BOSSIER CITY, La. – Two local animal rescue groups have stepped up to help find new homes for adoptable animals kept at Bossier Animal Control.
Bossier City Council members on Tuesday approved collaborative agreements with Ninna’s Road to Rescue and Rockers Rescue, allowing volunteers to visit Bossier Animal Control on a weekly basis. They will photograph the dogs and cats and network with other rescue groups locally and beyond to find homes for them.
The arrangement, free of charge for the city, will help reduce the number of animals in the shelter and make room for strays that cannot currently be accommodated.
Ninna Lopez said she made a similar arrangement a few years ago and dogs and cats are being outsourced at a rapid pace. Problems developed – she didn’t go into detail – and management changed, ending that arrangement.
Carey Chandler spoke out for Lopez and said he wants to make sure the shelter management supports her too.
Lopez welcomed the support of Mayor Tommy Chandler and the police chief. She plans to get to work next week to bring the adoptable animals online.
City attorney Charles Jacobs said the shelter remains full and the animals are being turned away. He hopes involvement in the two rescues will make strides toward a community-wide issue.
Councilor Chris Smith said the city should work with its peers on the Bossier Parish Police Jury to keep Bossier City from becoming the animal control center for the entire community. He asked Jacobs to work with the BPPJ to see what they can do to help.
The veterinarian Larry Snyder Jr. from Bossier Animal Hospital also spoke out for the help of the emergency services. Both are already active and have good track records with fundraising and networking, he said.
Things won’t be perfect, Snyder said, and it doesn’t mean animals won’t be euthanized. “But it’s a big change,” he says. “This will help reduce the problem we have with animal control.”
The council also unanimously approved the hiring of a superintendent of animal control on resignation, as well as the hiring of two full-time and two part-time kennel workers.
An ordinance introduced by Smith for mandatory sterilization of dogs and cats was dropped from the agenda at his request for further work. The Caddo Parish Commission issued a similar regulation last year.
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