Many families who have had their income affected from the oil spill have been surrendering their pets to local shelters as they can no longer afford to care for them. The Pet Education Project is collecting donations of dry/canned dog and cat food (any size, any brand) and treats to help these families—every little bit helps. Donations can be dropped off at Bldg 4714, next to Base Exchange, Room 229, second floor from now through July 30. For more information, contact Capt. Diana Wolczek-Evans at 456-3770 or email Diana Wolczek
So far the results of the food drive have been amazing. Here is a picture of the Hand In Paw volunteers after a shopping spree at Petsmart in Bossier City, La where all items that were bought are being donated to help the cause in southern Louisiana.
Our Mission is to introduce homeless animals to caring companions through education, advocacy and enrichment.
Hand in Paw (HIP) is a small volunteer group who for the past 8-10 years has worked with the Bossier City Animal Control.
Some of our work with the shelter animals includes spaying and/or neutering to control pet population
and make animals 
more adoptable by paying for additional
medical
treatments such as malnutrition, skin conditions, heartworms, etc., sheltering animals during hurricane evacuations, and pet adoptions at PetSmart nearly every Saturday.
Many people do not realize that the State requires animals to get the rabies vaccination every year or they do not think they can afford to have their animals vaccinated.
For those reasons, we conduct bi-annual low cost rabies clinics for the community. We help vaccinate hundreds of animals each year.
Last year, the National Humane Society recognized our achievements with a $20,000 grant to continue our work.
A large portion of the money went directly into the Bossier City Animal Shelter to purchase new cat enclosures.
We were able to save the City of Bossier a lot of money with this addition.
Saturday adoptions stimulate the local economy in the following ways:
First, whenever an animal is adopted, food, preventative medicines, toys, collars, leashes, dishes, bedding, etc. is purchased from local retailers.
Second, it provides tax dollars for Bossier City and the State of Louisiana.
Third, our group spays or neuters numerous animals and pays for other medical treatments each year which provides additional business to our area veterinarians.
Fourth, once an animal is adopted, as part of the adoption contract, the owner agrees to maintain the animal’s health and well-being. This means additional business for local veterinarians.
An average of around 15 animals go to new homes every Saturday thanks to these adoptions.
This means fewer animals will have to be euthanized due to overcrowding or costs to the city.
In The News
Airmen Lend Their Paws
Bossier City budget woes affecting its pets
Shreveport Times
By Drew Pierson • dpierson@gannett.com • January 22, 2010
Pet lovers in Bossier City are praising what they say is a creative solution to budget woes at the city animal shelter, but the department head still cautions that any more cuts could mean more animals euthanized.
"If we lose one more employee, ... we won't be able to keep doing what we're doing," said Gary Neathery, head of Bossier City's public works department, which also runs the animal shelter. "We're right at the point of make or break."
To patch a $6.5 million deficit by last December, the city laid off about 10 percent of its more than 800 city positions, including two of the animal control's eight positions. The animal shelter's budget is $438,844, down more than $100,000 from last year's budget of $555,147.
Pet lovers were concerned because city administrators at one point considered forgoing the shelter's weekly Saturday adoptions to cut down on overtime. Every Saturday, an employee from the shelter plus volunteers take a sample of the 5,000 to 6,000 animals that come through the shelter's doors each year to the PetSmart on Airline Drive in the hopes that someone will adopt them.
"We were upset," said Phyllis Whatley, president of Hand in Paw, a volunteer group that works with the animal shelter. "If we can't continue Saturday adoptions, that means more animals will be euthanized."
During standing room-only budget hearings late last year, animal enthusiasts pleaded with the city to find a way to keep the Saturday adoptions running. With a shelter that normally sees only three or four animals adopted on a weekday, Saturday adoptions are important for Hand in Paw and other groups because it's not uncommon for three times that number to be adopted Saturday.
Fifteen animals, already tested for feline leukemia and heartworms and some spayed or neutered, were adopted Saturday by shoppers entering PetSmart, Whatley said. Prices range from $55 to $85 per animal, depending on the animal's age, among other things.
Statistics for the animals that aren't adopted are grim. Like most animal shelters, supply far exceeds capacity in the Bossier City Animal Control. Of those 5,000 to 6,000 animals, only about 25 percent are adopted, Neathery said. While some also may be reunited with former owners, the majority of those remaining are euthanized.
To keep the weekend operations running, Neathery allows one paid employee at the shelter to take a day off work during the normal week so that person can supervise the Saturday adoptions, started in about 2003. In addition, the work of the animal control division's superintendent, whose position was cut, is now done by Neathery.
"I do not expect the quality of the city's management of its animal control division to decline," said Bossier City Mayor Lorenz "Lo" Walker. "Department of Public Works Director Gary Neathery has assumed responsibility as superintendent of that division, and we are working flexible hours to continue our pet adoption program."
But Walker has warned council members that the city still has a serious money problem, and that more department cuts are possible if not probable by the end of the year. But the mayor, who has two pet Chihuahuas, said he would draft future budgets that would provide "quality service with empathy" for Bossier's furry friends.
For the moment, Whatley said she was pleased.
"Apparently, there are some animal lovers on the council," Whatley said. "They really came through."
