OPELOUSAS, La. (KLFY) — Opelousas is set to open a new animal shelter thanks to a collaborative effort between Scott’s Wish and Tito’s Vodka.

The city, which has been without an animal shelter for 25 years, has relied on Joey Stelly, the animal control officer, to manage animal care.

The new shelter is being established in a vacant building on Cross Street, with significant support from Tito’s Vodka and volunteers from Scott’s Wish.

“We want to show up and do the right thing and not only just write a check,” said Jerry Helmstetter, State Manager for Tito’s Vodka. “We bring people from our distributor and Tito’s put some elbow grease into it and our sweat and time and effort and energy.”

Denise Gutnisky, President of Scott’s Wish, emphasized the importance of creating a welcoming environment for the animals.

“Play yards, trails, aromatherapy sections, make the dogs stay at the shelter a lot more bearable and let them burn off, you know, exercise and burn off, you know, nervousness and stress, making them more adoptable.” Gutnisky said.

The shelter will feature enrichment areas for the dogs, including play yards and trails, designed to reduce stress and improve adoptability. A mural by local artist Jerome Ford will also adorn the facility, adding to its welcoming atmosphere.

Mayor Julius Alsandor said the goal of the facility is to make life for the animals more enriched and give plenty of opportunity for volunteers to walk and play with the dogs as they wait for adoption. Volunteers will be encouraged to engage with the dogs, helping them adjust and prepare for adoption.

With the combined efforts of Tito’s Vodka, Scott’s Wish, and local volunteers, Opelousas is poised to significantly improve animal welfare in the community, offering a new lease on life for many abandoned dogs.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.

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