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As the LA/SPCA marks the second year
anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the completion of Phase
marks only the beginning of the fully realized Dorothy
Dorsett Brown LA/SPCA Campus. While many of the goals have
long-term impact, the next 3-5 years involves rebuilding,
reintroducing spay & neuter and veterinary services for the
indigent, launching education initiatives, and making an
impact legislatively. Literally a day does not go by without
calls from the public asking when the LA/SPCA veterinary
clinic will reopen, which filled an important need for those
people who have sick pets but lacked the financial resources
to provide the needed veterinary care. Once the capital
dollars have been raised, the construction of Phase II,
which will house the much missed low-cost veterinary clinic,
will begin.
 The LA/SPCA recognizes clearly that their challenge is to
not only rebuild, but to continue to operate at the highest
standards, raise the bar and make improvements that serve
the animal community in not only the short term but the long
term. The support received nationwide is amazing and
wonderful, but the organization is also aware that long term
survival has to come directly from the community as those
thousands of local donations are vital to any non-profit.
Phase I is only the beginning and fundraising continues for
the future phases.
For the animals of Louisiana, the LA/SPCA desperately wants
to see a reduction in animal overpopulation, and work to
change the cultural mindset about spaying and neutering. As
the LA/SPCA works toward cultivating a more informed and
compassionate public so that cruelty and neglect is
minimized, they recognize that education and fostering a
respectful community is key to that success.
Having to build a new shelter, operating out of a temporary
shelter, rebuilding a staff, serving a community still
dealing with loss, while dealing with its own loss; and
rescuing and sheltering the hundreds of animals that enter
the shelter each month takes a dogged focus and passion. But
the LA/SPCA has not stood alone. There are thousands of
individuals, organizations and communities that made it
possible for the LA/SPCA to experience its “amazing
rebirth,” and to whom it’s eternally grateful. Without them,
the LA/SPCA would not be where it is today.
As this 119-year-old animal welfare organization marks
Katrina two years later, its work demonstrates that
rebuilding wasn’t an option, but a necessity.
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