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Question: How can we get spay/neuter assistance, or low cost spay/neuter?
Answer: Check out www.petorphans.com for a list of low cost spay neuter vets. Also the State of Georgia offers assistance through their license plate program.
The state fund will assist the pet owner financially toward the surgery fee as follows: $35 - cat neuter, $45 cat spay, $55 dog neuter, and $65 dog spay. Anyone wishing to use this financial assistance should check with their veterinarian to see if they participate in this program. All accredited full time veterinarians are allowed up to five surgeries every month.
For more information visit the Georgia Department of Agriculture web site or call (404) 656-3667. Together, we can "FIX GEORGIA!
Question: I found a dog and I don't want to take it to animal control, will you take it?
Answer: We are not allowed to take stray dogs, take the animal to your county animal control so the owner can find their lost dog.
If you want to give us your canine, please realize that we are a small organization on private property. We get NO funding from government......we are limited in the animals we can take. In order for us to consider your canine it must meet certain criteria. The animal must be spayed/neutered, current on vaccinations, recent (two months maximum) negative fecal, heartworm/lyme test, and be flea/tick free. In addition, the animal MUST not have any bite history, major physical impairment, or fear/aggression/behavior issues. If the animal meets those criteria you can bring the animal here for an evaluation, if the animal is accepted we will you on a waiting list. We are a mostly self-funded organization, surviving on adoption fees and the few personal donations we receive. We do expect the owner to give a donation to help with the costs associated of housing and rehoming your pet.
Before you surrender your animal to any organization, please read below........
Reality of Adoption
Animal shelters and humane societies were created to care for stray and abused animals. They weren't meant to be a drop-off for people who don't want their pets anymore. Shelters, on average, take in 100 new animals or more each day. Let's face it - there won't be enough good homes for all of them. Even the best shelters can't boast much more than a 50% adoption rates. Only the youngest, friendliest, cutest and best-behaved dogs are going to be adopted. Being purebred won't help your dog's chances of adoption either - almost half of the dogs in many shelters are purebreds. Your dog may be as good as dead when he walks in the door. If your dog is old, has health problems or poor attitudes toward strangers; its chances of adoption are slim to none.
Sending your dog to a shelter in hopes that he'll find a good home is wishful thinking. It's more likely that you'll be signing your dog’s death warrant. A shelter is your last resort only after all you’re best efforts have failed.
"No-Kill" Shelters and Breed Rescue Services
True "no-kill" shelters are few and far between. Obviously, no one wants to see their pet killed so the demand for no-kill shelter services is high. So high that they're forced to turn away many pets because they don't have room for them all. Often, they have to choose only the most adoptable dogs to work with.
Breed rescue services are small, private, shelter-like groups run by volunteers dedicated to a particular breed. Most of them operate out of the volunteer's home. Like no-kill shelters, demand for their services is high, so high that your dog may be turned away for lack of room. A breed rescue can still help you place your dog by providing referrals to persons interested in adopting your dog. You'll have the most success if you follow the rescue service's advice and are willing to do your share of the work to find a new home.
Be honest with yourself, do you really have to give up your dog? There's a big difference between being forced to give up your dog and wanting to "get rid of him". Search your heart for the real reason why your dog can't live with you anymore. Be honest with yourself.
Dog Problems — Behavior
If you got your dog as a puppy and he now has a behavior problem you can't live with, you must accept the fact that you are at least partly responsible for the way your dog is now.
You have 4 options:
- 1 You can continue to live with your dog the way he is.
- 2 You can get help to correct the problem.
- 3 You can try to give your problem to someone else.
- 4 You can have the dog euthanized.
Obviously the first option is out or you wouldn't be reading this page. You're probably most interested in Option 3. So......If you were looking for a dog and could select from all kinds of dogs and puppies, would you deliberately choose one with a behavior problem? No, certainly not - and neither would anyone else. To make your dog desirable to other people, you're going to have to take some action to fix his problems.
Most behavior problems aren't that hard to solve, take a few minutes and try researching on the internet or talking to a professional trainer, before you give up on your beloved pet.
Think hard about Option 2 before deciding it won't work for you - because the only option you have left is number 4: Having the dog euthanized. That's the bottom line. If you, who know and love the dog best, won't give him another chance, why should anyone else? Think about that.
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