KENTWOOD — A nonprofit animal shelter in Kentwood says it’s on the verge of shutting down after struggling to make ends meet.

Crooked Creek Kennels, run by Krista Keller, was originally meant to be just a boarding facility. But when people in the community started dropping off unwanted pets, Keller turned it into a rescue, the only one in St. Helena Parish.

“There’s no animal shelter, no animal control, no animal laws of any kind, so there’s nowhere else,” Keller said.

Currently, the shelter is home to more than 40 cats and dogs, all relying on Keller for food, medical care, and attention.

For the past three years, Keller has taken in abandoned cats and dogs, paying most of the expenses out of pocket. Between food, vet bills, and supplies, she says it costs about $9,000 a month to keep the shelter running, but lately she's only raised $2,500. Adoption fees are just $25 per animal, leaving a large gap to cover expenses.

“We feed 500 pounds of dog food a week,” Keller said. “We’ve gone to parish officials. We’ve asked the police jury, we’ve asked everybody we can think of, like, how to get funding and how to get the word out. And so far, we haven’t gotten any help.”

Keller has organized multiple fundraisers, from pastalaya sales to donation drives, but she says participation has dropped off.

“The last several pastalaya fundraisers we did, we didn’t even make enough to cover the cost of the food,” she said. “Nobody was showing up.”

Even volunteers have become hard to find.

“When people are expecting me to take in so many animals, but then when I ask if they could volunteer or buy a bag of dog food, it’s radio silence,” Keller said.

Despite the challenges, Keller says she can’t imagine walking away from the animals that depend on her.

“I definitely don’t want to give it up,” she said. “I love these dogs. It brings me so much joy to be up here with them and work with them.”

Keller hopes the community will step in to help keep the nonprofit shelter open. 

Parish officials told WBRZ that no one had officially approached them regarding assistance with the Kennel for the past several years.

"As you may know, parish resources are limited due to the low tax base, which is a result of the lack of industry in the area. While this issue has not yet been at the forefront of our priorities, I want to assure you that the parish is engaged in several initiatives related to animal welfare," Roderick Matthews at the police jury said.

Matthews said that the police jury has allocated funding from the state to upgrade a parish-owned building that serves as a shelter for residents with pets during natural disasters, as well as "exploring the possibility of applying for funding to establish a livestock shelter within the parish."

"My recommendation to the kennel owners is to formally request that their concerns be included on the agenda of an upcoming Police Jury meeting," Matthews said.

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