Louisiana Animal Control Association Newsblog

Announcement From The President

2005-11-29T11:35:00.000-08:00

Dear LACA Officers, Board Members and General Members:

In two weeks, on December 9, 2005, I will end my employment as Assistant Director of the East Baton Rouge Parish Animal Control Center and begin my new job as Director of Operations for LA/SPCA in New Orleans.

I was not shopping for a job, so I really had to do some soul-searching when this job was offered to me. But I believe I have made the best choice for my family and for myself, and deep down inside, I have a debt to repay both to my hometown of New Orleans and to the SPCA. Because if it were not for the example set for me in my childhood by my family and by the good people of 1319 Japonica Street in New Orleans, it is possible I might not be doing what I do today.

LA/SPCA is contracted to provide animal control services to the City of New Orleans for at least the next five years, so I believe this qualifies me to continue as president at least until the next annual meeting and election. The officers and board should take a closer look at the by-laws at our next board meeting. If it comes to pass that for some reason I cannot continue my duties as president, I will continue to volunteer as the LACA newsletter editor, as an instructor for LACA Certification Academy, and as a lab proctor for CAET class.

In the meantime, of course, nothing will change with LACA, and I will faithfully execute my duties as president.

Please make a note to send your LACA-related email correspondnece to my personal email at:

dezcrawford@hotmail.com.

I expect to get a winter newsletter out soon, full of Katrina stories. If anyone wishes to contribute a story or photos about your own agency's response to the storm, please email them to me before December 7th.

Thanks to each and every one of you for your dedication and your astoundingly hard work during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Most sincerely,

Dez Crawford

LACA President

Transport Needed for Animals -- URGENT

2005-09-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

LACA's most urgent needs today:

Volunteers and trucks to transport Calcasieu Parish's evacuated shelter animals from Caddo Parish (Shreveport and nearby towns) back home to Calcasieu Parish Animal Control Shelter, which somehow survived the storm surge from Hurricane Rita. There is a total of about 250 animals to be transported. These animals need to be returned to Calcasieu Parish to be reunited with their owners. Calcasieu Parish would like to have these animals back on their way home tomorrow (Tuesday 27 September). Call 225-772-3394 if you want to help.

Animal rescue volunteers for animals along the entire coastal southwest region. No red tape. Esoecially needed are people with shallow-draft boats, airboats, etc. Contact 225-772-3394 if you want to help. All volunteers with animal handling experience will be accepted.

We will update as soon as possile. Help is still needed in New Orleans at the temporary LA/SPCA shelter in Algiers, especially needed are self-contained volunteers with a travel trailer as there is little available in the way of liiving quarters. 24-hour security is available.

Dez Crawford

More Rescue Help Needed For LA and TX!

2005-09-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

The need for volunteers for continued animal care goes on at the Lamar-Dixon Center in Gonzales -- where many animals rescued from the floodwaters of New Orleans are being held -- and at the Parker Coliseum at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where animals are being housed who belong to evacuees staying at Red Cross shelters in our area.

Help Needed Now For Southwest Louisiana and Southwest Texas!

A new need for experienced animal control officers and animal rescue workers is arising in the path of Hurricane Rita as it roars into the Texas-Louisiana coastline. We expect urban animal-rescue problems ranging from Galveston, TX to Lake Charles, LA and some points further east. Storm surge floodwaters may penetrate as far as 50 miles inland. After Rita, we also expect a greater need for livestock rescue workers, due to the large rural areas expected to be involved in the storm surge.

David Marcantel, the Director of Calcasieu Parish Animal Services, gratefully welcomes any and all experienced animal rescue workers to help in the rescue and recovery efforts in Lake Charles, LA after the storm has passed. As of 3pm Friday September 23 the shelter has been evacuated, and if the shelter is not destroyed, they may be reached at the number below when phone service is reinstated:

337-439-8879

Mr. Marcantel assures all volunteer rescue workers that there will be no red tape from outside agencies for experienced and willing volunteers who wish to assist with animal rescue efforts in the city of Lake Charles in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. If you want to help, come on down.

If you want to assist in rescue efforts in the Lake Charles area, contact the Louisiana Animal Control Association at:

225-772-3394

and you will be placed in a list to be activated for service as soon as possible after Hurricane Rita passes.

Veterinarians and vet techs, as well as experienced animal caregivers, are needed for the ongoing animal care operations at the LSU Parker Coliseum in Baton Rouge and also at the Lamar-Dixon Center in Gonzales.

People evacuating with their pets from the southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana coastal areas who are staying at Red Cross Shelters in the Baton Rouge area may register their animals at the LSU Parker Coliseum, where they may be kept until September 30th. Volunteers with both professional and amateur animal care experience are welcome and appreciated at the LSU shelter.

For questions about sheltering personal pet(s) during Hurricane Rita, call:
225-578-6111 or 888-773-6489

If you have any questions about animals already rescued from rooftops and residences in the New Orleans and Metairie areas (Hurricane Katrina) please contact the Lamar-Dixon Center in Gonzales at:

225-647-0712

or

301-258-0242

Our deespest thanks to everyone who has contacted us wishing to volunteer for animal rescue and animal care work. We are still trying to return calls to some of the thousands of calls we have received here at LACA, and we still need volunteers to respond to this new and terrible storm.

Thanks to all volunteers and potential volunteers for your commitment -- and for your patience -- as we try to return calls and cut through beauracracy in order to rescue as many animals as possible from the horrific conditions brought on by this unprecedented disaster.

We have been overwhelmed trying to keep up with requests for help after Hurricane Katrina. Rita will present a new set of challenges. This website will be updated as frequently as possible as the situation progresses.

Dez Crawford
LACA President

Faces of Katrina

2005-09-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

These are some of the faces from the hurricane animal shelter at Louisiana State University's Parker Coliseum, a huge livestock and agriculture arena which students and alumni fondly call the "Cow Palace." Usually the site of rodeos and horse shows, the arena has been transformed into a housing facility for the non-human victims of Katrina.

Animals pictured are owned animals whose people are in Red Cross shelters.

At the daily operations meeting, people in charge of critical needs report and confer on what needs to be done. The huge operation requires individuals to be in charge of veterinary care, supplies, safety, security, donations, and other critical needs. ..and, of course, a volunteer coordinator.

A warbling meow called my attention to this huge fellow, who is grateful to the volunteer who bathed him, combed him out, and placed him in a clean, dry kennel with a ltterbox and a jingle toy.

Many dogs and owners arrive wet and exhausted from hours in floodwaters, long car rides, etc. This dog was sleeping soundly in the midst of the hubbub ceated by over a thousand barking dogs, yowling cats and the activity of volunteers and visiting pet owners. She lifted her head for a moment when I was near her kennel.

Many volunteers help provide not only the basics of clean kennels, fresh food and water, but also provide individual attention for the animals in our care. These people are interacting with cats and kittens...

...and this volunteer is placing a happy and freshly bathed dog in a clean kennel. Large dogs, and "families" of dogs from multiple-pet households, are housed in the hundreds of livestock stalls adjacent to the Coliseum.

This view of the arena floor was shot on the second day of operations when we had only about 600 or so animals in our custody. The kennels shown here represent less than half of the animals in our care that day ... small and medium sized dogs like the one pictures with the volunteer above.

I will post more pictures as time allows. Our thanks to the thousands of people who called to volunteer in animal care and rescue, some of whom we have not re-contacted yet. The need for caregiving and rescue is ongoing, so if we have not yet returned your call, please do not think we don't need your help or that we are ungrateful. Everyone will be contacted soon and we appreciated your continued generosity as the rescue effort continues. Please be aware that animal intake will end on October 1st and that re-homing efforts will begin for animals unclaimed by October 15th. We do not need any more pet food! But we still need crates, especially the extra-large sizes.

Dez Crawford

ACOs NEEDED TO RESCUE KATRINA'S ANIMAL VICTIMS!

2005-09-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

5 September, 2005

We urgently need animal control officers from all over the state to report in to LACA as soon as possible if they can assist, even for a few days, in the animal rescue efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Please report in to LACA's new cell phone number, which will be operating 24 hours a day during this crisis.

225-772-3394

We need members to report in immediately! The LASPCA workers are exhausted from their efforts in horrific conditions in the afected areas.

We also needs shelters to report in with a head count of any animals they are taking in from the affected areas!

Dez Crawford
President

Pack Your Bags ...

2005-07-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

LACA is next week, August 1-7, already! So I hope everyone is packing their bags and getting ready to have some fun, participate in the meeting and elections, and, most importantly, to soak up a lot of great information, because in addition to our established instructors we are featuring Anne Marie Lucas and the staff from NY/ASPCA from "Animal Precinct," as well as animal behaviorist Sue Sternberg.

Also, for the first time, instead of simply having literature and giveaway display tables from various agencies and vendors in the registration and breakroom, we are having a vendor exhibit area at our hotel. Vendors include Pet Safe, Hill's Science Diet Shelter Feeding Program, Petfinder, Crawford, Jones Trailer, ACES, Tomahawk, Alley Cat Allies and others who will have displays August 4, 5 and 6 at the Comfort Inn so you can meet with each exhibitor, ask questions, pick up a few freebies and, most importantly, learn about their services.

We will also have a silent auction during the event, and door prizes, including the grand prize of a LACA scholarship for the 2006 Academy donated by Petz Plaza in Baton Rouge. You must be present in the exhibit area to win door prizes and silent auction items and you must have visited all of the vendors to receive a prize. Details will be explained at the Academy.

We have terrific educational opportunities, food, fun and prizes for everyone. Looking forward to seeing you all next week.

Brief Schedule:

August 1: CAET training

August 2:

8am-noon: CAET training

1:00-5pm: Chemical Capture training

August 3 (LSU Vet School): Chemical Capture Training

August 3 (LA State Police Academy): Animal Cruelty Seminar with Anne-Marie Lucas and members of ASPCA's "Animal Precinct."

August 4: First day of LACA Academy, with Anne-Marie Lucas and Instructors from "Animal Precinct." 8am till 5pm.

Vendors in exhibit area, door prizes and silent auction, 5pm till about 9pm

August 5: Second day of LACA Academy, with animal behaviorist Sue Sternberg, 8am till 5pm

Vendors in exhibit area, door prizes etc. 5pm till...

Social, banquet, annual meeting and elections, 6pm till...

August 6: LACA classes with LACA instructors Laura Lanza, Hilton Cole, Dez Crawford and Jerry Roy, 8am till 5pm

August 7: Round Table Discussion on Animal Handlng, graduation and diplomas.

See you there!!!

Dez Crawford

Hunkering Down

2005-07-12T12:22:00.000-07:00

When Hurricane Dennis' destination was uncertain, the LA/SPCA rolled up their sleeves to evacuate animals from the New Orleans shelter in case the storm turned toward the Big Easy. Animals were evacuated to cooperating shelters in Jackson, Houston, Lake Charles and Baton Rouge. Here at the East Baton Rouge Parish Animal Control Center, we took in 29 animals from LA/SPCA, and provided a safe harbor for the LA/SPCA's Dorothy Dorsett Brown Mobile Center. This clinic-on-wheels serves the Greater New Orleans area and makes regular forays into other parts of the state to provide low-cost and no-cost spay and neuter services to the public.

One of the many benefits of LACA membership is having ready access to a vast network of shelters in our region who can assist one another in times of crisis and disaster. Thankfully, the evacuation of the New Orleans shelter was just a "fire drill" this time around. Hurricane Dennis chose to focus on the Florida Panhandle instead.

Please join me in taking off my hat to the staff of LA/SPCA, who are always ready, willing and able to perform the exhausting work necessary to get animals out of harm's way -- whether it's their own animals or those in the care of another shelter. LACA President David Marcantel can testify to their outstanding assistance when the Lake Charles shelter was threatened by Hurricane Lili a few years back.

Hurricane season is off to an early and deadly start this year. We all need to cooperate any time we need to "hunker down" in the face of a hurricane. Time to review our hurricane plans for our own individual shelters, and know what to do if a storm threatens. Remember, LACA is a team, always ready and willing to assist one another in times of need.

See you at LACA Certification Academy August 1-7 and at the SPCA animal cruelty and bloodsports workshop at the State Police Academy in Baton Rouge on August 3rd.

--Dez Crawford

National Animal Control Association Annual Meeting -- Scottsdale, AZ

2005-06-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

LACA Desert Cajuns!

The National Animal Control Association annual meeting and training conference for 2005 was held in Scottsdale, Arizona at the Scottsdale Hilton Resort and Villas. This beautiful venue allowed ample meeting, class and banquet space, along with an oasis-like outdoor social area and pool where attendees networked with one another. Representing the Louisiana Animal Control Association were David Marcantel of Lake Charles (President, center left in photo below, with his better half at far left) ....

Dez Crawford of Baton Rouge (Vice-President, below), and ...

Henry Wimberly of Alexandria (Board Member, below).

The conference offered outstanding classes and an excellent opportunity to meet and network with animal control professionals from all over North America. While the NACA officers and board members arrived a day ahead of the conference and stayed an extra day to conduct their business meetings, the annual general membership meeting, banquet and classes were held from June 3 through June 5.

Classes offered on June 2 included:

"Legislative Issues in Animal Control" -- techniques for drafting effective and enforceable legislation

"Crime Scene Investigation and Processing" -- techniques and procedures for chain of evidence and other investigation procedures

"Search and Seizure"

"Understanding Bio-Terrorism and Creating an Emergency Plan"

"Designing a Cruelty Task Force"

"Interviewing and Interrogation Techniques"

"Domestic Violence, Bestiality, and Sexual Abuse"

"Discretionary Decision Making for Field Officers"

June 3rd's class agenda included:

"Finding Good Homes"

"HAZMAT First Responder" -- dealing with hazardous materials in the workplace and in the field, with an emphasis on animal hoarding situations

"Dealing With Rabbits and Pocket Pets" -- detailed care information and techniques for investigating pocket-pet cruelty

"Bite Stick Certification"

"Meet Your Match" Dog Adoption Program -- ASPCA and IAMS program developed to assess personalities of dogs and adopters to assure a good match

"Working With Prosecutors to Win Cases"

"Recognizing Meth Labs"

"In or Out of the Classroom, We've Got You Covered" -- humane education techniques for schools and elsewhere in the community

"Are We Really Worlds Apart?" -- an overview of animal control and humane enforcement issues around the world

The classes concluded on Saturday with:

"Ritual Crimes and The Occult" -- a sobering class dealing with ritualized animal cruelty

"Federal Animal Fighting Investigations"

"Working With Placement Partners" -- how to forge effective relationships with breed rescue groups for dogs, cats and other animals

Complementary continental breakfasts and lunches were sponsored by: Alley Cat Allies, PETsMART Charities and HLP, Inc., Swab Wagon Company, Feld Entertainment, PETA, Radio Systems Corporation, Jones Trailer Company, and C Specialties. The Virginia Animal Control Association sponsored the President's Breakfast. Our thanks for everyone's generosity.

Class outlines and Powerpoint presentations from the classes are available to dues-paying members from the LACA lending library so your organization can review the courses if you were unable to attend. The ASPCA and IAMS donated a manual for the "Meet Your Match" program to assess dog and owner personalities for better adoption matches, and Alley Cat Allies gave us a VHS called "The Humane Solution" which teaches animal control agencies how to implement effective trap, neuter and return programs with feral cat populations. The Animal Protection Institute donated "Living With Coyotes," which offers humane solutions to coyote problems, both in book form and in DVD format. Spring Farm CARES Sanctuary provided a manual for dealing with rabbits and other pocket pets in cruelty investigations, and the AVID microchip company gave LACA a training DVD for microchip implants if your shelter is considering implementing microchips into your adoption program. Our thanks to these vendors for their generosity. Your editor will work on building a bigger lending library of books, DVDs and videotapes now that we have a head start on our library.

Anyone interested in borrowing any of these materials should contact Dez Crawford at 225-774-5056. Dues paying members may borrow two items at a time for up to three weeks. This is on the honor system, so please return library items by or before the due date!

This re-cap of the conference will be continued soon, with photos.

Welcome to the Louisiana Animal Control Association Newsblog!

2005-06-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

This blog is meant to supplement our semi-annual newsletter by providing periodic updates on animal control and animal sheltering issues. Anyone interested in animal control and humane law enforcement, animal sheltering, animal rescue, or pets in general is welcome to read our blog. We also offer open membership to anyone who is interested in receiving our semi-annual "hard copy" newsletter (winter and summer issues). Individual dues are just $25 dollars a year. In addition to the newsletters, members receive invitations to attend our continuing education and annual certification academy for animal control personnel, humane officers, animal care workers, shelter volunteers and other persons interested in earning continuing education hours or professional animal service credentials.

We also offer continuing education and certification seminars for Chemical Capture (dart gun certification), Certified Animal Euthanasia Technicians, Nuisance Wildlife Trap and Transfer, and we are planning intensive new courses in Dogfighting Investigation and other issues related to humane law enforcement.

The mission of our organization is to stay on the cutting edge of animal control, humane law enforcement, and animal sheltering both in technology and in humane animal handling techniques.

We also offer polo shirts ($20), t-shirts ($10), vehicle stickers ($2) and caps ($15) for sale to members. Postage and handling is $4 for the first item ordered and $1 for each additional item. We hope soon to offer Powerpoint presentations of our annual academy classes for sale to other agencies around the country, to be offered after each year's academy.

Photos of merchandise will be made available soon.

This will be our introductory blog entry. The next post will cover the National Animal Control Assocation conference held in Scottsdale, Arizona on June 3, 4, and 5 of 2005.

Dez Crawford
Editor