Adoptable Georgia Dogs for September 1, 2015

Yesterday, I picked up Kira, an adult female Blue Heeler (Australian Cattle Dog) from DeKalb County Animal Services and drove her to Loganville, where she is now being cared for by Country Livin’ Pet Rescue and will soon be available for adoption.

My total time commitment was about two hours and it may have saved two dogs – Kira and the dog who took her kennel at DeKalb. It’s a great low-cost way to help out with dog rescue if you’re unable to adopt or foster.

Check out her video on Facebook – she loves to play fetch, appears to be trained, and is a very nice calm dog.

Pierre is a short and sweet little pocket pittie that can’t wait to waddle into your life on his short little legs! This 3 year old boy showers everyone he meets with buckets of affection. Pierre has some patchy hair loss on his back and his adopters will need to continue his vet care. Pierre is available for adoption from DeKalb County Animal Services. I happened to see this little guy yesterday when I was picking up Kira and he’s adorable. If you adopt him and tell everyone he’s a French Bulldog mix, they’ll believe you. I’d guess he’s maybe 35 pounds.

Vinnie is a little 4-year male Dachshund mix who is available for adoption from Barrow County Animal Shelter in Winder, GA.

Ruxpin is a middle-aged Shepherd or Retriever mix whose face totally looks like a bear. He’s maybe a little bit fluffier than he needs to be, but he’s well-behaved and gets along well with other dogs. He just needs to be reaquainted with exercise. Ruxpin is available for adoption from Barrow County Animal Control in Winder, GA.

Each of these guys is one of a number of dogs who are available for $30 adoption fee in the Pre-Labor Day Adoption Special that runs all week.

During the “Fall in Love” promotion at LifeLine Animal Services’ DeKalb and Fulton shelters, all adoptions during the month of September are free – including full vetting for your new best friends.

The takeover by LifeLine at DeKalb and Fulton Counties has been a resounding success for both the animals who come in to the shelters, and for the taxpayers. From the Saporta Reporta,

After a lot of hard work, the chances have improved significantly that an animal will come out alive from a shelter in Fulton and DeKalb counties – up from 15 animals out of 100 in 2012, to 85 animals out of 100 in 2014, according to the contractor who took over the facilities in 2013.

The turn-around has been so dramatic that the two counties should be able to reach the “no kill” threshold of saving 90 out of every 100 animals, according to Rebecca Guinn, founder and CEO of Lifeline Animal Project. The “I’m In” campaign, seen on MARTA vehicles, aims to reach the goal by 2016.

The “no kill” rate of 90 percent accounts for some animals being too sick, too injured, or too behaviorly unsound to save, Guinn said. The rate has been reached in cities including Austin, Texas and Reno, N.V.

“LifeLine’s work with FCAS [Fulton County Animal Shelter] is making a difference in Fulton County,” John Eaves, Fulton County chairman, said in a statement. “Through the generous and consistent support of partners and the community, access to quality adoption and other animal services is dramatically decreasing the population of homeless animals in our community.”

County commissioners in Fulton and DeKalb decided to outsource their shelters in 2013. Both counties were struggling to manage the shelters at a time property tax receipts were flagging in the wake of the Great Recession.

The contract fees paid by the counties covers the cost of operating the shelters, Guinn said. In the case of Fulton, the contract also provides for LifeLine to manage the animal control program. DeKalb County retained control of that program in its jurisdiction.

Justin Tomczak, who also serves as First Vice Chair for the Cobb County Republican Party, wrote in Huffington Post about insurance issues for owners or potential adopters of dogs labeled “Pit Bulls.”

I work for an insurance company and as a result, I frequently talk to people who own or have adopted a dog and had problems getting homeowners or renters insurance because of the breed of dog they own. Many of them share stories like that of Chris and Zach Olson. Since June they have been fostering a dog named Venus through Ruff Start Rescue in Minnesota. Venus is the quintessential underdog because she is a pit bull with health problems who arrived at the rescue. That didn’t matter to Chris and Zach and they applied to adopt Venus just over a week after they began fostering her. When Chris called her homeowners insurance carrier to share the good news, the response was not unusual.

“My insurance company said they couldn’t provide coverage because I had a pit bull.” said Olson. “I panicked, I was on the verge of tears because my husband and I had already fallen in love with Venus. She is a good dog who hadn’t done anything wrong so why was she already being treated like a bad dog?”

As dog owners, we are responsible for the health and safety of our pets. We need to make every effort to set up our dogs for success by avoiding situations where they feel the need to protect themselves. Unfortunately not every dog owner acts in a safe and responsible manner and as a result, people can be injured. It doesn’t matter if it is a poodle or a pit bull, any breed of dog can bite or cause injury, and any breed of dog can make a great family pet.

I mentioned that I work for an insurance company; at State Farm, risk is determined by the dog’s bite history rather than breed. As a member of the National Dog Bite Prevention Coalition, we focus on educating people about how to understand a dogs’ body language as one way to prevent dog bites. We educate young children and their parents about the importance of being a responsible pet parent through Kindness is Powerful events with internationally renowned dog trainer Victoria Stilwell. We sponsor A Super Smiley Adventure with Megan Blake on Pet Life Radio and share uplifting stories about the human-animal bond through our Canine Assist Team. Most important of all, we understand that dogs are a member of the family.