The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry deployed their mobile pet shelter and animal-transport task force on Monday, Aug. 30.
The task force helped to shelter and care for pets in Laplace which saw major flooding caused by Hurricane Ida.
Many residents and their pets became trapped in their homes as waters started to rise on Sunday.
"We are in LaPlace taking care of people's pets," said Dr. Ashley Prejean with the LDAF.
Pet carriers were handed out to owners so that smaller pets could be held on their laps during transport to area shelters.
Bigger animals were taken to the mobile shelter for transport.
"I give them an opportunity to say goodbye to their pet but I also tell them they are going to be well taken care of," said Jason Anderson with the LDAF. "They are going to a place where they are going to be fed and walked. Everything a parent would actually do."
Prejean said that each pet is given a specific number and that owner information is logged and tracked with the shelters where they will eventually end up.
"Depending what shelter they go to, they can either shelter with their pet and take care of it or we can take care of the pets at certain shelters as well.
Prejean said that during Hurricane Katrina many people had no choice but to abandon their pets in order to be rescued.
"We're giving them a choice today," she said.
Anderson said that the LDAF is acting as a resource to help get pets out of disaster areas so that owners can focus on themselves and know their pets are safe.
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