hours of operation and sanitation.
—Shelter construction.
—Utilities, washrooms and pest control.
—Adequate heat, light, ventilation and drainage.
—Cleanliness, drainage and adequate shelter for animals housed outdoors.
—Enclosure requirements.
—A euthanasia room adequate for operations, and proper euthanasia procedures.
—Separation of animals by species and age, and separation for nursing females.
—Adequate food, water and medical care.
—Adequate records.
Also Wednesday:
—The council proclaimed Aug. 12 to be United Way Day in St. Mary Parish.
Lonnie Easley of Patterson, who works with the United Way of South Louisiana, asked for the resolution. The United Way kicks off its fundraising campaign Aug. 12.
Easley said the United Way supports organizations including Chez Hope and Claire House for Women and Children.
The United Way of South Louisiana covers St. Mary, Assumption, Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes.
—The council passed a resolution adopting its draft hazard mitigation plan update.
Federal law requires local jurisdictions to have hazard mitigation plans in order to be eligible for aid before and after natural disasters.
Click here to find St. Mary's draft hazard mitigation plan.