LIke Wardell - I was a cat person but now I am a dog person. I found Babe on the highway with an awful rope around her neck. She was so thin, the bones of her spine were visible. Since I had cats, I didn't think I could keep her. I went to the Dekalb county Animal Shelter and was totally appalled at what I saw. That was in 1999 and I am sorry to say that things there are still bad. Dekalb county must build a new shelter. The current one can be made a little better temporarily but it cannot be fixed so that is a decent place for the animals. So many people are spending their time and precious dollars trying to rescue animals because the county is NOT DOING what they should. Please tell us your stories of rescue and tell the County Commissiones and CEO Ellis that the people and animals of this county deserve better. And you guessed it - Babe is sitting here beside me now.

I am a foster for Angels Among Us. My foster dog was hit by a car and ran away in Avondale Estates. I went to DeKalb Animal Control to see if he had been picked up. Although I had been there before a few time in the past decade, the only thing that changed was there seemed to be air conditioning in the deplorable facility. As I was waiting to speak to staff, a distraught woman was there to surrender a sweet little tan dog who was in a ball on the floor, peeing herself because she was so scared. The employee told the woman that just because she brought the dog in, it didn't mean the dog would leave (meaning it would be put down). Surrenders are put down almost immediately. And it was a Monday, since no intakes on done on Monday, she told the woman she would have to come back Tuesday. The woman was so upset, as she was unemployed, and had no money to feed this dog which was a stray that she had cared for since January. I asked her if I gave her food, if she could care for the dog. She replied no. I was petting the dog, and looked up at the woman and said "I'll take her". She burst into tears and said she prayed and prayed and the Lord answered her prayers. Was I in the market for another dog? No, but this little girl is so wonderful, she was meant to be in my family. I have also stayed in touch with the woman who surrendered her, as the dog's mother and brother and a pit mix (all strays) are still with her. I help her with food for them.

DeKalb County definitely has a lot of work to do to in order to improve the conditions for animals at the shelter (and plenty of animals in homes, but not properly cared for). We need a new shelter, and we need to do a better job educating the public about spaying/neutering, chain laws, and the resources available for taking better care of all our pets. However, I would encourage anyone who cares about DeKalb animals to keep advocating for change AND to "be the change you want to see in the world". Every day, the shelter can use volunteers to help walk and socialize dogs, pet cats, help out with adoption events, show up to Thursday evening "Charm School" - even just a few hours now and then helps make life better for the animals there. It can be overwhelming to visit at first - but when you take a dog for a walk, that dog isn't thinking about the noise and the overcrowding. That dog is just happy to be outside, happy to be with you, happy to get away from the boredom of the kennel! It may not change the world, but it makes a world of difference in the life of that one animal - really!

I am originally from NJ.I moved to Stone Mountain in Dec of 2009.I was an Animal Control Officer for Newark,NJ IN 2006. Newark,NJ Is one of the worst high crime area as is Camden. Now, both Shelters have indoor outdoor runs for the Dogs.Their are no puddles on floor and are well ventilated.Their is NO EXCUSE for Dekalb County to have such a dirty, smelly Shelter.Even though,the Shelter is in the condition it is in, I will continue to Volunteer as much as I can, for those Animals with no voice..Get with it Dekalb!!!

Hi, can you go into more details about the fostering and rescuing you have done in DeKalb County?

Not to make this political, but the root of the problem is Burrell Ellis. We have him fo 4 more years, and need to put on the pressure on him for change.

I have been volunteering at the shelter since May 8. The first time I walked into the dog adoption area I spotted this beautiful dog. Every week when I walked into the adoption area I found Prince standing at the kennel door, never barking, never jumping - just waiting and waiting. I fell in love with this dog very quickly. I walked him every week. I didn't really consider adopting him because we have four cats, and one of them is very elderly and has some serious health issues. After watching him wait and wait and wait I knew I had to do something. I found out that his time was up.
. Hearing that was all I needed to push me to GET him out. I adopted him immediately.I had not even talked to my husband about bringing another animal into the house, but there was no way on God' Green Earth that I was going to leave him there to die. It was dreadful enough every time I had to return him to his kennel and tell him "I will see you next week:". I often wondered what he thought every time I put him back. .. I am thrilled that he is part of our family, but it has not been without a LOT of extra cost and effort. All to often animals are put down just because no one will step up and make the effort . Leaving animals in that dirty, wet shelter should never happen.. Even worse is having to put them down because of the county's disregard for the animals, and that should make everyone who turns their back extremely ashamed. The animals must have a new shelter.

I have 2 tales I can relate.
First issue involves a pack of dogs roaming Pine Lake killing cats. Dekalb Animal Control was called multiple times. When the residents of Pine Lake put out their own traps Animal Control took credit for placing traps. One evening 2 dogs were caught- 1 trapped and 1 cornered. A Pine Lake police person called Animal Control and stayed with the 2 women who caught these dogs. Animal Control arrived 3 hours later (at midnight) and then made these 2 women carry the trap to his vehicle and place the dog in the truck themselves.
Second example- a friend heard a kitten crying in a storm drain at the VA Hospital. She and I spent half a day calling first Dekalb Animal Control who told us as it was a drain we needed to call Dekalb Roads or such. We called them and were referred back to Animal Control. Finally once the evening shift arrived we got an Animal Control officer (his name was Lewis) who met us on site and helped us rescue the kitten who was kept and named affectionately 'Lewis'. That 1 act of kindness which took 1/2 a day to round up was appreciated and turned what would have been a disgrace into a good experience.

I wrote up an entry for this new blog, then found out that they have to be under 1,500 characters. Sorry, I can't write that little. :) Part 1 of 3.

I moved to Dekalb County in 2009 with my pit bull that I adopted from Fulton County animal control. A couple of months after my move I received an email from an animal advocate about Dekalb's animal control shelter. The email said that 34 pit bulls were killed every single week in Dekalb, and that the shelter wouldn't adopt them out. So basically any pit bull that comes into the shelter is killed.

I was devastated to hear that and cried while I pet my pit bull; thinking that if I lived in Dekalb when I was ready to adopt a dog I would never have seen her or been able to adopt her. Then I took action. I emailed the director of the shelter and asked why so many pit bulls were being killed and what can be done about it. She responded and said that licensed rescue groups are allowed to rescue them. Knowing that was the Dekalb pit bulls' only chance I decided then and there to start a rescue.

I met with the adoption/rescue coordinator at Dekalb, Jamie, and explained what I wanted to do. She was very friendly and supportive, and was happy to have a group dedicated to saving the Dekalb pit bulls. I went through the whole paperwork process before taking in my first rescue dog. I spent over $1,000 of my own money to pay for license fees and IRS fees (to become a 501c3 non profit). Once everything was in place I went to the shelter to rescue the first official Shelter Angels Pit Bull Rescue dog- Max, a pit bull/lab mix.

When I started the rescue I lived in a 600 sq ft duplex apartment. Luckily I had a very understanding, animal-loving landlord. I would bring these dogs into my tiny apartment to live with me, my dog, and my 4 cats. Space was tight; I had countless sleepness nights because I could hear every movement, whine or bark from the foster dogs.

Eventually I was able to buy a house and have much more room for the rescue dogs. But I don't forgot the humble beginnings of Shelter Angels. I gave my home, my money, my time and my life to these dogs.

Over the past 3 years I've rescued over 130 pit bulls from Dekalb County Animal Services, with the help of our wonderful foster homes and donors. There are many happy stories; dozens of dogs who went from death row to living the good life. There are some sad stories; dogs who were too ill to make it beyond a few days after leaving the shelter.

I sacrificed a lot for the Dekalb dogs. I've lost many possessions- couches, shoes, cell phones, books, movies, basically anything a dog can put in it's mouth and chew to pieces. I've bought dog food before buying food for myself. I've given up on taking trips. Or even going out and coming home late.

But I've received so much in return. I learned that possessions are just things. They don't matter in the grand scheme of life. If it can be chewed to pieces you probably don't need it anyways. I learned that trips out of state are filled with thoughts of coming back home. That quiet nights on the couch with the dogs are so much better than late nights at a club.

Somehow, a dog that was rescued from death row seems to be so much more grateful. It's as if they know what their fate was, and will show you an unending supply of love in appreciation for you saving them. The simplest things they do- running around the yard or snoring on the couch, can bring you so much joy. In the end this is what matters most.

That's an amazing story Rebecca. Thanks for the post.

Part ONE of TWO:
I have lived in DeKalb County for about 11 years now and never thought when I moved to Atlanta, that I would become a "dog rescuer." Yet, it is hard not to become one when living here. After all, there are far too many individuals who keep their dogs chained up, do not spay or neuter their pets and who, when overwhelmed with puppies, drop a whole box full of them at DeKalb Animal Services. It drives me bonkers.

I was just looking at my "rescue" folder on my computer and found that I have rescued off the streets or from DeKalb Animal Services - over 70 dogs in the last 6 years. This does not count the number of dogs who I fostered through a non-profit in DeKalb - this is just me walking down the street and finding a starving puppy, or a dog dragging a chain, or rescuing and dog from DeKalb before he/she is to be euthanized. The list goes on and on.

What many people don't realize is the enormous amount of animals that are out there in need. What many people also don't realize is the amount of time and money that regular individuals spend on helping these animals. After all, I am a Realtor in "real life," not a crazy dog lady. Yet, I have spent many thousands of dollars helping animals get off the street or out of DeKalb Animal Control.

DeKalb Animal Services has historically spent more taxpayer money euthanizing animals than it does saving animals.

It is so disheartening and so maddening when you find a dog tied to a tree of a foreclosed home or actually locked inside of a foreclosed home (both true stories) and find yourself working like crazy with other individuals trying to save their lives - not knowing how long they have been there without food and water.

So, what is the tipping point? The current DeKalb Animal Services is awful inside and out for the animals and employees, and certainly not large enough or equipped to handle the animals that come in each day without having to euthanize A LOT OF THEM . Many people who find an animal on the street are not able (or willing) to foster though a rescue, and most veterinarian facilities around town cannot take in neglected animals from the streets. Therefore, it comes down to being educated and educating others about the massive issues that face us in this county when it comes to an extreme overpopulation of neglected and abused animals. Education is the key and if we can educate people to spay/neuter and provide for their pets, we will have come a long way.

I have been rescuing pets for my whole adult life. I used to think that there was an invisible neon sign telling people where the dog lady lived! I have rescued 12 dogs, keeping most of them but finding a few of them homes elsewhere. A couple of years ago, we tried to rescue a family of dogs that were feral in our neighborhood, but lost them during the January snowstorm. We weren't the only ones trying to capture them so my great hope is that someone else rescued them. We searched for weeks afterward.
We had been seeing a series of cats coming from one tailless daddy kitty as there were tailless kitties of various colors that we had seen through the years. Mama Kitty's kittens were our first adventure into trapping cats. We caught our first two quickly and luckily found a vet that offered low cost spay/neuter and shots. We kept them a few weeks as we searched for homes, all the while acclimating them to humans. Mama Kitty showed up again with another litter, so we got busy again! This time we got these kittens earlier and we got Mama! Luckily, we found them all the kittens wonderful homes. Mama never tamed down but we kept her trapped after she was spayed for about a month, making sure she was fully healed and then released her, confident at least that she wouldn't bring anymore kittens around. We rescued four more that year, getting them all spayed or neutered and all sets of shots. We luckily, we're able to find all of these babies homes!

Might be about time someone starts a no kill shelter in dekalb. Look to long island ny for one of the best and how to do it. I forget the name but i think it is south shore animal shelter.....i could be wrong. I know they have even done dental work on dogs to make them more adoptable.

Lifeline is a No Kill Shelter as well, not sure about their intake policy though. Also, I think Dekalb Animal Control is considered a "High Kill" Shelter.

Jody, your post gets to the problem of animal control in DeKalb County. No-Kill shelters such as Liefeline fill up and can't take any more animals. The DeKalb Animal Shelter can continue to take pets in because they are a high-kill "shelter". What DeKalb Animal Shelter needs to do is increase their adoption rate by, among other things, education and publicity. Another major factor is offering free or very inexpensive spay/neuter services to cut down on the number of stray animals that people like us have to end up fostering and finding homes for. Nothing short of a multi-pronged approach to animal control is going to address the problem.

My partner and I have taken in 12 cats and 5 dogs over the past 25 years from parking lots, individuals who couldn't keep them, neighborhood strays and animal rescue groups. None of them have been re-homed, they all ended up staying to live out long pampered lives with us. We tried fostering once and failed miserably - we agreed to foster a young Springer Spaniel rescued by English Springer Rescue America from Fulton County animal control. We survived as foster parents for a full 2 hours (only because we couldn't email the adoption application from the car.) The little guy lucked out with us - he had severe hip dysplasia and ended up getting a hip replacement at UGA for his first Christmas gift from us. He's an active happy dog now.

Part One:
I started rescue work as a graduate student. I lived in an apartment complex where people would discard their cats like trash before moving. My neighbor and I would feed these cats and keep them in our little apartments when the weather got bad. We also got many of them spayed/neutered at our own expense. I was a college student then with a minimal income, so this was money spent that could have been used for other necessities. Even though I don’t consider myself a “cat person”, I did this because I felt it was the right thing to do. This was over ten years ago, but sadly, the culture of dumping animals when convenient continues.

Part Two:
Since then I’ve done various types of small rescue work including financing spay/neuter of pets that would otherwise keep having litter after litter, finding homes for dogs dumped in my neighborhood, and walking the dogs at Dekalb Animal Services. One time I even helped build a fence for a woman who chained up her three dogs. My friends and I tried to educate her about anti-chaining ordinances with little success. We even reported her case to DeKalb Animal Services but no one ever responded to our plea. Our best solution was to build a fence for these dogs who would otherwise be chained up for the rest of their lives. We spent our personal money and the entire weekend on this project. At the end, our time and money was worth the little improvement in the quality of life we were able to provide for these dogs. As we left we noticed that many other homes in the same neighborhood had chained up dogs…with no one to rescue them. It is truly disheartening to see the state of animal welfare in DeKalb. So many healthy and adoptable pets die every year at DeKalb Animal Services because of the volumes entering the facility and not enough being adopted.

Since moving to Dunwoody 5 months ago, I have had three stray dogs come up to me while I was working in my yard. This is a good, clean neighborhood. My point is that bad things do happen to good people and to good pets. Mistakes happen. Fortunately, for me and the pets that "came to me", the owners were close and still willing to take their pets back since they love them. These owners, or any responsible owners, need to realize that I could have called the DeKalb County Animal Control to pick up their dogs. Everyone needs to go to that facility -- to see where their animal could be housed, because they made a simple mistake. It could ultimately lead to the death [yes that would be extreme, I agree] of their pets or could cause them to be exposed to disease and filth. One of the dogs that came to me was quite old. Imagine how that dog would have been impacted from exposure in the facility's current environment. My wish is that EVERYONE visit the facility and become educated about the current situation. I would encourage them to do so, and then to encourage their commissioner and CEO Ellis to move toward better conditions and ultimately a new facility. We want all pets to be safe when in the care of our county government. Whether they be owned or strays, they deserve equality--humane and decent conditions--until they can find be adopted or reach the end of their life. No, life is not always fair, but we need to be strong enough to do the best we can, as citizens.

Can anyone here tell me about the Friends of Dekalb Animals charity? I would love to donate to the shelter via a group that can help, but not sure if the money will be wasted. This group has been in the news lately because of the poor dog Xena, See: http://dekalbanimals.chipin.com/xena-the-warrior-puppy

Is it worthwhile to donate money directly to the Dek Co Animal Shelter? Will it be wasted or will it go to the dogs :-).

Thanks Wardell/Jody.

I have several experiences with rescuing and getting animals from different places. I adopted a cat when the Gwinnett Humane Society couldn't take him in because it was during Halloween and apparently they wouldn't take in or adopt out black cats at that time. My boyfriend found a cat at a vacant foreclosed house and brought him home to live with us. He also took in a dog (Siberian Husky) from someone on the street - it turns out she had been adopted from Fulton County Animal Services and whoever got her turned around and dumped her on the street. These animals have been with us for at least several years and are great pets.

I also feel that FODA does a great job. The same gal who is fostering Xena also rescued one of my dogs from a bad hoarding situation and saved her life. I am so grateful to her for all of the rescue work she does individually and with FODA, and I think of that every time I look at my sweet little dog lying on my couch, who is now toothless because of her former treatment. She also works for Dekalb Animal Services and she introduced me to a little one-eyed, three footed cat, turned in as a cruelty case, whom I ended up adopting through Southern Animal Rescue. I know there are a LOT of problems with the DAS facility and they need to be resolved asap, for the health and well-being of both the animals and staff there. But in the meantime, I so admire and support the staff and officers that are working hard for the animals every day with the limited funds and resources. My other animals are a stray that I found on North Druid Hills 10 years ago, a dog who was abandoned in a parking lot (adopted from Animal Action Rescue), and a cat that was from the Athens Humane Society when I lived there. I will ALWAYS adopt from the shelter or from a rescue. I honestly can't believe anyone would purchase a dog when so many dogs die every day in shelters.

I unfortunately or fortunately- depending how you view it- live in the same neighborhood as animal control which is an incredibly popular dumping ground for unwanted animals. I have lived here for three years, and have "rescued" 15 dogs and 1 cat. 14 of the 15 I literally did not leave my neighborhood. 2 of whom I found in my front yard, 1 of which had been shot several times (don't worry, he made a full recover and is now living out a happy life as Grifindor).

I say "rescued" because I either fostered them myself, or begged, or bargained their entrance into Lifeline Animal Project or Friends to the Forlorn Pitbull Rescue. This is not something I put in the "win" category because rescues need to be careful that they do not overfill and can pay their bills at the end of the month. They are not magical entities that have endless room or money to operate, but I digress.

Sadly, even though I have picked up so many, I certainly have not picked up ALL that I have seen. I routinely see strays and dead dogs on the side of the road. I rarely take my dogs for walks because I am afraid that puppies that have been left to die in the woods will follow me home, and I have run out of room at my house.

I sincerely hope money will be put toward an aggressive outreach spay/nueter program. We need to educate our neighbors, and try to help- not judge.

I expect some to get upset with my comments, but I feel I have to say this, given the topic. I know someone who has always had anywhere from 2 to 4 dogs at a time. She has a nice home with a large fenced in backyard. A few years ago when she was down to 2, she attempted to adopt from well-known no kill shelters, and 'rescue' agencies. The process was more extensive than a job interview. The home inspections were ridiculous - she is a good, loving 'parent'. But she was told that since there were trees (hardwoods, pine trees and the like) bordering her property that dropped nuts and things the dogs could choke on, and that her blow-dryer had fallen off the sink that morning, that her home was unacceptable. (none of her dogs ever chewed, so it did not-until then-occur to her to pick it up immediately). If you DO adopt from them, the dog is never really yours - you have to allow them to inspect at any time and remove the animal if they see something they don't like. LIGHTEN UP and learn to pick out the good homes, and let your rescues go. If rescues can find more homes, they can take more from the no-kill shelters, and so on. I know they mean well, but....they often seem a little fanatical.

I’m a DeKalb resident – bought a house about a year ago. Since then, I’ve (actively) adopted a kitten who came with an expensive illness he gave my other cat; I helped a neighbor catch a tiny feral kitten I ended up taming and keeping. I recently caught an older feral kitten I’m working to tame and get healthy so I can find her a home. I care for a stray who lives on and under my porch; as soon as she’s trusting enough, I’l l get her to the vet so she can hopefully come inside when it’s cold. I’ve caught and had 2 adult feral cats neutered, and there are 3 more who are eating on my porch I haven’t caught yet. I’ve seen 2 more on my street, so they’re in my sights, too. A word to cat owners: if your cat goes outside, put a collar on it. At best, a collarless cat may end up getting “the treatment” at Lifeline. At worst, well…

I agree that a much bigger push to ALL pet owners to spay and neuter is needed. Seems like this is something the neighborhood associations could get behind and (logistically, at least) help their residents with – at least for the feral and stray dogs and cats. Maybe the county should consider raising the cost to register an unaltered animal to make it more financially advantageous to “fix” our pets. Animal Control could certainly use the extra money!

I've lived in Dekalb 41 years. I honestly don't know how many animals I've rescued. The worst case was Dawn ( www.facebook.com/fightingfordawn ). I found her on a cold February day at the Walmart on Gresham. She was about 2, 24 lbs, 92 degree temp. She was pitiful. She was covered in mange and wounds. I was terrified that she was going to die from anemia and other conditions caused by the malnutrition. You could see that she had lived on a chain and been repeatedly bred. She is a survivor of the cruelty that occurs daily to animals everywhere. She is now 60 lbs of pure pit bull love. Thanks to her, we are currently working on starting the Fighting for Dawn foundation. We will help rescues and animal services financially to save more animals from euthanasia.

The second difficult dog we rescued from The same Walmart is Martin. Our family and a friend, maud, fed him for 9 weeks before finally trapping him. He is a huge baby pibble. He would run every time we got near him. Now, he never leaves my side.

I've fostered many animals from DCAS for various rescues. It breaks my heart every time I go and have to leave the other 200+ animals behind. I've picked up who knows how many animals off the streets these 41 years only calling AC once because the animal was vicious. The employees are fabulous there. They do all they can do. Unfortunately, there are too many animals and they are forced to euthanize.

I am very grateful to Lifeline for saving my *baby* off death's door and death row at the dekalb shelter and also truly grateful for their low cost vaccinations. B/c of them we've been able to save a few more cats we found hungry in our neighborhood and get all their shots/deworming etc. for only $40 and then take the time find them good homes. It usually takes 2- 6 months. It takes everyone working together to make a difference. We are retired but we do our part.

I started rescuing animals In Dekalb County 15 yrs ago when I moved here. My FIRST was a kitten I saw crying outside the window of Publix. After days of going back and trying to catch her I had to borrowed a have-a-heart trap. When caught, I took her screaming and flailing to the Vet. (not pleasant to have in your car!
I have since learned that covering the trap with a towel or sheet will calm them down right away and they will stop banging around in the trap. She was fully vetted and spayed. The plan was to release her to a safe place, however she turned out to be friendly and I took her to an adoption event where she found her furever home. This was a LONG time ago.........to continue.........sigh......

I had friends that volunteered at Dekalb Animal Services and knew of the bleak conditions and outcomes for the animals. I knew I couldn't go there myself as I am too sensitive and thought the scene would do me in. I thought the very least I could do was go get ONE animal out of there! I went to the adoption area there and adopted a puppy to bring back to Ct where I do animal rescue small time.(part of the year I live in Ct.) I then learned of FODA and arranged with them to transport a few small shipments of dogs/puppies to me in Ct from Dekalb to be adopted out. So few animals there have any real hope of getting out alive unless a rescue takes them.The North has more available homes for animals as spay/neuter is utilized more. This was no easy task to pay for and find the right homes for these dogs while I continued to work as a Hospice nurse. Countless hours of caring for them, telephone calls and home checks. In the end they were all adopted. Those were the lucky ones.......so many are not.......sigh....... to be continued.....................

PART 1: Last year as I was driving on Memorial Dr. I saw some cars slowing ahead and one stopped. I saw 2 hysterical small children with their grandfather standing at the side of the road. I thought the worst and I was right. Their small dog had been hit and was alive but unable to use it's hind end or legs. She was crying and trying to crawl. With every howl the dog made, the 2 young girls cried too! If anyone got close to the dog to help she would snap and crawl further right back into moving traffic. I stood in the road and was trying to slow the onslaught of traffic. A police officer arrived and did little to help except to have his flashing lights alert drivers of a problem. I asked him to call Animal Control and he said, "oh, they probably wouldn't come out for something like this". He left after about 10 minutes while the grandfather and myself tried to get the dog to safety and the traffic still a threat. The grandfather and children did not speak much English, so it was hard to communicate what had happened and what he wanted to do. I told him the dog must get to a vet hospital asap. The dog was in obvious pain and shock and would not let us get near her- yet we had to get her out of the road. She had no collar or leash attached. (continued)

Part 2: I had an old sheet in my car and put it over her and the grandfather picked up a snapping, screaming dog and put her in the back of my car. I explained I was taking her to a doctor and I had him write down a phone # where he could be reached. I called ahead and took her to Dearborn Animal Hospital. The ride there was a nightmare I will never forget. With every turn and bump she cried out in pain. Blood stains remained embedded in the upholstery only to repeatedly remind me of the horror of the afternoon. I explained to the vet what had happened and asked them to keep her pain free and that I would pay for her bill to find out the severity of her injuries. After an x-ray determined her injuries could not be repaired or healed. Due to her significant pain, it was decided that euthanasia was the kindest option. Myself and the vet tried to reach the owner many times to explain the findings and see if they wanted to come say goodbye. Several messages were left over a few hours with no return call while the dog still suffered. The dog was then euthanized. This was an agonizing event I will never forget. AND KUDOS to Dearborn Hospital who is so compassionate and never charged me for that very sad visit. I shutter when I recall these memories but the grace in this story is to know that this sweet little dog did not get hit again or crawl to the side of the road to have a lingering, painful death, and that she was embraced with love and compassion in her final moments.

This brings back sad memories about my dog Megan, a beautiful elkhound. I was in a local park, off leash (the only time ever, she was playing with some other dogs well away from the road), when something got her attention and she ran across Ashford Dunwoody. I ran to the top of the hill, looking down and yelled for her. I saw her across the road, coming back, and then the car hit her. She was so fast, the driver could not have stopped. She flew in the air, hit so hard. I have obvious guilt to this day (this was 11 years ago). But, she did not suffer like your little dog. She was knocked unconcsious right away, so at least God spared me the agony of her pain. It was the most awful experience and one that I hope nobody has to witness.

I never have a dog off leash now for any reason unless totally fenced. Beware ALL cars - our dogs for the most part are too spoiled and not street smart.

In February a friend called me to say she heard a car door slam and saw a pick-up drive away and looked out to see a 10-12 week old puppy on her lawn. She was unable to take it in and we knew the horror of DAS and NEVER would call them. I reluctantly agreed to take him for 3 days to figure out what to do with him. I had 5 dogs and 2 cats already at my house so another could be divorce material and a strain on the household. After many calls to local rescues a friend (teamwork) secured a place for him at a reputable local rescue where he had a great chance of getting a good home. One lucky dog not to end up at DAS!

I am looking for a temporary rescue or a foster home for a sweet baby girl puppy in the DeKalb shelter. She has been there since June. During her visit there she has had such stress and anxiety that she now has a treatable skin allergy, similar to the non contagious type of mainge. I am being told she just needs to be kept somewhere to heal enough to be spade. I am live in NC, but I am going to find her a forever home. I just need her to be healed enough to have the surgery and be saved from the shelter. Please spread the word and if any of you can help or know someone who can help, just temporarily, please email me. jashby67@gmail.com

Thank you in advance for your time!