A new animal rescue in Rayne is giving horses and dogs another chance at life.
The organization called Haseya’s New Beginnings is expanding to partner with the City of Rayne so that fewer dogs have to be euthanized in the shelters.
The founder, Kelli Briscoe, has always had a love for animals, but her passion came to fruition when she rescued a horse named Haseya from deplorable conditions in Fort Polk.
“She was laying down for about two days. A lot of people told me to put her down because there was nothing else we could do. So, I decided to get a rosary and some holy water. And after the prayer, I looked her in the eye, and I said, ‘Okay. This is the day you’re going to get better.’ Normally, it would take straps and six or seven people to lift her up. This time, she stood very easily, and she never went back down again,” said Briscoe.
It’s because of Haseya that Briscoe decided to start her own rescue.
“That’s why we have so much faith and hope for any animals. We want to take the ones that need help the most that nobody else wants to help,” she said, petting her horses.
Now, the horses roam freely on the pasture and get spoiled with lots of treats.
Briscoe has about 20 volunteers who help her care for and foster the 14 horses, but now, she is building another shelter to make room for dogs from the Rayne Animal Shelter.
“We’ve been getting them out and sent to rescues up north. We plan to build a shelter for them. That way, we can start pulling them more, getting more dogs, and saving them from being euthanized,” she said.
The city’s animal control can only hold about 40 dogs at a time. Rayne’s ordinance says they can put the dogs down, if necessary, after five days in the shelter.
However, Mayor Chuck Robicheaux said the city agreed to hold them for 30 days, then if they haven’t been adopted, Briscoe can take the dogs to give them another chance at finding forever loving homes.
“We can take them into our care and try to get them fosters, adopted or transported because nothing is impossible, so we want to save them all if possible,” she said.
If you want to volunteer with Haseya’s New Beginnings, you can message them on their Facebook.
If you would like to donate, click here.
You can also donate to the following feed stores:
Double “W” Home & Ranch, LLC
108 Brumley Rd., Duson
(337) 981-7494
G & H Seed Company
9621 Church Point Hwy., Church Point
(337) 684-3391
You can also donate directly to the veterinarian:
Acadia Animal Medical Center
284 Llama Rd., Rayne
(337) 334-9631
