A dog waits to be adopted at the Fulton County Animal Services Wednesday, June 23, 2021. STEVE SCHAEFER FOR THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
By J.D. Capelouto
The public animal shelters in Fulton and DeKalb counties have reached full capacity for the first time in over a year, officials announced this week.
The surge in dogs and cats arriving at the shelters led LifeLine Animal Project, the nonprofit that manages animal services for both counties, to make an “emergency plea” and offer free adoptions through Sunday.
From June 10 to 16, more than 400 animals were brought into the shelters, according to LifeLine, which is looking to find homes for 250 pets over the next five days.
“This is the first time in more than a year that we’ve had four dogs per run due to space issues,” Fulton County Animal Services director Lara Hudson said in a statement. “In addition to saving lives, adoptions will help alleviate some of the crowding too.”
All adopted pets will also be spayed or neutered, microchipped and vaccinated for no additional fee — a $300 value.
There are currently 226 animals at the Fulton County shelter and 370 at the DeKalb shelter. A list of the pets available for adoption is available online at lifelineanimal.org/adopt.
Denetra Station and her daughter Alexandria Siler play with Penny, a dog they are thinking of adopting at the Fulton County Animal Services Wednesday, June 23, 2021. STEVE SCHAEFER FOR THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
Last spring, as COVID-19 was taking hold, the shelters put out an urgent call for adoptions, and 1,100 pets were adopted or fostered in just one week, LifeLine said.
Atlantans fostered a record number of pets — 7,250 — from the public shelters in 2020. Fostering involves caring for a pet to free up shelter space until a permanent home can be found.
“The community stepped up in a big way during the pandemic and helped us to clear the shelters during uncertain times,” DeKalb County Animal Services shelter director Kerry Moyers-Horton said. “We are counting on their amazing support to help save even more lives.”
Dogs and cats can be adopted for free from any LifeLine shelters:
– Fulton County Animal Services: 860 Marietta Blvd. NW, Atlanta
– DeKalb County Animal Services: 3280 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Chamblee
– LifeLine Community Animal Center: 3180 Presidential Drive, Atlanta
Read the original story on AJC.com.
