The St. Tammany Parish Humane Society will soon be able to care for sick animals without exposing its general population to infectious diseases thanks to a gift from a donor who has asked to remain anonymous.

Vaughn Maurice, executive director of the Humane Society, said one of the group’s supporters purchased a large shed for the backyard only to find that her neighborhood’s regulations prevented her from putting it in her backyard.

Instead of bringing it back to the store where she had purchased it, she asked Maurice if he thought the Humane Society could use it.

Executive director Vaughn Maurice shows a shed that was donated and will be used to house sick animals. (Staff Photo by Suzanne Le Breton)

Always needing more space, Maurice said he jumped at the opportunity to add the additional building.

The shed will be used as an isolation ward for sick dogs and cats.

Maurice said all too often the shelter has to turn down unwanted pets because they have a treatable infectious disease. He said the existing shelter is all on one ventilation system and therefore bringing in one sick dog or cat could mean infecting the entire population.

“In the past sick puppies and kittens had to be turned away,” Maurice said.

The shed will provide the shell for the new isolation ward, but until it is built out on the inside, it is not useable.

Maurice said the G. Michael Lala Foundation for Animals has stepped up and donated $10,000 to pay for the build out of the building. He said the group has agreed to come up with more funding if needed to complete this project.

The inside of the building literally needs everything from the floor up, including walls, insulation and an air condition and heating unit.

Because of its proposed use, the walls and floor will have to be covered with plastic sheeting so that it can be easily disinfected.

The building will include two areas, one for sick cats and one for sick dogs.

“Because the cats and dogs tend to not get along,” Maurice said.

It will also have a table set up where the veterinarian can come in and work on the animals there without having to bring them out of isolation.

A sink will be installed and electricity ran to the building, but water will be provided by a hose ran from the main building.

Maurice said because of the generosity of this donor and the G. Michael Lala Foundation, “For a long time into the future we will be able to save a lot of puppies and kitties.”

He said it is hard to turn away sick puppies or even puppies that may be sick but are unknown but until this isolation building can be set up, that is what the shelter has to do because it can not risk of exposing the other animals.