# Georgia Dogs In Need



## lakota757 (Apr 10, 2008)

I am asking for knowledge and I guess opinions. I have been posting here for several months now. What I have noticed is, there are not many rescues (only two I have seen) that have been willing to help Georgia dogs in urgent need of rescue from high killer shelters in Georgia. There are so many here in Georgia that need help. I know there are plenty others in need, but it seems to me Georgia dogs get passed by. There are two beautiful GA dogs posted right now. No one is willing to help them. I am in no way being critical of any rescue. Just wondering why this is. I feel I am just wasting my time posting them.


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

I don't think you're wasting your time. I know it's frustrating though. Unfortunately sometimes all we can do is give them a chance and a little extra exposure. I personally have a GA dog that I pulled from the Bartow shelter and I've helped transport quite a few for groups up north when they came through here, so I know some really do get rescued by more than the couple overworked groups nearby. 

But I do agree with you that things are bleak for GA shelter dogs and I don't think it's because of lack of willingness, it's limited resources and groups forced to allocate them as best they can to help as many possible. I think there are a couple reasons GA dogs often get the short end of the stick. Most of it is logistics. For the most part, the rescue corridors run from the south to the north, and with several states also with horrible pet overpopulation to the north of GA, a lot of northern groups are probably taking TN dogs, KY dogs, and OH dogs because that's a little less distance they've got to transport them. The other problem is specific to GA which is that they have a law that receiving groups must have a GA rescue license to pull dogs. To get my boy Leo I had to 1. drive there in person and 2. pay the full adoption fee of $95 - which would have included his neuter if i lived locally and could have used their voucher but because I was out of area covered a rabies vax and a microchip. Stuff i could have gotten for $15 up here. Once up here I still had to HW test him, do the rest of his shots and neuter him which costs hundreds more dollars. Now, it's not that he's not worth it, but rescue groups have limited budgets. You're going to pull dogs who come vetted or who don't cost much if you're going to be responsible for the vetting. Same thing with the license. You can get a license if you're out of state but it costs a couple hundred bucks. Most groups are going to skip that and get their dogs from a state that doesn't require it. Without a license you can only pull through a GA rescue who will help you. Those groups are overstretched and not always going to be close enough or otherwise able to help you. 

The only other obstacle I can think of is that a couple shelters in GA have had some cases of distemper recently and that's pretty scary. Of course, disease is a risk whenever you do a shelter pull and thankfully distemper is still extremely rare even in those shelters. 

So... I guess if I were trying to increase the number of dogs getting out of GA the most important obstacles to address are the need for exposure (which you're doing by posting) and then also the need for local logistical help with pulls and starting transports - getting the dogs from the shelter to a major corridor like I-75. The further you get away from the fast lane, the tougher pulls become. Finding local help in rural GA can be next to impossible (as it is in rural eastern KY and I'm sure elsewhere).


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## lakota757 (Apr 10, 2008)

Thank you so much for the info pupresq. That does help me understand a bit more. I live close to several shelters here in GA. I do not have license to pull, but I am willing to help anyway I can to get them out and to a good rescue. Know that if I can ever help you in my area..just ask!


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

I have pulled several dogs here, without a local rescue license. So not sure if it is a state law that they are bypassing, or specific to certain areas like Bartow.

The other problem in Georgia is that shepherds are a dime a dozen. 

In my area, it is hard to get a dog on transport. It is 90 miles either way to hook up with I-85 or I-75 pick-up spots.


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

Anyone can adopt but legally you can't pull dogs without a rescue license. I'm pretty sure that's a statewide rule. If you're pulling from a shelter that gives dogs to anyone (adopters etc.) then pulling them would be the same, because the dogs are leaving the shelter unvetted for nominal fees either way.

The niche that GA shelters are completely missing out on is the ability to coordinate pulls with rescues in other areas. In my work with Harlan we work with tons of different rescue groups and we organize large transports out of state at least once a month. GA shelters can't do that unless they've got a local rescue or someone out of state with a license who is "taking" the dogs. 



> Quote: In my area, it is hard to get a dog on transport. It is 90 miles either way to hook up with I-85 or I-75 pick-up spots.


Aside from the license issue this is a huge problem with saving dogs in rural areas. We have that problem in Harlan. To get dogs out of there the volunteers that work with the shelter have to get the dogs, usually, to at least Lexington, which is 2.5 hours each way. Most of the rescue-friendly shelters in KY also drive cargo vans to places like Chicago, MD, etc. where they can join other transports.

What I have found is that there are a lot of good rescues out there willing to help but on the shelter end, either staff or volunteers, someone has to be there to facilitate the logistics in a big way.


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

hi wanda you're never wasting your time posting these dogs, but i know how heartbreaking it is when help is not forthcoming. once i even POST ON A DOG'S THREAD i feel some level of responsibility for that dog. rescue is so hard, we cannot save them all but we have to keep trying. i have to believe that some day it will be different. i see there was an article in the USA Today about southern and midwestern dogs going north and especially to the northeast. so awareness is being raised. the only hope is education, but in the meantime all of us in rescue have to learn somehow to tolerate the heartbreak. take good care.


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## kshort (Jun 4, 2004)

> Quote:I feel I am just wasting my time posting them.


Wanda, I don't know the answer to the terrible problem in Georgia. But I do know one thing - it absolutely is not a waste of time to post these dogs. Often times, I'll send the link around via email to rescues that I know don't post on this board. I think there are other rescues/individuals that read the forum that don't necessarily post here. The dog gets way more exposure than if they weren't posted at all. You're doing a great job getting their info. on here. I know it's frustrating a lot of the times, but I think it's of tremendous benefit to all of these dogs in Georgia.


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## lakota757 (Apr 10, 2008)

Thank you so much for the encouragement. You are right. We have to just keep trying and hoping. I too feel such a sense of responsibility for any dog I post. I always wonder what happened to it. If it is lucky enough to get out, I then wonder what happened to him or her. We just have to hope for the best and keep on keeping on. Georgia has such a horrible problem. I know Georgia is not the only one. I hope things do get better for the dogs here soon. So many die. I hope the remaining gassing shelters here in Georgia are shut done soon. 
Thank you again for responding!


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## SouthernThistle (Nov 16, 2005)

There was a thread recently regarding "Saving Georgia Dogs" and why it is so difficult for out-of-state rescues to jump in and help:

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1018759&page=2#Post1018759


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