From the Moment We Get the Call

Every rescue begins with one message, one sighting, one desperate plea. In rural Louisiana, dogs are found in fields, beside highways, or left behind when families move away or cannot afford care. When that call comes in, LaMa acts — because waiting isn’t an option.

Step 1: Rescue & Intake

Our team responds as quickly as possible to animals in need. Once safely in our care, each animal receives an initial health check, food, and a warm, clean place to rest. Many of these animals have never known comfort before — but here, their recovery and new life begin.

Step 2: Medical Care & Recovery

When animals first arrive, many need immediate veterinary attention. They often come to us injured, malnourished, or heartworm positive. Right now, these cases are handled through our trusted network of local clinics and veterinary partners.

Looking ahead, we hope to achieve the funding we need to expand our shelter with an on-site medical clinic — a space that would allow us to provide faster, more affordable treatment and increase our capacity to save lives. This clinic would also serve the community by offering low-cost veterinary services, vaccinations, and spay/neuter clinics, helping to address the root causes of animal overpopulation and neglect.

By investing in local access to care and education, LaMa aims to reduce intake numbers over time, promote responsible pet ownership, and create a sustainable source of income to support ongoing rescue operations. This vision reflects our commitment to long-term solutions — not just emergency response.

Step 3: Our Shelter, Foster Care, and Boarding Facilities

LaMa’s new shelter in Sarepta, Louisiana, represents real change in how animals are cared for in our community. For the first time, there’s a safe, consistent place for stray, abandoned, and neglected animals to begin their new start — a space that reflects compassion, responsibility, and hope.

LaMa Animal Rescue officially opened its shelter doors at 220 Bennett Road, Sarepta, LA 71071, in March 2025 — earlier than planned — in response to the overwhelming crisis of animal abandonment and overpopulation across Northwest Louisiana.

Our shelter is more than a refuge for animals in crisis; it’s a symbol of progress. It’s helping shift the mindset in Northwest Louisiana toward responsible pet ownership, routine veterinary care, and kindness as a community value. We’re seeing more residents stop by to learn, volunteer, or ask how they can be part of the change — proof that education and example are creating slow but lasting impact.

Foster homes remain essential, providing personalized care, structure, and socialization in a family setting. When the shelter and foster homes reach capacity, boarding facilities step in to keep animals safe — a costly but lifesaving bridge that ensures we intake as many animals as we possibly can at any given time.

With the shelter now able to evaluate, scan, and screen local adopters, LaMa is beginning to see more successful placements right here in Northwest Louisiana. Yet transport remains a vital lifeline. For every local home found, dozens more dogs still wait — far exceeding what our small community can sustain. Transport connects these animals to pre-approved rescues and adopters in the Northeast who are ready and waiting to give them safe, loving homes. Sustaining this transport pipeline — and the funding that fuels it — remains critical. It’s what allows us to keep saving lives here at home while we continue building the future of rescue in Louisiana.