Jul

AHS Office is Closed through August 4th

Sue Rabeaux on July 30th, 2014

The Acadiana Humane Society office will be closed from Wednesday, July 30th through Monday August 4th as the Director will be taking some time off to spend with family. If you have an application for one of our animals, please email it to ahspets@gmail.com as someone will be checking email once a day. We are not taking in any new rescue animals during this time. If you have a rescue emergency, please contact one of the many other animal rescues in the Acadiana area. Phone messages will be returned after Tuesday, August 5th. Thank you for understanding. We might still have an adoption event this weekend if one of our volunteers is available. Watch the twitter feed on the side of this page for location and time. You can also check our Facebook page for more information on upcoming adoption events.

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Jul

How Rescues Quickly Become Overwhelmed

Sue Rabeaux on July 13th, 2014

Someone dumped a tiny kitten on one of our volunteers either late Friday night or very early Saturday morning. The poor baby was leaning against their front door screaming to come inside early on Saturday morning! This is not good since we have absolutely no room in any of our foster homes, or in our unfinished shelter! The baby is lucky the feral cats did not kill him! At the time the kitten was illegally dumped on us, we had just ran out of Purina kitten chow, Purina cat food, & cat litter and had no money to buy any more. Please understand when a rescue says they can not take on more animals, that it means they literally are incapable of taking more right now. We do not just say no because we want to. When we say no, it is because we have to. It breaks our hearts when we can’t save them all; we wish we could. But no money and no more space is a serious problem. Ignoring these problems and illegally dumping an animal on a rescue anyway only compounds the problem and is the downfall of many small rescues. That animal that you think is “just one more” is actually one of 50 or more “just one more animals” that we’ve already had to take in. This is exactly what has caused other rescues to cross the line from rescuer to hoarder. We do not want to stop doing what we do, but we have to be able to properly care for the animals that are already in our foster homes, and in our unfinished shelter, until they are adopted into their own homes.

New animals must be kept separate and quarantined from the other animals to prevent the spread of illness. Each animal that we take in must see one of our vets, and we take care of all of their medical needs before we can put them up for adoption. The more animals, the more vet bills, and the less time we have to devote to getting the animals already in our care well again so they can find a furrever home. The only way we can succeed at this is if we keep our numbers at a manageable and affordable level. Unfortunately, we have already passed that level because people simply can not accept the words “I’m sorry, we’re full and just can’t take one more.” Because our numbers are high, we can not keep up with everything that needs to be done.

We are currently overwhelmed and need your help! We need more foster homes. We need more dedicated, committed volunteers. We need more fundraisers. We need people to help us promote adoption, and volunteer at adoption events with us. We need more supporters and donors. If you can help by donating, volunteering, or fostering, we really would appreciate it.

If you would like to send money to help with vet bills or pet food & supplies, then Paypal donations can be sent to info@acadianahumane.org using the PayPal button on the side of our webpage. We also need help to raise funding and get supplies donated to complete the interior construction of our hurricane safe animal shelter in Sunset, Louisiana. The construction was halted a long time ago, due to lack of funds and too many animals that people insisted we had to help. All new income went to get all the animals in our care ready for adoption, with nothing left to work on the shelter. Currently our shelter can only house a few animals, in cages only, until construction is completed. It is currently being used only as emergency overflow and quarantine area, because it is unfinished. We are all volunteers. We are a small rescue organization, and we are not a part of any larger “humane society,” despite what many people seem to assume because of the name of our animal rescue. Therefore, all money we take in is money that is donated directly to Acadiana Humane Society. None of it is money that is dispersed to us because you gave to a much larger, National rescue organization. If you donate to the larger rescue groups, that is your choice. But, please know that if you want to help our little rescue, you must donate directly to us. You can also purchase gift cards for Petco, Walmart, Target, and other stores located in the Lafayette, Louisiana area that sell Purina pet food & pet supplies. You can mail checks, money order, and gift cards to us at our mailing address: Acadiana Humane Society; P.O. Drawer C; Sunset, LA 70584-0536. If you prefer to purchase the items yourself, you can contact us via text or call at 337-371-5477 or email us at ahspets@gmail.com to arrange delivery or pickup. Thank you!

We appreciate all of our adopters, volunteers, fosters, supporters, and donors. We can not do what we do without each and every one of you. But, we also can not grow and take on more animals if our volunteer and support base does not also grow with us.

We don’t require that you donate to get us to rescue an animal. We don’t beg for donations and pledges before we pull an animal from death row at an animal control facility. We do not even always charge an adoption fee, if the applicant is the best match for that rescued animal, and we know they can’t afford the fee. We don’t charge to post your Lost & Found pet pictures. We don’t charge to post your Courtesy Post listings when we can’t take the animal you need to rehome. Why do we do this? Because we love animals, and we love what we do. We don’t do it for the money. If rescuers did it for the money, then they would quickly be out of business. Why? Because there is no money in animal rescue. You just can’t raise enough money in adoption fees alone to pay for all the vet care that we had done on each animal.

This is why we need regular monthly supporters. We have a few that do this already, and we really appreciate it! Some employers allow you to set up automatic donation deductions from your paycheck. Some employers will even match your donation, which basically doubles what you are able to help the animals with. Any amount, no matter how small, or how large, goes a long way to help the animals. If this sounds like something you would like to do, check with your employer to see if they offer that. We would be more then happy to fill out any forms they need to help with that. Just have them email us at ahspets@gmail.com and let us know what they need. You can also use a bill paying service to send us a monthly check automatically. You can also set up a monthly donation plan through PayPal. Or, you can add us to your list of bills, and just drop a check in the mail once or twice a month when you sit down to pay bills. If you can’t donate, you can help in other ways.

To help in other ways, please email us at ahspets@gmail.com with the subject line “Volunteer” and let us know you would like to help. We will reply, as soon as possible, with our volunteer application and more information on volunteering. Once we know your location and interests, we can give you more specific information on the ways you can volunteer. You can even help if you are not local, especially if you are computer savvy. We always need help with getting the word out about animals that are available for adoption, as well as help with fundraising.

You can adopt an animal from us. We can’t take in new animals if the current animals are not being adopted. Yes, the animals in our care have already been rescued. But, when people don’t choose to adopt from an animal rescue because that animal is already safe, then we can’t save another life. Adopting does save lives. You can see our adoptable pets on several websites. You can find us on Adopt A Pet by clicking here. We also list our animals on acadianahumane.petfinder.com. We are so busy, that we don’t always have time to list every adoptable animal on the pet adoption sites. To see our available animals before they make it to the adoption sites, you can follow us on Facebook by liking our official page. We have a photo album set up for our current adoptable dogs & puppies that you can see by clicking here. We also have a Facebook photo album of adoptable cats & kittens. We even have a photo album set up for our adoptable birds, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, and other small animals. If the animal is still in one of these photo albums then they are probably still available, as we try to move them to our adopted pages as quickly as possible. If you see a pet you would like to adopt, please email us at ahspets@gmail.com and let us know which pet you would like to adopt. To expedite the process, please go ahead and download and fill out our prescreening application and then attach it to an email and send it in.

Meet Hector, the tiny Tabby kitten is happy and safe in his foster home.

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Jul

Urgent Needs!

Sue Rabeaux on July 1st, 2014

Acadiana Humane Society had five animals seen at one of our vets yesterday, and we don’t have the funds to pay off the vet bill. We have a cat there today having eye surgery to try and save his ulcerated eye. Any donations would be greatly appreciated! If you would like to send PayPal donations, we have a Paypal button on our website. If you would like to send a check or money order, our mailing address is Acadiana Humane Society; P.O. Drawer C; Sunset, Louisiana 70584-0536. If you would like to make a credit card payment directly to our vets, you may do so. The vet doing the eye surgery for the cat, and taking care of the rescued Pitt bull, is Azalea Lakes Veterinary Clinic in Baton Rouge. Their phone number is 225-755-3838 and ask to apply it towards Acadiana Humane Society’s bill. We also still owe money to our local vet Pet Care Animal Hospital at 337-988-1100. They are the ones that have been taking care of the sick foster puppies and kittens, including the dumpster rescued kittens. We are also in dire need of Purina Naturals Dry Cat Food, Purina One, or other Purina brand cat & kitten food, as well as cat litter and small animal bedding. Please see recent older posts for more details on donating food and supplies to us. Please consider donating if you can. Thank you! http://acadianahumane.org/catblogger/

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Jun

AHS Needs Pet Food & Supplies!

Sue Rabeaux on June 29th, 2014

Acadiana Humane Society is out of cat food and dangerously low on cat litter and dog food! Donations of Purina Naturals Dry Cat Food, Purina One, & other Purina brand cat, kitten, & dog food, as well as cat litter would be greatly appreciated! We have a donation box in the lobby of Bridge Storage on Ambassador Caffery in Lafayette. Please text us at 337-371-5477 or send an email to ahspets@gmail.com to notify us if you drop off donations so that we can send a volunteer to pick them up. Or, you can also contact us to meet you to pick up any donations directly from you. You can also send donations via Paypal using the donation link on our website. Or, send a check or money order to our mailing address at Acadiana Humane Society; P.O. Drawer C; Sunset, Louisiana 70584-0536. Thank you! http://acadianahumane.org/catblogger/

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Jun

Acadiana Humane Needs Your Help

Sue Rabeaux on June 22nd, 2014

Acadiana Humane Society is currently full to capacity and is not taking on new intakes, other then returns and animals that are already on our long waiting list. Our main focus right now is to raise the funds needed to provide the vet care and food & supplies needed for the animals currently in our care, so that we can place them up for adoption. As well as trying to rehome the animals that are already ready to be adopted. How can you help?

You can help by doing one or more of the following:

Fostering. If interested in fostering, the first step is to fill out our prescreening application. If you are approved to adopt, then you are approved to foster.
Adopting. If interested in adopting, the first step is to fill out our prescreening application.
Donate money. You can donate directly to our 501c3 non-profit animal rescue by using the PayPal button on the side of this webpage. You can also mail a check or money order made out to Acadiana Humane Society at our mailing address: P.O. Drawer C; Sunset, LA. 70584-0536. You can also donate directly to one of our vets if you prefer. Thanks to the Krewe des Chiens donation we paid off all of our past vet bills, and only have a newer bill at Azalea Lakes Veterinary Hospital. You can call the vet at (225) 755-3838 and ask to make a credit card donation to the account of Acadiana Humane Society.
Donate supplies. We are always in need of the following items: Pet food (Purina brand cat food, kitten chow, dog & puppy food, rabbit food, guinea pig food, & Marshall’s ferret food), cat litter, and small animal bedding. You can contact us to arrange pick up. Or, you can leave items in the donation boxes in the lobby of the Bridge Storage on Ambassador Caffery in Lafayette.
Volunteer. Not all volunteers foster. We always need volunteers to help print paperwork, photograph adoptable pets, return phone calls, help with fundraiser events, help with adoption events, clean cat cages at Petco & Petsmart, etc. Email us your interest in volunteering at ahspets@gmail.com . You must be at least 18 to help at adoption events (or 16 or 17 with a parent present).
Follow us on Facebook by clicking like on our page and share our posts. If you can’t help, maybe one of your friends will see something you share and be able to help.

We currently have adoptable cats, and sometimes an adoptable rabbit or guinea pig, at the Petco located on Settler’s Trace in Lafayette. During the month of June, and possibly the beginning of July, our Saturday adoption events will be held at Petco South (Settler’s Trace) due to the remodeling at Petco North (Louisiana Ave.). You can see our schedule of adoption events below.

ACADIANA HUMANE SOCIETY UPCOMING EVENTS: