Athens shelters and organizations want to find dogs and cats a home
It isn’t just Halloween that makes October special — it’s also Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. Whether a student or an Athens resident, there’s several shelters and organizations that aim to give loving homes to dogs and cats in the community.
The Athens County Dog Shelter, 13333 State Route 13 in Millfield, is the shelter that is run through the county and has capacity for 48 dogs. Currently, there are around 20 at the shelter.
“The average return to owner is two days,” said Jeff Koons, the dog warden. Beyond that, dogs are kept at the shelter for as long as possible, but it depends on the number of dogs at the shelter along with a variety of other factors.
“The first thing is come and find a dog that you like, that fits your description and lifestyle,” he said.
All dogs at the shelter are $65 and can be found online on the shelter’s Petfinder page through its website.
While there are some students that come adopt dogs, many come to the shelter to volunteer.
“(Volunteers mainly) exercise the dogs, bathe them and socialize them,” Koons said.
An organization that works with the shelter is Friends of the Shelter Dogs.
“Friends of the Shelter Dogs is a non-profit organization that works very hard to lower euthanasia rates at the shelter and provide a better quality of living for the dogs within the shelter,” said Sara Hartman, vice president of the Friends of the Shelter Dogs board.
“The number (of euthanasias) used to be quite high. In the years before Friends of the Shelter Dogs got involved, the number used to be as high as 85 percent. … We also work hard in the county to promote spay and neuter.”
The group, which was formed in 2007, works closely with the shelter to provide what is needed. This includes starting the Shelter Shot program, which provides vaccinations for every dog as they enter the shelter; providing vet care for dogs with heartworm, abuse and neglect injuries as well as other types of injuries; and running a rigorous rescue program that helps place the animals in homes or rescues.
“In 2013, we helped nearly 500 dogs find safe and loving homes,” Hartman said. Many of these dogs went to rescues or homes within the county.
The organization also has a foster program for dogs that aren’t in the shelter — which Hartman said is popular for students.
“Some of our best foster homes are students,” she said. “They open up their home for a pet until the dog gets adopted or transported to a rescue.”
The largest fundraiser for the organization is Purses for Pooches, which is a live and silent auction of purses. Dinner is provided in the ticket price, and all the servers are men from in the community.
The Athens County Humane Society is another non-profit that runs an adoption program as well as providing low cost spay and neuter clinics in the county.
The Humane Society also helps to place cats in loving homes. Pets through the organization are housed at PetSmart until they’re placed, and some are fostered at uptown establishments, like Import House.
Fosters are currently needed for the Humane Society. To find out more information, email adoptionachs@gmail.com.
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