Avoyelles Animal Welfare Society

11/13/2025

Loki is a male pit/boxer mix that’s potty trained, great with people of all ages, and generally great with any non dominant dog. He’s your 30 minute firecracker of bolting energy then will gladly settle in your lap to “recover”. He loves frolicking, toys, food, and belly rubs. Emergency placement needed!

11/13/2025

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the Avoyelles Animal Welfare Society will be closing on December 15th, 2025.

At this time, we are no longer accepting animal intakes and are in urgent need of emergency placement for our remaining four dogs. If you or your rescue organization can help, please reach out as soon as possible.

Over the past 13+ years, our shelter has worked tirelessly to serve the animals of Avoyelles Parish. However, the ongoing lack of volunteers, reliable funding, and local government support—combined with the high cost of facility maintenance—has made continued operation impossible.

We also want to address a long-standing misunderstanding:
While we have partnered with law enforcement on numerous occasions to help with stray and emergency situations, we are not animal control. Our mission has always been to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome adoptable animals—not to operate as a government-funded animal control facility. This situation highlights a serious need for official animal control services within Avoyelles Parish, supported by appropriate legislation and community investment.

To everyone who has donated time, money, supplies, or compassion over the years—thank you. Your support has saved countless lives.
We extend special gratitude to Atchafalaya River Rescue, The Veterinary Clinic of Avoyelles, our volunteers, board members, and all the rescues and transport teams who have worked beside us. Without you, we could not have come this far.

As we dissolve our remaining assets (excluding the building), we are transferring them to Atchafalaya River Rescue, who have stood by our side and share our mission.

💛 Please remember:
• Spay and neuter your pets — overpopulation is a community problem that we can solve together.
• Be a responsible pet owner.
• If you see abuse, speak up.
• It is illegal to drop off animals at our facility.

After December 15th, there will be no animals or staff at the shelter.

Thank you, Avoyelles Parish and beyond, for 13 years of love, support, and shared dedication to animal welfare.

11/11/2025

Tillie will be traveling to Mandeville tomorrow to have surgery for a torn ACL.
She will return Thursday and begin an eight week recovery at All Paws Rescue. Wish her luck. She is a sweet girl.

11/11/2025

Pokie’s rooftop was broken on his favorite doghouse. Santa came early and replaced it for him because he is such a good boy. He is back to smiling and enjoying the sunshine on his roof. Oh he is watching the sky for that sleigh.

09/26/2025

Sorry my text was not posting. This is Koda arriving in New Jersey at 9PM this evening to meet his foster family. He has been in the shelter about three months where we enjoyed training him and watching him grow into the magnificent puppy you see. His training was finished by Justin the last two weeks where he was kennel trained, house trained and taught to live with a pack. He will have an amazing future. Thank you New Jersey South Hills Pet Rescue.

09/26/2025

09/10/2025

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Mr and Mrs Kipp Mayeux for recommending our shelter to receive a very generous donation from the Kindness Fund in remberance of Kipp’s parents Dr. Ronald Mayeux and his wife Margaret. They will be in our hearts and thoughts as we work together to save the homeless animals of Avoyelles.

09/07/2025

09/05/2025

Last week we had a visit from a group staying at the Casino in Marksville who are filming a documentary on local rescues. We were fortunate enough to be chosen as one of the rescues. Here are a few photos of their visit. Guess who made an appearance for the interview. It was Clipper (AKA) RC. He was one of our shelter dogs rescued as a puppy abandoned on the road during the evacuation of Lake Charles after hurricane Dora five years ago. What was incredible about this rescue is that he is blind and had traffic going around him while he was going in circles on the road trying to survive. And survive he did as one driver stopped and picked him up and brought him to the shelter. Long story short he was able to get into a blind dog rescue where his story was heard by an incredible family who adopted him. Here is Beth Melonson with her amazing dog Clipper who is now a therapy dog and helping disabled people. Pay it forward always.

08/31/2025

Female puppy abandoned in the woods. Very sweet and friendly. She would love to join your family for years of fun adventures. If interested please contact 337-446-6151.