Today, Friday, April 3rd, Helen Woodward Animal Center is proud to be a part of the rescue of over 65 orphan Louisiana pets whose lives were on the line.
Thanks to a partnership with Heart of Louisiana, the first transport of these homeless canines is arriving at the Rancho Santa Fe facility, with the second transport only days behind.
Heart of Louisiana is a foster-based organization without a building of its own. A big-hearted rescue located in rural Louisiana, the group pulls orphan pets from over-burdened and high-kill area shelters, in addition to accepting stray pets, then places them in shelters better equipped to get the animals adopted.
“We heard from Heart of Louisiana last week,” explained Helen Woodward Animal Center Operations Director Jennifer Shorey. “Louisiana is considered a ‘hot spot’ and with the intense government restrictions put in place, shelters are unable to accept any new orphan pets. They were devastated because there was literally no one in Louisiana who could take these animals.”
In a very quick turnaround, Helen Woodward Animal Center staff had secured a transport partner and San Diego foster families for thirty-six of the arriving Louisiana canines. The additional 30 will arrive on Tuesday, April 7th.
Heart of Louisiana Humane Society spokesperson Caitlin Hemphill stated, “We have been struggling to continue to help all the animals in our overpopulated area during the pandemic. Our foster families are out of room and we have had to shut down intake due to restricted space. When we are unable to transport our animals to find loving homes for them, we are unable to take in and save more. We cannot express our gratitude enough for the amazing people at Helen Woodward Animal Center for reaching out to us at this critical time.”
This morning, the Louisiana pups will arrive at the Center at approximately 11:00 a.m. All Center staff assisting with the arrival of the Louisiana pups will be prepared with personal protective equipment and the arriving animals will be immediately bathed and given medical exams before placing them into the homes of foster families. The majority of these orphan pets will go available for adoption next week.
For more information on Helen Woodward Animal Center, please go towww.animalcenter.org, call 858-756-4117 or stop by at 6461 El Apajo Road in Rancho Santa Fe.
