84 pets rescued from overcrowded shelter in South headed to Michigan

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Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

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BY TANDA GMITER

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A handful of Michigan animal shelter workers made a recent trip down South to select dozens of dogs and puppies from an overcrowded shelter that they'll soon be bringing north to find new homes.

Led by the Bissell Pet Foundation, the rescue mission was meant to lighten the chronic burden on the St. Landry Parish Animal Control shelter, about 60 miles west of Baton Rouge, La.

Temperatures at the outdoor shelter are still pushing 90 degrees, and this particular shelter has been plagued by overcrowding, rescue advocates say.

“We live in an area where pet owners don’t spay and neuter their animals,” said Stacy Alleman McNight, director of St. Landry Parish. “People are constantly dropping off pets they can no longer care for.”

Last week, that shelter had more than 300 animals in its care.

Cathy Bissell, head of her namesake foundation headquartered in Walker, has a special connection with St. Landry and wanted to help. She tapped friends at eight Michigan shelters to make the trip down to Louisiana with her last Thursday and Friday so they could sort through St. Landry's pets and select the ones most likely to find homes in Michigan.

"We worked both days from sunrise to sundown," said Bri Olson, the foundation's communication coordinator. "We were identifying pets, getting them vaccinated and microchipped so they would have the health certifications to cross state lines."

Most of these pups destined for Michigan were moved to an Animal Rescue Corps facility near Nashville, where they will remain for more than a week before they begin the last leg of their trip north.

“We knew the trip from Louisiana to Tennessee was nearly a 10-hour commute,” said Cathy Bissell. “We didn’t want to jeopardize the comfort level of the pets during this transport, so we’re grateful our friends at ARC allowed these pets to spend the next 10 days decompressing before heading to their final destination in Michigan.”

This 10-day window also gives Michigan shelters time to get some kennel space ready, which Bissell is helping with.

An Empty the Shelters event is planned for Oct. 12 at dozens of shelters across Michigan, offering $25 pet adoptions. Bissell is underwriting the rest of the adoption costs.

This is designed not only to help current Michigan shelter dogs find good homes, but make room for other animals who need help, like the ones coming from Louisiana.

“BISSELL Pet Foundation has put together a strong team of trusted shelter partners in Michigan to make a difference for the pets in St. Landry Parish,” said Bissell. “We hope this pilot program will be the first of many collaborative rescue missions where BPF can help communities that lack resources.”

The list of local shelters helping these Louisiana dogs include: Detroit Dog Rescue, Harbor Humane Society, Hearts of Hope Dog Rescue, Humane Society of West Michigan, Little Traverse Bay Humane Society, Muskegon Humane Society, and the SPCA of Southwest Michigan.

The Bissell rescue group agreed to share some of their Louisiana shelter pictures with MLive readers, giving a sneak peek at some of the pets that will be available for adoption here.

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Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit
Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit
Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit
Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit
Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit
Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Bissell Pet Foundation and Aaron Mychael Williams

Don't Edit