Saturday, January 21, 2012
The latest news and cats for adoption from the Cobb County Animal Shelter.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Julia Harris
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Saturday, January 21, 2012
Tails will be wagging in Smyrna Sunday afternoon when the Best Friends Pet Care Treat Truck for Dogs comes to town giving away free ice cream and cookies. The colorful, doggy-logo’d truck will be visiting dog parks with treats and fun for dogs and the people who love them. Best Friends, which provides boarding, daycamp and grooming, created the truck to give the community a taste of the fun and caring its staff provides to pet guests every day at its pet care center at 1087 Johnson Ferry Road in Marietta. The truck will be in the Jonquil City’s two dog parks on Sunday afternoon. From 1:30 – 3 p.m., the truck will be at Lake Court Dog Park located at 3500 Lake Dr. Then from 3:15 – 5 p.m., it will be parked at Burger Park, located at 680 …
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Good food, plus little movement, equals fat cats. Cats at this, or any shelter, need exercise.
A few weeks back, the Cobb County Animal Control shelter had a complaint about a dog being too thin. I’m not sure of the outcome of the complaint but I do know the shelter took it seriously and made changes. Being too thin certainly isn’t the case with the cats at the shelter. The lack of exercise is taking its toll; pot bellies are the norm, not the exception, in the cat rooms. Co-mingling rooms, where cats roam free, would be a great help in keeping down the obesity rate. Best management practices of shelter animals show that these types of rooms cut down on stress and illnesses among the cats. A more welcoming, less scary, shelter produces higher adoption rates, lower kill rates, and are less costly to fund or operate. There are local …
Saturday, December 10, 2011
These pets are asking Santa for a home this Christmas...and they've all been pretty darn nice!
The cats at Cobb County Animal Control are finally out of quarantine and the Spirit of Christmas has taken hold at the shelter. They are being specially priced from now until Christmas in the hopes that many of them will find homes for the holidays (and for many years to come). On Friday, fifteen dogs and three cats left the shelter and headed north to Minnesota. All have homes awaiting them – some adoptive homes and others foster homes, but homes with families nonetheless. Three elves helped me photograph the animals this week. These were real elves that made costumes and provided toys and treats. It was pure magic. Come out to the shelter and experience a bit of holiday bliss. Who knows, you might find Dasher, Blitzen, or one of the …
Saturday, December 3, 2011
So many pets with no place to go at Cobb County Animal Control. Plus, Parvovirus and how to prevent it in this week’s vet tips.
The cat rooms at the Cobb County Animal Control shelter are still under quarantine for the Panleukopenia virus (Panleuk for short - a.k.a Distemper), hopefully, it will be lifted at the first of the week. But last week, another cat died and it has yet to be determined whether it was from this virus or some other ailment. If it is found to be a fourth case of Panleuk, the quarantine will start again for two more weeks. Please pray for the Cobb cats. Space for cats at the shelter is stretched to the limit (the makeshift adoption room and the isolation area are completely full and overflowing). Despite the staff letting the public know when they call in, or come in person with their animals, that there is no more room for cats people still …
Saturday, November 12, 2011
What's one more place at the dinner table...or under it? Adopt a Pilgrim cat, they would be oh so thankful! Plus, vet tips on pet obesity.
Many changes are happening and many more are needed at the Cobb County Animal Control shelter, but for this week I decided to concentrate on the holiday season soon to begin. Thanksgiving, a day for giving thanks and for celebration, is the perfect time to add a new family member. Perhaps one of these Pilgrim kitties would be welcome in your home this Thanksgiving Day…and everyday after that. If you would like to help make these animals stay at the shelter a bit more comfy, you can order a kitty bed for a donation of $15. These beds are made locally and with much love for the animals. For a dog bed, donate a Kuranda bed. They can be purchased and donated to the shelter by ordering online. The beds will be sent directly to the shelter www.…
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Life in a shelter leaves much to be desired...a warm bed, a loving companion, and room to move. Visiting the shelter makes a difference. Plus, tips on how to tame a barking dog.
The HVAC contractors have arrived at the Cobb County Animal Control shelter and begun the installation to provide air conditioning to the dog kennel areas. The poor dogs suffered during the summer heat, as did anyone that went out there to visit them. Life in an animal control shelter is rough. The dogs are confined, although they can move around a bit…how much depends on the pen and the size of the dog. Those that are housetrained try to hold their wee until someone comes to take them out; otherwise they “mess” up their cage. These dogs have it particularly tough because they are trying to be good. The cats are also confined, albeit to a much smaller area. The larger cats can barely turn around and all are forced to eat and sleep next to …
Saturday, October 29, 2011
There are two new programs at the Cobb Animal Control shelter created to help more animals find homes. Plus check out our vet tips on chocolate and your pet's safety.
The mood at the Cobb County Animal Control shelter was noticeably lighter this week. A couple of new programs are starting—a Pet of the Week program started by staff and a basic dog obedience training being put together by the owner of Top Dog Pet Boutique, with the help of shelter volunteers. For the Pet of the Week program, the staff will choose a dog and a cat to be featured that week on the county website as the shelter’s pets of the week. They will also be posted on various other Internet social media—let's hope including the various Cobb Patches—being worked on at this writing. The dog and cat chosen that week will be fully vetted and offered for an $80 adoption fee as opposed to the regular $110. This price will be good from Tuesday…
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Chilly temperatures could have meant the end for many cats at the shelter. Instead, it helped to save many of their lives.
With the coming of the cold weather this week came the need for the cats on the back dock at the Cobb County Animal Control shelter to be moved inside. But, there was a problem…not an empty cage to be had and more cats were being turned in daily. The long timer cats would be the ones to go since they had had an opportunity to be adopted while those on the back dock had not. Thankfully, and I must say with kindness, Operations Manager Don Bruce let it be known that these cats were in danger and that their time was running out. A network of dedicated individuals - volunteers and staff - worked together, and within three days, 27 cats were rescued. All the cats are now off the back dock and inside where they will stay warm. Sadly some lives …
Saturday, October 15, 2011
The number of animals turned in to the Cobb County Animal Control shelter by their owners is staggering. Plus, vet tips on anxiety issues in dogs.
Once upon a time, most of the animals at the Cobb County Animal Control shelter were strays that were either homeless rogues or animals that had somehow lost their way. Not so anymore. The number of animals dropped off by their owners has been on the increase since the economic downturn. When you go to the shelter and read the cage cards, you will find that owner turn in now comprises the reason for the majority of animals being at the shelter. Of the ones that come in as strays, many were left abandoned in homes or turned out to wander the streets because their owner could no longer care for them. If you, or someone you know, are struggling to keep your pets, please check out the resources that are now available for assistance. Help is …
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Our Pets of the Week, Butch and Molly, need homes. Plus, check out our weekly helpful vet tips.
“Death is a permanent solution to a temporary problem,” Cpt. Jeff Patellis, Director of Cobb County Animal Control (CCAC), said this week. “I’ve asked my staff to ‘think outside the box’ and come up with innovative ways to house the overflow of animals (cutting down on the need to euthanize for space) and get more animals adopted." Housing the 200-plus cats on the back dock in penthouse cages (soon to be surrounded by plexi-glass sheeting to keep upper respiratory infections down) is one of these innovative solutions. Cobb Company Cats is another. This program, now in place, allows Cobb businesses to adopt an adult cat to be their company cat. Cats relax the atmosphere, lower blood pressure, and make clients feel welcomed when they come …
Vicki Hammond
6:55 pm on Thursday, December 29, 2011
Otis reclaimed! Kimona adopted! Lady rescued! Miss Kitty waits at the cage door for someone to take her home...she's a sweetheart. more ›