Impact and Give Back | St. Tammany Parish Animal Services
Rescue Me
-Liesel Schmidt
As humans, we are more or less the maters of our own destiny—in so much that we are given free will and choices throughout or lives that guide our circumstances. Animals, however, are not given that opportunity. In the wild, they depend on instinct and survival skills. But in domestic life, they are shaped into creatures whose needs are cared for by their humans—and those humans don’t always treat them with love.
The many cases of animal abuse, neglect, and abandonment are why organizations like St. Tammany Parish Animal Services are so incredibly important to the communities they serve, giving animals a place of safety—and, more importantly, connecting them with people who will love them in a way that they deserve. Created in 2008 by ordinance of the people of St. Tammany Parish through a dedicated ad-valorem property tax millage, STPAS had a mission to provide a public, open admission, animal shelter for the animals of St. Tammany Parish.
“At the time, there was a large number of stray dogs that the existing shelters could not confine adequately or properly with their current infrastructure,” says Robert Bremer, who took over the role of director in 2021. “With large populations of stray dogs comes an increased risk for dogs not inoculated from the rabies virus, which is a public health concern. There is also the danger of loose animals hurting people, other pets, causing vehicle accidents, etc. Ending animal suffering and nuisances by giving them a place to go and recuperate is a sound idea and makes for a safer and more compassionate community.”
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