3 days Ago
Elijah Muhammad, left, pets his foster dog ‘Paris’ as he sits with Maya Marks and her foster dog ‘Katie’ as they wait on paperwork in the lobby of Companion Animal Alliance to emergency foster the animals Tuesday, September 10, 2024, ahead of the arrival of Francine in Baton Rouge, La. Ayanna Beasley holds onto her foster cat ‘Peach’ as she chats with a friend as volunteers pack the lobby of Companion Animal Alliance to emergency foster animals Tuesday, September 10, 2024, ahead of the arrival of Francine in Baton Rouge, La. A puppy on hold for adoption sleeps in its kennel at Companion Animal Alliance, Tuesday, September 10, 2024, in Baton Rouge, La.
Shelter executive director Jill Sergio, right, chats with Jack Saxena, left, and Mia Schultz as they go through the motions of fostering a guinea pig as volunteers pack the lobby of Companion Animal Alliance to emergency foster animals Tuesday, September 10, 2024, ahead of the arrival of Francine in Baton Rouge, La. Prospective foster pet parents pack the lobby of Companion Animal Alliance to emergency foster animals Tuesday, September 10, 2024, ahead of the arrival of Francine in Baton Rouge, La. A pair of young cats on hold are some of the last holdouts in the cat room as volunteers pack the lobby of Companion Animal Alliance to emergency foster animals Tuesday, September 10, 2024, ahead of the arrival of Francine in Baton Rouge, La.
Crates await distribution as volunteers pack the lobby of Companion Animal Alliance to emergency foster animals Tuesday, September 10, 2024, ahead of the arrival of Francine in Baton Rouge, La. Bags of dog food, treats and toys await distribution as volunteers pack the lobby of Companion Animal Alliance to emergency foster animals Tuesday, September 10, 2024, ahead of the arrival of Francine in Baton Rouge, La. Trinity Smith holds her foster ‘Griffin’ as she stands with RJ Wiggins as volunteers pack the lobby of Companion Animal Alliance to emergency foster animals Tuesday, September 10, 2024, ahead of the arrival of Francine in Baton Rouge, La.
Prospective foster pet parents pack the lobby of Companion Animal Alliance to emergency foster animals Tuesday, September 10, 2024, ahead of the arrival of Francine in Baton Rouge, La. Sophie Zych, left, and Ava Zaccour visit with ‘Kali’ before fostering the pup as volunteers pack the lobby of Companion Animal Alliance to emergency foster animals Tuesday, September 10, 2024, ahead of the arrival of Francine in Baton Rouge, La. As Louisiana residents were preparing for Hurricane Francine last week, LSU student Joey Gardner came across a post from Companion Animal Alliance requesting emergency animal fosters.
The sports administration senior had never fostered an animal before, but on Tuesday afternoon he went to the shelter with a friend and picked out Anchovie, a lab mix. "It was hard on the heart, it kind of tugged at me a little, just seeing all the dogs in the little concrete kennels was pretty sad," Gardner said. "That was definitely a hard part, trying to figure out which one to take home.
" CAA put out a request on social media for short-term fosters on Monday, two days before Francine made landfall. Gardner, who works for LSU Athletics, said having remote classes and an away football that weekend gave him the time he needed to devote to a dog. Gardner said CAA provided everything for Anchovie, including a leash, collar and a bag of dog food.
Joey Gardner and his foster dog Anchovie. "One of the things I didn't realize is that they hook you up with a lot of things when you foster an animal," he said. "They do a really good job of trying to prepare you to take care of the dog, which I think is really great.
" Francine slammed through the southeastern part of the state as a Category 2 hurricane on Wednesday, shifting east from its forecast track and sparing the capital area from the brunt of its impact. Gardner said Anchovie was a little scared of the rain, but otherwise "couldn't care less." Gardner wasn't the only LSU student to come home with a furry friend; Anna Cain, a senior studying biochemistry, went to CAA on Wednesday morning with her fiancé and fostered Love, a coonhound.
Love was found as a stray, and was one of the last dogs left at CAA when Cain went to pick her up. "It just made me really sad to think about all those animals being, like, stuck in the shelter, especially if it floods or something," Cain said. Anna Cain and her foster dog Love.
Love appeared nervous at the shelter, Cain said, but when the dog first walked into the apartment, she immediately hopped up on the couch and fell asleep. In addition to pet supplies, Cain also received Love's heartworm medication and instructions. "It was a really good experience," Cain said.
"I think that a lot of those dogs just need a comfortable place to be during emergencies like that and it really didn't take much effort from us." Jada McDonald, a sophomore studying animal sciences, used to foster kittens back home in Florida. She had already been fostering Spruce, a pit bull-mix puppy, for a month when the call for emergency fosters went out.
McDonald returned to CAA and fostered Pecan, Spruce's sister. Spruce (left) and Pecan (right). "I wanted to help provide shelter for animals.
If I have space, then I can help with that," McDonald said. "I know that CAA has so many animals, and they need to be able to put them in a safer area." In just two days, CAA was able to find short-term foster placement for 255 animals, which included dogs, cats and guinea pigs, the shelter said in a Facebook post Wednesday.
When McDonald took Spruce and Pecan to an off-site adoption event on Saturday, they both left with permanent owners. McDonald said she already has plans to foster again in the future. "Just trying to help relieve the stress of the shelter with all the animals they have is really important," she said.
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