GONZALES, LA (AP) — An 18-wheeler outfitted with 55 stainless steel cages, air conditioning and running water is now ready for its mission of rescuing and evacuating pets caught in disasters.
Officials with the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry and other organizations that together funded the mobile pet shelter presented it Thursday at a news conference in Gonzales.
The Advocate’s Ellyn Couvillion reports on hand were animal rescue workers from Louisiana and from across the U.S. who have been training at the center this week on rescuing animals during a catastrophe.
The impetus behind the mobile pet center was what first responders saw time and again after Katrina.
The 18-wheeler has multiple power sources, including a generator, battery and the ability to plug into available sources of electricity.
