A statewide adoption event is set to recognizeLouisiana Loves Shelter Animals Day, a proclamation issued last month by Governor Jeff Landry to highlight the vital role pet adoption plays in building no-kill* communities. To mark the occasion and welcome this pivotal step in Louisiana’s pet lifesaving efforts, dozens of shelters across the state will offer reduced or waived adoption fees from May 29-31.
Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters, worked with state leadership on the initiative and is sponsoring the statewide event to encourage more people to adopt. The proclamation coincided with new annual data released by Best Friends, which shows Louisiana saved 77% of pets in its shelters in 2024, but for the state to achieve no-kill, an additional 12,900 dogs and cats need to be adopted.
“Best Friends applauds Louisiana’s desire to save the lives of homeless dogs and cats across the state,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. “If more Louisianans choose to adopt pets from shelters instead of purchasing from breeders or stores, we are confident that the state will achieve no-kill.”
Participating shelters include (Hours and promotional adoption fees vary, please contact shelters for details):
- Acadiana Animal Aid, 142 Le Medicin Rd, Carencro, LA 70520
- Animal Assistance League of Slidell, 2700 Terrace Ave, Slidell, LA 70458
- Bossier City Animal Services, 3217 Old Shed Rd, Bossier City, LA 71111
- Caddo Parish Animal Services and Mosquito Control, 1500 Monty St, Shreveport, LA 71107
- CATNIP Foundation DBA Big Sky CARES, 82060 LA-25, Folsom, LA 70437
- Cenla Cat Project, PetSmart 3685 S MacArthur Dr., Alexandria, LA 71301
- City of Natchitoches Animal Shelter, 450 Fairgrounds Rd, Natchitoches, LA 71457
- Companion Animal Alliance, 2550 Gourrier Ave, Baton Rouge, LA 70820
- Cara’s House, 9894 Airline Hwy, Sorrento, LA 70778
- DeSoto Parish Animal Services, 404 Liberty Ln, Grand Cane, LA 71032
- Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office, 485 Richardson Dr, Colfax, LA 71417
- Heart of Louisiana Humane Society, PetCo1438 MacArthur Dr., Alexandria, LA 71301
- Iberia Parish Rabies & Animal Control, 2017 Seaway Access Rd, New Iberia, LA 70560
- Jennings Animal Shelter, 1998-1100 Isabelle St, Jennings, LA 70546
- Lafayette Animal Shelter & Care Center, 410 N. Dugas Rd. Lafayette, LA 70507
- LaFourche Animal Shelter, 934 LA-3185, Thibodaux, LA 70301
- Livingston Parish Animal Shelter, 13525 Florida Blvd, Livingston, LA 70754
- St. Tammany Parish Department of Animal Services, 31078 LA-36, Lacombe, LA 70445
- St. Bernard Parish Animal Control Center, 5455 E Judge Perez Dr, Violet LA 70092
- Tangipahoa Animal Services, 15487 Club Deluxe Road, Hammond, LA 70403
- Terrebonne Parish Animal Shelter, 100 Government St, Gray, LA 70359
- Washington Parish Animal Shelter, 23046 YACC Road Franklinton, LA 70438
- West Feliciana Animal Humane Society, 9946 West Feliciana Parkway, St Francisville, LA. 70775
Currently, Best Friends’ data shows that nearly 2 out of 3 U.S. shelters are already no-kill. Nearly half of shelters that are not-yet-no-kill are less than 100 pets away from reaching the milestone. Last year nearly half of Louisiana’s 70 animal shelters maintained or achieved no-kill, and of the 36 shelters that are not yet no-kill, 13 of them have less than 100 dogs and cats left to save to reach that lifesaving milestone.
“We believe that Louisiana can reach no-kill if people in every community do their part,” stated Castle. “This is a solvable issue when we work together, and I commend Louisiana on taking this step to safeguard the lives of its’ pets.”
Like Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, other governors and legislators nationwide are furthering the lifesaving momentum, by aligning with no-kill trends as evidenced by an additional 11 states having issued no-kill proclamations or resolutions since 2024 – including Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
To learn more about Best Friends or how to help take Louisiana no-kill, visit bestfriends.org.
*“No-Kill” is defined by a 90% save rate for animals entering a shelter. Typically, the number of pets who are suffering from irreparable medical or behavioral issues that compromise their quality of life and prevent them from being rehomed is not more than 10% of all dogs and cats entering shelters, making it a meaningful and common-sense benchmark for measuring lifesaving progress.