New Iberia euthanasia rates are unnecessarily high! 

Why? 

1. Recent lack of communication regarding euthanasia deadlines.
Recently there has been a concerning apparent lack of transparent public communication regarding euthanasia deadlines. When euthanasia deadlines are communicated clearly to the public and shelter volunteers, it allows rescues, fosters, adopters, and animal advocates who put in the time and effort to create online awareness for the euthanasia-listed dogs to mobilize quickly to assist the animals in danger.

2. Dogs are euthanized even when kennel space is available.
Too many dogs at the New Iberia city/Parish shelter have recently been euthanized due to "time in the shelter" and what appears to be cost effective reasons, not due to unavailable kennels. 

A recent concerning instance: Due to the fast action of volunteers, rescues, and dog advocates all over Acadiana (and beyond!)  several urgent (due to time in the shelter) dogs were adopted or transferred to rescue organizations within a matter of days. This resulted in additional kennel space becoming available. At the same time, an outdoor adoption event was scheduled to take place over the weekend, which had the potential to create even more available kennel capacity.  While this should have been great news with the newly available kennel space and the significant exposure and interest, it quickly turned into a disheartening situation. Estes (2 years old) and Josephine (1 year old), two sweet, well-behaved, young, healthy, and adoptable dogs (that the community was advocating and campaigning for) had not made it out yet and were euthanized in that same week, on Friday, April 10th; despite all these adoption/rescue developments, pending rescue placements, reports of empty kennels and significant public exposure and interest in the animals. This occurred immediately after several other urgent dogs had already left the shelter through adoption or rescue placement, and just before the weekend adoption event that could have resulted in further positive outcomes. Estes and Josephine could have received an euthanasia extension and may also have made it out alive. Many community members believe they were denied a fair opportunity at placement and rescue. 

Just last week, 7 other dogs were euthanized in a single day without any clear notice of the euthanasia date or time, despite reports that kennel space was available.

Additional concerns: During a recent City Council meeting in New Iberia, officials reportedly stated that a dog that has been at the shelter for 10 days should be euthanized. Ten days - whether that includes stray hold time or not- is not enough time for original owners to locate their lost dog, or for volunteers, advocates, and rescues to coordinate placement or successful adoption efforts. 

These stories represent only a few recent incidents. Unfortunately, many other dogs at the New Iberia City/Parish shelter have faced (or are about to face) similar circumstances, but their stories and photographs were never documented or shared publicly.

Whether these decisions are being made by the shelter manager (who, as we understand it, is also personally performing euthanasias), the Parish President, the city mayor, or another responsible party, community members across Acadiana have expressed significant distress and concerns regarding what they perceive to be unnecessary euthanasia practices. 

Community members across Acadiana respectfully request the following reforms from the Iberia Parish Government, the City of New Iberia and from Iberia Parish Rabies & Animal Control: 

1. The shelter will clearly communicate euthanasia dates and deadlines to the community.


2. The shelter will not euthanize healthy, young, adoptable dogs when kennel space is available. 

3. The shelter will allow sufficient time for volunteers, rescues, and advocates to coordinate placement efforts for at-risk dogs.

Yes, it's true that the community has a responsibility to take better care of their pets and to spay and neuter them. But it is critically important that those entrusted with overseeing shelter operations prioritize animal welfare and provide animals with every reasonable opportunity for rescue or adoption. This is particularly important when dealing with young, healthy, highly adoptable dogs, especially when kennel space is available.

Are you interested in adopting or has your dog gone missing recently? Please contact the Iberia Parish Rabies & Animal Control shelter located at 2017 Seaway Access Rd, New Iberia Louisiana 70560

Please note: If you wish to leave a donation after signing the petition (optional, and website offers this option automatically), those contributions go directly to Change.org to help increase the campaign’s visibility, according to the platform. I am not familiar with how that process works.
If you would prefer to make a direct impact through a donation in alternative way, please consider supporting local rescues that have been saving dogs from the euthanasia lists at the Iberia Parish shelter, including Black List Animal Rescue, Acadiana Animal Aid, LINK (Louisiana Imagine No Kill), and Take Paws Rescue.