The HSUS/Bill Petros

Kittens up for adoption in a Gulf Coast shelter.

By Bernard Unti

Thanks to a remarkable initiative that has united more than 50 Louisiana and Mississippi shelters, Hurricane Katrina's churning clouds, which seemed to hold no silver linings, have given way to a new dawn for animal care in the Deep South.

In mid-October, officials of The HSUS and Maddie's Fund®, the pet rescue foundation, launched: "After Katrina: Improving the Lives of Gulf Coast Dogs and Cats." The project kicked off with a bustling three-day tour during which they announced $852,500 in grants awarded to 54 animal shelters in the two states.

Good weather and warm hospitality favored the HSUS/Maddie's caravan throughout its journey from New Orleans to Vicksburg, Miss. with stops in Chalmette, Gulfport, Hattiesburg, and Jackson.

HSUS President and CEO Wayne Pacelle and Maddie's Fund President Rich Avanzino met with many of the grant recipients at four well-attended shelter receptions on the tour. (See a day-by-day account of the trip on Wayne's blog.)

Initiative Pumps Hope, Resources into Gulf Coast

For everyone who participated, this was a mission of hope.

"We were very touched to see so many professional, caring people gathered for the cause of ending the extreme euthanasia rates that we face every day," one local humane society executive said. "I see a little light at the end of the tunnel."

Participants in the joint initiative received unrestricted grants that ranged from $10,000 to $20,000. These funds will support such diverse projects as low cost spay/neuter services, new disease control systems, modern cat housing, enhanced surgical suites, building additions and improvements and the hiring of new staff.

In return for the grants, the shelters committed to tracking and reporting their intake and disposition of animals for six years through a unified system pioneered by Maddie's Fund. A detailed understanding of the dynamics of pet overpopulation in the two states will make it possible to develop an effective strategy for overcoming resistance to spaying and neutering and reducing the overall numbers of animals taken in by shelters.

Spay/Neuter a Keystone for Success

The HSUS/Bill Petros

To kick off the After Katrina initiative, The HSUS's Wayne Pacelle visited shelters in Louisiana and Mississippi..

The HSUS plans to extend its investments in "After Katrina" with a $2 million social marketing campaign focused on spaying and neutering. A reduction in animal homelessness will permit Louisiana and Mississippi shelters to devote their energy and resources to other aspects of humane work, with positive benefits for animals and people.

Talking about the grant her shelter received, the outreach coordinator for one Louisiana parish said, "This really re-energized the shelter staff and many positive programs are starting up, including behavior training, counseling for pet owners before surrendering a pet, and expanding educational outreach. Combined with the low cost spay/neuter program, we know we will see a drop in our impound numbers soon."

Everyone involved understands that there is still a long way to go. Louisiana and Mississippi animal shelters take in an estimated 230,000 animals annually, with the 54 shelters in the "After Katrina" partnership handling 88 percent of all impounded animals. The HSUS's October 2006 survey revealed that only 51 percent of dogs and 77 percent of owned cats in Louisiana and Mississippi are spayed or neutered, trailing behind national estimates of 70 percent (dogs) and 84 percent (owned cats).

Building unity and a broader sense of community among the participants will be crucial to the success of the long term effort.

"It isn't just the funding, it's the focus," says The HSUS's Heather Cammisa, who recruited the participating shelters in a series of visits to the Gulf Coast region earlier in the year. "Louisiana and Mississippi now stand apart as the first states in which a majority of animal care institutions have voluntarily committed to a comprehensive plan for tracking outcomes."

Reliable statistics will allow humane workers to measure their progress in bringing the numbers down and in finding a home for every animal who needs one.

Gulf Coast: A Model for the Future

The HSUS/Bill Petros

Gulf Coast puppies have a bright future.

To be sure, a number of substandard facilities remain in the two states, and there are still serious problems related to overpopulation, lack of spaying and neutering, and the reluctance of some pet owners to provide better veterinary care for their animals.

Yet, with new facilities in New Orleans, Gulfport, and Jackson, and major improvements taking place at other shelters, the Gulf Coast region is quickly catching up, and may yet surpass, the humane infrastructure in other areas of the country.  

Lynne Fridley, a Maddie's Fund official with extensive experience in shelter work in the region, drew hearty applause from the crowd assembled at the Mississippi Animal Rescue League reception, when she asserted her conviction that it might not be long before the Deep South became a model for the rest of the nation.

"After Katrina" represents the latest of The HSUS's substantial investments in the advancement of animal welfare and disaster recovery and preparedness in the Gulf Coast, and Pacelle promised the audiences at every stop on the tour that there were more good things ahead. While Katrina showed so little mercy to the animals and the institutions in her path, the future is likely to treat them much better.