Louisiana law stresses cleanliness and comfort for animals in shelters.
Animal lovers who redeem their lost companion animals or adopt stray, homeless, abandoned or unwanted animals from shelters in Louisiana should be ensured that the animals that they rescue are housed and attended to according to minimum standards set by the Louisiana legislature. The laws that govern animal shelters are in Part V (Minimum Standards for Animal Shelters) and Part VI (Pet Overpopulation Control) of Title 3 (Agriculture and Forestry) of the Revised Statutes.
General Standards
Shelter employees and volunteers have good character and receive training in animal health, humane care, animal control and transportation of animals. They are responsible for the proper disposal of animal waste matter.
Shelter hours of operation are clearly posted, along with any fee schedule.
Construction
Both indoor and outdoor shelters are built to ensure that they provide clean, safe and healthy temporary facilities for dogs and cats. Facilities should be waterproof and easy to clean and possess adequate heating, cooling, ventilation, drainage and shelter from the elements.
Holding pens for dogs and cats are sloped to drain accumulated waste and allow enough room for animals to lie down, turn around, stand or sit in a normal position. Animals should also be able to remain dry, cool and clean inside the holding pens.
All shelters must be equipped with storage space for bedding and food (refrigerated, if food is perishable), washrooms for animal caretaker cleanliness, office space for record keeping, waiting/receiving area for the public, separate enclosed facilities for euthanasia and carcass disposal, quarantine area for rabid animals and waste disposal for animal and food refuse.
Operating Procedures
Animals shelters abide by several animal separation rules: dogs from cats, sick from healthy, injured from uninjured, infants from adults, unneutered males from females and nursing mothers from all others. Additionally, any animal that is brought to the shelter as a result of a bite/scratch case must be completely isolated from other animals.
Other operational rules that are mandated law include: feeding dogs with fresh food at least once daily based on age and weight; having fresh cat food available at all times; ensuring that other animals besides dogs or cats are fed and watered according to special needs; providing constantly fresh and clean water to all animals at all times; separating ill and injured animals from all other animals; and removing dead animals from shelter immediately.
The euthanasia process is governed by procedures published in the American Veterinary Medical Association Guidelines on Euthanasia and all personnel participating in the euthanasia process are trained by the guidelines of the Humane Society of the United States Academy on Euthanasia.
Adoption Requirements
The state animal adoption agreement requires that all animals adopted from animal shelters must be sterilized by a veterinarian licensed in Louisiana. The fee charged to adopt the animal will include the cost of sterilization. Once the fee is paid and the sterilization is performed, the animal shelter will give title, possession and control of the animal to the adopter.
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