Animal Rights Group Commits $600,000 To Create Pet Shelter In Louisiana

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) _ An animal rights group has pledged $600,000 to build an emergency animal shelter at a prison in case of future evacuation or natural disaster. <br/><br/>The grant announced Monday

Tuesday, October 9th 2007, 7:38 am

By: News On 6

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) _ An animal rights group has pledged $600,000 to build an emergency animal shelter at a prison in case of future evacuation or natural disaster.

The grant announced Monday by the Humane Society of the United States will create space for up to 500 animals on the grounds of the Dixon state prison. Trained inmates will tend to the pets.

``This is a win-win situation for everyone involved,'' said Warden James LeBlanc. ``In addition to the benefit for the animals, the inmates have a long-term opportunity to incorporate animal care and handling into their rehabilitation regimens.''

In Hurricane Katrina, more than 10,000 animals had to be rescued after evacuations, either because they were left behind or because owners were not allowed to take them on buses.