charityspin
by Maria Goddard
from a cage to a castle
32
Whether it is rescuing a dog found
in a dumpster or taking in bearded
dragons, the Companion Animal
Alliance’s ultimate mission is to help
animals find forever homes.
The CAA is a nonprofit
organization that was started on
August 1, 2011 when it replaced the
Baton Rouge Animal Control shelter.
In addition to being a refuge for
dogs and bearded dragons, the staff
also rescue cats, birds, guinea pigs,
bunnies, snakes and rats. Those in the
alliance work heartily to vet, spay or
neuter, socialize, foster and encourage
adoption programs.
“The
absolute
love,
care
and
dedication that goes
into every single
animal that comes
through the door
[stands out to me],”
said CAA volunteer
Jodi Golden. “The
people that work
there do not do it for
the money; they do it
to give the dogs and
cats the best chance
possible at life.”
Golden dove into
the never-ending sea
of saving animals
decades ago and has
offered much of the
last seven years to helping animals in
the shelter have a happily ever after.
One success story she celebrated
was that of a young Goldendoodle,
or a Golden Retriever-Poodle mix.
Gamon Manne, the head pro-golfer
of Country Club of Louisiana and
his wife Angelique are friends of
Golden and wanted to adopt a dog
for their family.
“The kids have been wanting a
dog for a long time,” said Angelique.
“We definitely wanted to help a dog
out that didn’t have a family and were
looking for a specific dog that would
do well with household.”
Golden told them about an
abandoned dog who had been
run over by a car, leaving his hip
shattered. If it was not for the CAA
and a miracle surgery, hope for his
survival would have been crushed as
well.
“We tried to find his owner,” said
Golden. “We don’t have facilities to
do X-rays or orthopedic surgeries, so
a vet in town who is phenomenal did
the surgery for free. She put a plate
in, and he is already walking.”
Not only did this Goldendoodle
receive a second chance at life, but
he also was given a new name. The
Manne family proudly named him
Palmer, in honor of Arnold Palmer.
The Manne children, Guidry and
Alston, fell in love with Palmer, the
newest four-legged addition to their
family.
“Guidry woke up as if it was
Christmas,” said Angelique. “She
came running in our room saying,
‘Palmer comes home today!’”
Alston woke up early and got
dressed so he could walk Palmer
to get him into the swing of things.
(Alston knows about the swing all too
well, as he won the U.S. Kids South
Regional golf tournament at just 9
years old.)
It is not every day that the shelter
is able to find a veterinarian to help
animals like Palmer due to a lack
of funds. Though there are many
joys in animal rescue, there are also
hardships.
“Unfortunately, we have to
euthanize animals if they are ill to
the point of no return, or deemed
unadoptable,” said Golden. “Also, if
the shelter is overpopulated. We don’t
refuse any animal. A ‘no-kill’ shelter
means they send their unadoptable
dogs to our shelter.”
According to Golden, this
problem can be prevented by spaying
and neutering the animals. This
process ensures that dogs like Kate do
not have to be euthanized.
When Golden first saw Kate,
she was cowering in the back of her
kennel. Kate is a Yorkshire Terrier
mix who was licking her lips and
growling.
“The animal control officer found
her in a dumpster,” said Golden.
“Someone threw her away like trash.”
Golden usually walks through the
shelter t