False claims about pet deaths at Cobb Countyโs animal shelter are spreading on social media. The real numbers tell a different story.
๐ Why It Matters: These wrong numbers are scaring pet owners and making people think the shelter is failing when staff are actually working hard to save animals.
๐ The Real Numbers: Cobb Animal Services shares all their data online for everyone to see. This year, the shelter has taken in 3,620 animals and found homes or rescues for 2,225 of them. Thatโs a much better picture than the fake post suggests.
๐ Whatโs Happening: Like shelters everywhere, Cobb is dealing with too many animals and not enough homes. Money troubles are making it harder for families to keep their pets. But the shelter is fighting back with adoption events, mobile adoption trailers, and partnerships with rescue groups.
๐ก How You Can Help: Director Steve Hammond says the goal is finding homes for every cat and dog. You can visit the shelterโs website, volunteer your time, donate supplies, or adopt a pet. The shelter needs the communityโs help, not fear based on wrong information.
๐ Between the Lines: The shelterโs live release rate is 86%, meaning most animals leave alive. The average stay is over 11 days, giving pets time to find families.
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Before You Dismiss This Articleโฆ
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but hereโs what hasnโt changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonaldโs Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isnโt against you when it reports something you donโt want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. Theyโre telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you โ thatโs literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesnโt match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
B.T. Clark is the Publisher of The Georgia Sun and author of Principles Are Like Pantsโฆ You Ought to Have Some. Over two decades in journalism, he has served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc., earning multiple awards along the way. His work has appeared in newspapers across the state, including The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal.
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
