10/18/2026
Sometimes I feel like I don’t accurately show just how big a of disaster the animal welfare crisis is in our area. But to be honest, posting depressing stuff all the time is just that — DEPRESSING. We do good work at LaMa, and I’m proud to be a part of this organization. But the way it’s going won’t work long-term. The biggest piece of the puzzle missing in NWLA is municipal/governmental support and infrastructure to deal with strays & cruelty cases themselves… to be the front line so non-profit rescues like us don’t have to act as animal control.
This isn’t to knock officers on the front lines that are responding to calls. If parish agencies don’t have a place to put dogs, it’s not the people & officers working the front lines fault. It’s a bigger issue that goes way above them. And I’m glad they think to call us because there’s really no one else to help them. When I’ve emailed elected officials about this, the response has usually been along the lines of: “we don’t even have a place for homeless PEOPLE to go, so how do you expect us to have a place for homeless animals to go?” And honestly they’re right! Webster Parish is lucky to have an animal control officer & holding facility. Other neighboring parishes are not so lucky.
All this to say… Late one night last week several texts, emails, messages came in from Haynesville Police Department about this situation. They needed someplace for these dogs to go that night, but we were all asleep. Luckily it all worked out, and they were brought to the rescue the next day.
These four are in rough condition. Chained, scrounging for food among trash and filth. Thin, sad, full of worms. The saddest part (to me at least) is that there are so many others like this that will never be saved… because neighbors and friends that come over or drive by see this as “acceptable” and even “normal.” I could go on and on.
If you’ve made it this far reading my novel: Meet the newest 4 LaMa dogs. Only good days for them from here on out. 🫶
