Prep Roundup: Week 10
November 8, 2016
New use of old tools cracks Houma cold case that dates back to 1989
November 8, 2016
Freckles just can’t seem to stay in one place for very long.
The slim Labrador-Rottweiler mix with short, black hair and streaks of amber in his face and legs loves running around. At the first hint of going outside, Freckles’s brown eyes will light up and his tongue will fly out of his mouth.
So it was when Valerie Robinson, manager at the Terrebonne Parish Animal Shelter, told Freckles it was time for a run. The dog began jumping in his kennel, but calmed down enough to let Robinson attach a leash to him. Once outside, Freckles giddily nuzzled Robinson before she let him go, upon which he immediately took off, jumping on a fence and turning an enclosed area into his personal gym.
It has not only been in his frolicking that Freckles has been moving, though. He’s also had to frequently change his living situation over the last month. On Oct. 15, Freckles and his furry friends were whisked from the old animal shelter on Plant Road in Houma and brought to the parish’s new location on Government Street in Gray. The $5.1 million project was completed in September, and the shelter’s staff slowly moved over equipment before bringing over 142 animals on that Saturday in October.
Freckles’s new digs included a personal kennel, a testament to the increased space at the new facility. According to Robinson, the new shelter has 56 spaces for dogs, including 20 for kennels for those ready for adoption. The rest of the spaces are for dogs waiting on medical evaluations, behavioral exams or quarantines. There were 16 total spaces at the old shelter, where just about every dog was sharing space with others. Now, some of the smaller dogs may double up, but most have their own space, according to Robinson.
“Our volunteers are able to give [the animals] more individual attention. So I think that that’s the biggest thing for us,” Robinson said.
The space for cats has also increased dramatically with the new location. Robinson said the Plant Street location had 23 spaces for friendly cats and 30 for feral felines. The new shelter has over 100 total spaces for cats. The cat and dog areas are also entirely separated now, which Robinson said has resulted in more wagging tails and happy critters due to lower stress levels for all animals.
“Certainly cats don’t need to hear the barking and smell the smells. That stresses them out, which causes upper respiratory infections, and then they get sick,” Robinson said. “It’s so much better for them to have a quiet environment. The doors are closed; they don’t hear what’s going on out there. It’s much less stressful.”
To further help with the stress of both cats and people at the shelter, the new location has a special room for cats, featuring structures designed for cats to climb and play on. Robinson said cats will be brought in groups of five or six into the room to socialize with each other and any human visitors that enter the room. The new shelter also has an expanded vet room, where veterinarians have updated technology and more holding room. The shelter has two wet tables for flushing wounds out and administering dental care and two surgery tables so the vet on staff can operate faster.
Cheryl Allemand is a Houma native who has volunteered at the shelter for the last ten years. She first came to accompany her then-14-year-old daughter who wanted to volunteer. Since she retired eight years ago, she has spent about a half day at the shelter every day, matting and shaving the animals as well as spending time with newcomers to get them used to people and the environment.
Allemand said the new location is a “dream compared to the other place,” which had been around for more than 30 years. According to Allemand, the increased room and individual spaces for animals has been critical for the shelter, which takes in more than 6,000 animals per year. She said she had seen five or six animals per cage at the Plant Street location, where now every animal has its own space and own toys, and more individualized care from staff and volunteers makes all the difference for the animals.
“If you didn’t fool with the animal, people would just walk by it. I’ve seen the dogs at the old shelter that hide under the beds where nobody knew they existed,” Allemand said.
Robinson said the first full Saturday when the new shelter was open to the public went well, with 10 animals being adopted. The shelter’s staff hopes to continue to the momentum this weekend, with its grand opening celebration on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The event will feature music, refreshments, tours of the facility and kids’ activities.
Speaking of adoptions, Freckles himself couldn’t get too comfortable at the new shelter. Shortly after The Times visited the shelter, a family adopted the large aspiring track star and has loved his presence, according to Robinson. For Allemand, seeing animals like Freckles walk out the front door with a new home brings up a range of emotions, and maybe some tears, but the driving feeling is that of joy.
“[Adoption is] like a brand new birth. That’s how I feel. It’s a brand new dog that you see,” Allemand said. “And to see when you go into the house, and the people after the fact send us pictures of what the dogs look like at home? Oh my God. That makes it all worth it.” •
