Georgia: Second chance for shelter

SUMMERVILLE, Ga. — Animal shelters throughout Northwest Georgia are overfull, and not because of leash law enforcement but because of worsening recession.

“I’ve never seen it this bad,” said Don Garrett, director of the Whitfield County Animal Shelter for 17 years. “Obviously, people feed their family before their animal no matter how much they love it. When they have hours cut or lose jobs and can’t afford to buy food, they bring their pets to us.”

The Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office, which handles animal control enforcement, brought 2,707 animals to the shelter in Dalton during 2008, and owners surrendered an additional 1,913 pets.

More than 90 percent were euthanized, Mr. Garrett said.

Georgia Department of Agriculture rules require shelters that are at capacity to stop accepting animals or to euthanize the overflow.

But rather than euthanizing the animals, some shelters are putting their dogs on the road.

Shelters are forming partnerships with animal rescue groups in the Northeast and shuttling pets to new homes and new lives.

Last week a partnership began between the shelter in Summerville and the North Shore Animal League in Long Island, N.Y.

“These are lucky guys,” Felicia Walker, Chattooga County animal control director, said Wednesday as she helped load 40 puppies into a van destined for New York.

“We’re trying to give them a chance,” volunteer Suzanne Royal said as she checked paperwork of puppies saved from near-certain death in Georgia.

Of 193 animals impounded in Chattooga County in January, 108 were transferred to other agencies and rescue groups. Of the remainder, 26 were adopted, 12 were reclaimed by their owners and 18 were euthanized.

Shelter managers — including Alison Smith in Walker County and Darla Proctor in Catoosa County — agree that surrendered and abandoned pets are a problem throughout the region.

“We are seeing an increase of people turning in personal animals saying they’ve lost their home and can’t afford to care for them” Ms. Smith said. “Rescue units are something we, as shelters, are grateful for.”

The Catoosa County shelter takes in about 3,000 animals, mostly dogs, each year, Ms. Proctor said. The adoption rate has risen from 10 percent several years ago to about 52 percent last year, she said. But more pets would be adopted rather than euthanized if more volunteers worked in fostering and placement, she said.

Thursday afternoon Danielle Schreier, who helped spearhead fundraising efforts to bring that first batch of unwanted puppies to her home state of New York, was excited about their arrival.

“Because of spay/neuter laws here in the Northeast, people are always looking for puppies,” she said. “People will fight for dogs like these.”