30 seconds: Animal instincts at the CAA

In August 2011, Companion Animal Alliance (CAA) took over the management of the East Baton Rouge Parish animal shelter. Recently, CAA debuted the Fur Ball, the city’s first pet-friendly black-tie fundraiser, and welcomed its new executive director, Kimberly Sherlaw.

I have always been very interested in public/private partnerships because of their ability to leverage resources. Creating a no-kill environment is a challenge. [But] I recognized the components were here to create a successful effort.

Finding a balance between all of the lifesaving programs that you want to put into place [such as spay/neuter, rescue group partnerships, fostering, adoption]. It’s making all of those things work at the same time to increase your live release rate.

You look at current capacity, then how we route animals. We want an animal to route through our facility in less than 90 days and into a home. Creating a more equitable experience for an animal when it comes in is something that is a major priority for the organization.

One of the things we have established is we are not going to overcrowd the kennels. There will be two animals to an enclosure. We need proper kennel space to clean properly. [Otherwise] that becomes an infectious disease control issue, and you cannot maintain a healthy herd population. So, we’re working to identify those animals [appropriate] for rescue groups, [to promote adoption] and then get that ratio down. It takes a little bit of time.

Because of the number of animals we have and the number of individuals needed to clean and care for them, one of our greatest expenses is payroll. That money goes to do what we do every day—try to improve the lives of these animals.

Promoting adoption [is] our ultimate goal—so each of these animals has chance [to find a home]. We have so many beautiful puppies, kittens, dogs and cats in this facility that it can be a bit overwhelming. Please consider adoption and promoting that to your family, friends, colleagues, church members, etc. Be a part of the solution.