I was born and raised in New Orleans and grew up surrounded by dogs, cats, rabbits, and ferrets. In my fondest childhood memories and photographs I am surrounded by our family pets.
Having an interest in the legal field, I worked at our parish prosecutor’s office, and then in our parish attorney’s office where I was assigned a project that would privatize and allow the New Orleans SPCA to run our municipal shelters, as they were struggling and had ongoing leadership challenges and abysmal live-release statistics.
I believed that I could improve the lives of the animals, transform the image of shelter, and formulate attainable goals, so I began a decade-long journey managing one of Louisiana’s highest intake and kill facilities. After 10 years of battles and triumphs, the reward was a 90% live release rate, a state-of-the-art facility, and collaborative efforts through new programs, rescue partnerships, advocacy, transparency, education, and unwavering passion. I wanted to experience the nonprofit sector of animal welfare, and left Jefferson Parish for Greeley, Colorado, where I was the Director of Operations at Weld County Humane Society. I gained experience in fundraising and grant writing, and developed a strategic plan for the organization in conjunction with a board of directors.
I am happy to be back in the south and honored to be a part of Pet Placement Center. I plan to revamp the shelter’s protocols in terms of herd health, provide our animals with enrichment to ensure their stress levels are minimized, build a stronger volunteer and foster base, establish partnerships with local municipal shelters that are overcrowded, engage with our community, and grow our donor base through advocacy and networking so we can help as many animals as possible.
I relocated to Chattanooga with 5 dogs: Mini Cow, 10, a Staffordshire mix who was deemed unadoptable; Panda, 5, a bully seized from a hoarding and cruelty case; Frank,16, a Chihuahua adopted as a fospice dog; Landry, 3, a mini bull terrier, adopted from a combat veteran who was deployed; and Bindi, a 1 1/2-year-old Chihuahua who was seized from a hoarding case and is rather feral. I have also owned cats throughout the years. My dogs love kittens and I have bottle fed neonates throughout my shelter career.
I love how friendly and welcoming everyone in Chattanooga has been. I am eager to explore the city and its majestic landscapes. I enjoy whitewater rafting, hiking trails, and taking my dogs to canine-friendly venues.
I am proud of the work we have done thus far and am immensely grateful to the staff, board, volunteers, and amazing adopters for their support and for welcoming me with open arms.
Sincerely,
Brooke Bourgeois
Ace and Brooke