A town hall organized by the Humane Society of Louisiana will be taking place on June 28 to discuss the “overwhelming animal welfare crisis in New Iberia,” according to organizers. 

The event originates from Regina Quinn, founder of Blue Angels Advocacy and Rescue Resource, who moved to Louisiana after acquiring a kennel property in Kaplan and was shocked at the state of the stray dog population in New Iberia after passing through. 

Quinn has since been helping stray dogs in the parish, and said she was “told to put blinders on by the residents due to years of non-action from city officials to address this issue.”

“On any given day there are at least six strays running loose within a few block radius,” Quinn said in the statement. “Just last week, I rescued three dogs in a two-block-radius within 20 minutes.”

Stray dogs have been a constant problem in Iberia Parish for years, and both city and parish governments have made moves to try to alleviate the issue in recent years. Complaints from residents have persisted, however, and the Iberia Parish Animal Control has to constantly deal with capacity issues. 

Blue Angels Advocacy and Rescue frequently works with The Humane Society of Louisiana to rescue, care for, and rehome animals. The two organizations have helped numerous cats and dogs, from a sick, injured kitten to pairs of dogs rescued together. Quinn herself has 11 dogs that she’s rescued from the New Iberia area, according to the statement. 

She also started a social media page, Dogs of Dignity, to bring awareness to dogs who are hit and killed on roadwards in the hopes of helping owners find their dogs and to document statistics. 

The Humane Society of Louisiana and the Blue Angels Advocacy and Rescue Resource have planned a town hall meeting on June 28 at 2 p.m. to gain community support and encourage local action to aid the pet crisis in New Iberia and Kaplan. 

In addition to community members, Quinn and Jeff Dorson, executive director of the Humane Society, are inviting local officials and community members to help gather support to address these issues. 

The meeting will be held at the Iberia Parish Library on 445 E Main St, New Iberia, LA, 70560. For updates and more information, follow the Humane Society of Louisiana’s FaceBook page.