Animal Shelters: Our Lawmakers have failed us

“No-kill is not just a shelter’s problem and it’s not just an animal welfare problem; it’s a community problem, and the community’s support is needed for shelters to continue to become no-kill.”- Atlanta Humane Society

Animal abuse is a nonpartisan subject. Yet, no one in our General Assembly seems to care. Probably because it is a crime than goes under the radar except in gross instances, like the recent burning of 4 live puppies by the head of the Monroe County Animal Shelter (https://thegeorgiasun.com/crime/georgia-animal-shelter-boss-burned-4-live-puppies-in-incinerator/ ).

Some people like to use the term “euthanasia” for terminating the life of an unwanted former pet. I don’t. I call it what it is: killing an abandoned or lost pet. And many animals that are turned in are simply murdered.

Many shelters are “no kill,” with adoptions as their focus (https://atlantahumane.org/who-we-are/what-is-no-kill/ ). Meaning they only put down animals with physical or mental illnesses. This is humane…but very costly for counties with limited budgets. Therefore, many Georgia counties have a policy for government run shelters that after a certain period of time, animals will be killed and cremated.

Only 52% of Georgia’s 162 shelters are “no-kill”, whereas the figure is much higher nationally- 68%. With nearly 20,000 animals murdered annually, Georgia is one of the worst states in this regard. One out of five animals going into our state’s shelters is killed by the shelter (https://bestfriends.org/who-we-are/media/84-shelters-georgia-achieved-no-kill-2025 ).

There was a law passed which requires reporting the number of pets killed in Georgia each year via the Department of Agriculture (https://agr.georgia.gov/government-shelter-data-reporting ). Unfortunately, most likely by design, the GDOA report is not easily accessible. So, these figures receive little publicity. The public outrage would be significant if the numbers were released and publicized for each county statewide. 

But a non-profit puts a report out (https://bestfriends.org/no-kill/animal-shelter-statistics/georgia ). You can find your own county listed. The more affluents counties fare better. Where is currently live, Fayette, has a dog save rate of 97%. But where I went to high school (Bartow) has a rate of only 80%. In other words,  1 of 5 animals (almost all are healthy) is killed.

However, based on my experience as a county commissioner in a rural Georgia county near Atlanta (Jasper), the accuracy of these numbers may be questionable. One head of our Animal Control Center just told us what we wanted to hear, not the facts.

Theoretically, the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDOA) regulates these shelters. But not enough money is given to GDOA by our General Assembly to have this done well.

County Commissioners are also at fault. Centers are often understaffed. In Jasper County, three of our five commissioners refused to adequately staff our center. All said they were animal lovers. But, per these supposed animal lovers, the county could not afford the expense and “volunteers” should help out. So, the animals were left on their own a significant part of the time, like weekends. 

There is a better way to handle the issue, but it is very costly. I know because I recently adopted an 8-year-old Labrador retriever from a privately funded shelter in Cumming run by Furkids, Inc. ( https://furkids.org/about-us/our-mission-and-history/)

The difference between what I experienced there versus county owned shelters was dramatic…and heartbreaking. Furkids treated these dogs and cats as though they were beloved pets. They were given adequate space to move around both inside and outside of their enclosures.  Staff treated them as though they were their own.

This organization is helping a large number of cats and dogs each year (https://furkids.org/about-us/statistics/ ). But it cannot resolve Georgia’s problem alone.

So, what should be done about this deplorable situation? For starters, our Governor should appoint a committee made up of prominent citizens, including politicians on both sides of the aisle, to recommend specific ways to reduce the deplorable killing of our dogs and cats in government run shelters.

Partial remedies would include:

• State funding for animal shelters;
• Increased city and county funding;
• Greater funding for the Department of Agriculture regulatory functions and improved regulation of shelters by GDOA ;
• Identifying shelter best practices, including mandates such as shelters must be manned at all times, mandatory training for employees; and
• State laws passed and enforced regarding neutering/spaying and treatment of animals (such as prohibiting most chaining).

These remedies would regulate the field and improve the overall situation resulting in fewer animals killed in Georgia. The problem can be addressed if we put pressure on our state and local government officials.

Note: This is an opinion article as designated by the the category placement on this website. It is not news coverage. If this disclaimer is funny to you, it isn’t aimed at you — but some of your friends and neighbors honestly have trouble telling the difference.