OPELOUSAS, La. — Last week, during Chief Graig Leblanc's first Community Conversations, one resident brought up the issue of stray dogs roaming the area.
"I do not know if there is an issue with animal control, but there is a pack of dogs all over Cherry Street, and it affects me. I can't walk down the street without them coming up to me. Is it animal control? I can't even walk down the street with my kids, Chief; what is the problem?" asked one concerned resident.
For Opelousas, it's all bark and bite as the city battles an influx of stray dogs.
This resident threw the question at Police Chief Graig Leblanc, expecting answers as to why the problem is overwhelming.
"What is going through my mind is that there are a lot of dogs, and people are in fear of walking, so I pray that a dog bites no one, and as a city official, it is our job that we keep our city safe," said Alderman at Large Marvin Richard.
Alderman at Large, Marvin Richard, says the city's animal control cannot handle the overload.
"We have an animal control, but it's small, and we only have one dog catcher," said Richard.
"The Pet population has increased in the Parish, and we are trying to get a handle on it now," said Parish President Jessie Bellard.
The issue extends beyond the city limits into the Parish as well.
Even though the Parish is battling the issue, they help the city when they can.
"We do take in city dogs, especially the vicious ones, so if the Chief calls, we usually take care of them," said Bellard.
Parish President Bellard says the Parish has worked profusely to tackle the issues of implementing spay and neuter programs, working with the Bissell Pet Foundation, and assisting with adoptions. Richard hopes the City can jump on board and adopt similar solutions.
"We need to be proactive on what we can do: finding the funds and getting with our state representative and having partnerships where we can find a place to put these dogs where they can be safe and hopefully adopted," said Richard.
Richard says the City Council plans to add animal control to the agenda for Tuesday Night's meeting at 5:00 p.m. at City Hall.
