More interviews!
by admin on Nov.12, 2009, under Uncategorized
To add to our interview from last week, we have two more for this week. The first is from Denise Plemmons, the Special Projects Director at the Athens Area Humane Society. For reference, towards the end of her interview, she mentions a “Zeus.” This is the Humane Society’s office cat that roams about the office and sits on willing employee and volunteer laps.
Our second interview comes from Brittany Bishop, a University of Georgia student and foster parent for Athens Canine Rescue.
We have three interviews still currently in the editing stages including one from Patrick Reeves about the Athens-Clarke County Animal Control, the PR director for the Athens Canine Rescue and another student foster parent for the canine rescue. Once those are completed they will be posted as well. Enjoy!
Interviews!!!
by admin on Nov.05, 2009, under Uncategorized
We’ve got a lot of interviews coming up for this week. Below is a quickly edited interview from the head of the Athens Canine Rescue telling us all about what the Canine Rescue does and how they do it. We have seven interviews left to be edited and then they will be posted as well. These include the director of the Athens-Clarke County Animal Control, the intake shelter of the humane society, two foster parents for the Athens Canine Rescue, the PR Chair for the Canine Rescue and the Projects and Programs Director for the Humane Society. But for now, please enjoy the following:
Humane Society Intake Shelter
by admin on Oct.30, 2009, under Uncategorized
The Athens Area Humane Society is a many-facetted organization that includes a strong volunteer program, a spay and neuter center, an intake shelter to take in animals, and an adoption center. This week we will see photos from the intake shelter. Lots of audio interviews to come next week.
Alison Barron, a pre-veterinary student at the University of Georgia, feeds two kittens newly arrived at the Intake Shelter at the Athens Area Humane Society on Monday, October 26, 2009. Barron volunteers at the society three days each week.
A 3-year-old male cat brought to the intake shelter as a stray cat looks through his kennel bars at Barron who is about to feed him on Monday afternoon.
A shelter cat peers through her cage bars at the camera on Monday afternoon.
A newly arrived 8-week-old kitten meows through his cage bars on Monday afternoon.
A gray shelter cat peers through his cage bars at the camera on Monday afternoon. Barron said that this cat was brought in after being found in someone's back yard severely emaciated. The shelter staff believe his right eye was burned out.
Spray bottles hang in the shelter animal shower room on Monday afternoon.
Barron works on socializing new cats in the multi-cat rooms at the shelter on Monday afternoon.
Athens Canine Rescue
by admin on Oct.23, 2009, under Uncategorized
This past Saturday, October 17, 2009, I attended the adoption day for Athens Canine Rescue at the Pawtropolis facility. The Canine Rescue is operated through a number of foster homes. Once animals are adopted out from these foster homes, the rescue is able to take in new animals.
Due to time constraints, I will post a few images below from the event in a gallery and will add captions in the next couple of days.
Homes needed!
by admin on Oct.16, 2009, under Uncategorized
Today was my second visit to the Athens Clarke County Animal Control.
Quick facts:
-Mission Statement: To protect public health and safety from at large or dangerous animals and to protect animals from inhumane treatment.
-Animal Control euthanized less than 9% of healthy, adoptable animals last year and is working to see that number go down
-Reasons for euthanasia:
- Sick, aggressive or otherwise unadoptable animal
- Lack of room at facility
-The longer an animal stays at animal control, due to time and space constraints, the less likely it is that the animal will be adopted.
-Animal Control holds a number of adoption festivities, often paired with other rescue groups around the area, each year to help animals at its facility be adopted and to increase the organization’s visibility in the community.
-Employees and volunteers often visit schools in the area to teach children how to care for an animal properly. “A lot of the time, it ends up that the children teach the parents,” said Patrick Reeves, superintendent of Animal Control.
-Animal Control does not turn away any animal; they are required to take in every animal brought to their door, which is why time and room play a large role in an animal’s chances of euthanasia.
-Athens Clarke County does not currently have an intake shelter for cats. They will respond to any injured animal call and will help a sick cat, but they do not have the facilities to care for cats as long as they do for dogs.
“In the end, no one wants to euthanize an animal. You want to see that animal get adopted, always, so that’s always hard…we could spend a great deal of money helping [one animal] when we could use that same amount of money to help 15 animals. We get to as many as we can…Our ultimate goal is to put ourselves out of business.”
-Patrick Reeves
I will edit and post the full interview with Reeves early next week.
Below are photos from today’s visit:
Dogs sit in their kennels at the Athens Clarke County Animal control on Friday afternoon, October 16, 2009.
A 2-year-old male husky looks into the camera through his kennel fence on Friday.
A 1-year-old male pitbull terrier mix looks through his kennel fence at the camera on Friday.
A sign pointing to more kennels hangs on a post at the ACC Animal Control on Friday.
A volunteer for the ACC Animal Control tries to put a dog back into its kennel after his playtime on Friday. Animal Control relies a great deal on their volunteer base to keep cages and animals clean and to keep dogs used to being around people.
Animal Control volunteer Megan Peasley, a senior advertising major at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., from Alpharetta, Ga., picks up a 4-month-old sheppard puppy to bring him back to his kennel after playtime on Friday.
An ACC Animal Control dog looks longingly through his kennel fence at passersby on Friday afternoon.
The puppy sheppard's husky friend enjoys a face rub from volunteer Lauren Shtaida, a senior journalism major at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., originally from Alpharetta, Ga., on Friday afternoon.
A female sheppard mix puppy looks through his play pen at the camera on Friday afternoon. This puppy is one of the few housed with another dog, a 1-year-old male black and white husky, in order to get each dog accustomed to being around other dogs.
More to come next week from Pawtropolis, the Athens Canine Rescue and more from the ACC Animal Control.
Spay and Neuter
by admin on Oct.09, 2009, under Uncategorized
Spaying and Neutering your pets is the most effective, proven way to reduce stray animal overpopulation in any given area. The Athens Area Humane Society Spay and Neuter center does just this–in any given day they will spay and neuter 30 or more stray pets, animal control or owned animals. On Wednesday, October 7, 2009, I was permitted to witness an entire surgery of the spaying of a locally owned cat. Since it was the first surgery I have ever witnessed on any living organism in my life, I thought it wise to simply watch and not photograph. However, I have many other photos posted below from this week’s visit to the Spay and Neuter center and will try and photograph a complete surgery next week, if so permitted.
A syringe lays on the surgery preparatory table after being used to give a cat pain medication on Wednesday. The syringes, including this one, are always later disposed of properly.
A privately-owned cat lays on a preparation table under anesthesia and an oxygen mask at the Athens Area Humane Society's Spay and Neuter center on Wednesday afternoon, October 7, 2009. Before each spay or neuter surgery, each cat or dog goes under anesthesia, his/her bladder is emptied, and his/her stomach/uterine area is shaved.
The Spay and Neuter center doctor prepares to cut into the abdomen area of a privately-owned cat on Wednesday afternoon. The doctor has been practicing veterinary medicine for over 20 years and says he enjoys the spay and neuter center better than his own practice due to the repetitiveness and simplicity of the job.
A recently spayed cat lays on the edge of the surgery table waiting to awaken after surgery on Wednesday.
The doctor prepares to begin another surgery on Wednesday afternoon.
The doctor begins to cut into another cat to begin surgery on Wednesday afternoon.
A veterinary technician at the Spay and Neuter center shows the post-oporation instructions given to each patient's owner/care-giver after surgery on Wednesday afternoon. She says that lack of following post-op instructions is the main cause of complications after a spay or neuter surgery.
The Spay and Neuter center veterinary technician holds a cat recently sedated prior to surgery preparation on Wednesday.
A privately-owned cat named Sniper wobbles and wavers in his Spay and Neuter Center cage on Wednesday afternoon after waking up from his surgery earlier that day. The doctor says that cats generally wake up 45 minutes after surgery but can take a whole day to regain full awareness.
A privately-owned cat at the center begins to fall asleep before her surgery on Wednesday afternoon.
The doctor prepares to begin another surgery on Wednesday afternoon.
The vet technician gives the first dose of pain medication to a cat prior to surgery on Wednesday afternoon. Cats and dogs that are spayed or neutered at the Humane Society center are given two sets of pain medication both prior to and following their surgery.
The vet technician shaves the abdomen of a cat prior to the cat's surgery on Wednesday afternoon.
A boxer, owned by the Athens-Clarke County Animal Control, looks through the bars of his kennel at the camera on Wednesday afternoon after being spayed earlier that morning.
A young privately-owned puppy looks through the bars at the camera on Wednesday afternoon after being neutered earlier that day.
Bottles of medicine sit on a shelf in the surgery area at the Humane Society on Wednesday afternoon.
The doctor takes a short break on Wednesday before beginning his last six surgeries of the day.
Three privately-owned cats lay on a blanket after being spayed. Animals remain in the surgery area until they are well awake after surgery before being moved to their individual cages.
Leashes hang in the vet technicians office area on Wednesday afternoon.
The vet technician shows the camera an old injury on a cat's eye on Wednesday afternoon. Although the only surgeries conducted at the Spay and Neuter Center are those dealing with reproductive organs, they always check out the animals thoroughly prior to surgery so that they can tell the owners about any injuries or complications that may need to be checked out by their regular veterinarian.
Athens Animal Control
by admin on Oct.02, 2009, under Animals of Athens
Since many of the rescue organizations around Athens get a lot of their animals from the Athens-Clarke County Animal Control, I thought it would be a good idea to go over to the animal control and see what exactly they do. I wasn’t able to interview anyone today to find out any pertinent information on this, but I did manage to get a few shots, shown below. We will re-visit Animal Control for more information in the next couple of weeks.
A cork board full of postings about lost dogs, found dogs and upcoming events at the Athens-Clarke County Animal Control hangs in the lobby on Friday, October 2, 2009.
A Jack Russell Terrier sits in his cage at animal control on Friday afternoon. He is 3-years-old and currently adoptable.
Kristen Peitrick, a 19-year-old volunteer for Animal Control from Peachtree City, Ga., tries to get a small dog to whom she just gave a bath back into his cage on Friday. This is Peitrick's first day as a volunteer.
A cocker spaniel gazes at the camera through the fence of his kennel at Animal Control on Friday.
Peitrick is having little luck getting the Beagle mix she has been playing with back into his kennel on Friday.
Refusing to go into his cage, the Beagle Peitrick has just bathed, settles for a belly rub instead.
A boxer (left) and a mixed-breed dog sit in their Animal Control kennels on Friday afternoon.
A small Jack Russel Terrier-mix looks at the camera through his kennel fence on Friday.
A retreiver-chow mix sits in her kennel at Animal Control on Friday afternoon. This dog is currently not available for adoption due to problems with aggression.
A small-breed dog peers through the bars of his kennel to sniff the air outside on Friday afternoon.
Volunteers and possible adoptive pet parents look at the dogs available in the Animal Control kennel area on Friday afternoon.
Taylor Johnson (left), a 19-year-old business major at Gainesville College and State University in Athens, Ga., and volunteer for the Animal Control, and Kristen Peitrick, a pre-pharmacy student at GCSU and also a volunteer, walk dogs over to the enclosed play area located to the back of the main animal control building. Peitrick says that their main jobs as volunteers are to play with the animals, bathe the animals, and make sure they all have ample food and water.
The kennel area is pictured at the back of the main Animal Control building on Friday afternoon.
Johnson plays with one of the dogs in the Animal Control play area on Friday afternoon.
A small-breed dog tugs on a rope with Johnson in the play area on Friday afternoon.
Johnson (left) and Peitrick play with two dogs in adjacent play pens on Friday.
A small-breed dog chews on the wire tie on his play pen gate while playing with Johnson on Friday afternoon.
Peitrick (left) and Johnson walk two dogs back toward their kennels on Friday afternoon after about 20 minutes of play time.
A pitbull mix looks through his kennel gate at the camera on Friday.
Old cages sit stacked to the back of the main Animal Control building on Friday afternoon.
A rooster stands in his coop at Animal Control on Friday afternoon. Animal Control does not only pick up cats and dogs, but fosters farm animals and horses as well.
The food bowl for the puppies and younger dogs sits in the puppy pen at Animal Control on Friday.
Peitrick gives the Animal Control puppies more water in their pen on Friday afternoon while walking one of the older dogs back to its kennel.
A Labrador Retriever puppy drinks fresh water from his water dish in the puppy pen on Friday.
A Labrador Retriever looks up at the camera from his puppy pen at Animal Control on Friday.
The puppy black lab chews on pine needles in his pen on Friday.
A black, brown and white small-breed puppy chews on pine needles with his labrador friend on Friday afternoon.
Adoption applications sit ready for customers on clip boards in the main Animal Control lobby on Friday afternoon. The adoption process from Animal Control involves an application, checking of references of the adoptive parent, and at least a week's lapse time to see if the animal is reclaimed before being adopted out.
A poster warning pet parents of the dangers of leaving their pets in a hot car hangs on the wall of the main lobby at Animal Control on Friday afternoon.
A poster warning pet parents of the dangers of leaving their pets tied up on chains hangs on the wall of the main lobby at Animal Control on Friday afternoon.
P-trop: not only a rescue
by admin on Sep.18, 2009, under Uncategorized
Below I have provided us with a Pawtropolis (known by friends a “P-trop”) fact sheet. Although rescuing is a large part of what they do, they do much more in their day to day practices.
P-trop Fact Sheet:
- P-trop offers a number of services to customers including a doggy spa, pet taxi, pet grooming, obedienceclasses, daycare, overnight boarding, kitty city, and a pet boutique complete with everything from food to pet clothes.
- P-trop was created as a training facility with the intention of using the profits for Helping Paws Rescue, which has been in operation since 2001.
- Most rescue animals come in from Animal Control, but P-trop has been involved in the past with puppy mill cases as well.
- Even dogs that are taken by p-trop from Animal Control and not adopted live safely at Pawtropolis for the rest of their lives as if it is their home.
- Because Helping Paws Rescue has a legitimate rescue license, owner Amanda Rodriguez is permitted to rescue retired greyhounds from dog racing tracks
- P-trop has successfully rescued, rehabilitated and re-homed 522 dogs since 2001.
Now we will also hear from Amanda Rodriguez, owner and operator of Pawtropolis and Helping Paws Rescue:
Owner Interview
A short slide show about P-trop and its rescue and training efforts is still in the works but will be coming soon.
Pawtropolis continued…
by admin on Sep.11, 2009, under Uncategorized
Below is a bit more information about what Pawtropolis does on a daily basis directly from the voice of their kennel manager, Jessica Watkins. Jessica has five dogs of her own and actually started with Pawtropolis as a customer. Here is her story…
Below are also some more photos from this week’s visit to Pawtropolis. I will put some photos and audio all together over the next few days for a short audio slide show to help give you a more comprehensive idea of how Pawtropolis works. But for now, enjoy!
An external view of the Pawtropolis building on Whitetail Road in Athens, Ga., is pictured on Wednesday afternoon, September 9, 2009.
A painting of a Greyhound dog is displayed in the hallway at Pawtropolis on Wednesday afternoon. Although Pawtropolis is an all-breed rescue, they often specialize in Greyhounds and Dalmatians.
A volunteer at Pawtropolis, and possible future owner of a Pawtropolis animal, plays with the dogs in the kennel area on Wednesday afternoon.
Jessica Watkins (right), kennel manager at Pawtropolis, and fellow employee, play with the dogs in the kennel area at Pawtropolis on Wednesday afternoon.
Anna Kreuger, animal caretaker at Pawtropolis, bathes a Pawtropolis doggy daycare participant on Wednesday afternoon.
The hallway of Pawtropolis is pictured here on Wednesday afternoon.
Pamphlets giving information about Pawtropolis programs, events and services sit in a wall display on Wednesday afternoon.
A t-shirt showing the words "Pack Leader" hangs in the Pawtropolis pet boutique/store on Wednesday afternoon.
Allison Wilbanks, a pet stylist at Pawtropolis, talks on the phone to a customer on Wednesday afternoon.
A Pawtropolis employee sits with owner Amanda Rodriguez's cat at the Pawtropolis counter on Wednesday afternoon.
A large amount of toys for sale sit in display baskets at the front entrance of Pawtropolis on Wednesday afternoon.
A donation jar for Helping Paws Rescue, the rescue organization run by Pawtropolis owner Amanda Rodriguez, on Wednesday afternoon. To date, Helping Paws rescue has rescued, rehabilitated and re-homed 522 homeless or abused animals.
Collars of all shapes and sizes hang in Pawtropolis's pet boutique on Wednesday afternoon.
The sign for Kitty City, a large housing and play room for cats in the day care or boarding program, is displayed on the door into Kitty City on Wednesday afternoon.
One of Rodriguez's cats (foreground) tries to help a customer with her purchase on Wednesday afternoon. Rodriguez's cats often roam about Pawtropolis either playing, lounging or looking for someone to pet them.
Pawtropolis employee, name presently unknown, fills out paperwork on visiting dogs in the kennel area of Pawtropolis on Wednesday afternoon.
A "Staff Only" sign is displayed on the entrance into the Pawtropolis kennel area. Visitors to Pawtropolis are not often allowed into rooms that hold a large number of animals, allowing the animals to remain relaxed and not have to adjust to new personas entering at various times.
A bassett hound, doggy daycare partipant, sits at the feet of a Pawtropolis volunteer on Wednesday afternoon during small dog play time.
Two Dachsund mixes lay on a bed together in their play area on Wednesday afternoon to take a nap.
A doggy daycare participant takes a break from playtime on Wednesday afternoon to look into the camera.
A volunteer at Pawtropolis, name presently unknown, and possible future owner of a Pawtropolis animal, plays with the dogs in the kennel area of Pawtropolis on Wednesday afternoon.
A volunteer at Pawtropolis, name presently unknown, and possible future owner of a Pawtropolis animal, plays with the dogs in the kennel area of Pawtropolis on Wednesday afternoon.
One of Rodriguez's cats bathes herself in the Wednesday afternoon light in front of a Pawtropolis lobby window.
Dog biscuits sit in their display at the front counter of Pawtropolis on Wednesday afternoon.
Helping Paws Rescue: Pawtropolis
by admin on Sep.04, 2009, under Animals of Athens
Pawtropolis is an organization whose main mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home. Aside from rescues and adoptions, they also offer grooming services, training, daycare, parent-pet sports, obedience classes, and the list goes on. Below are some photos from today (Friday, September 4, 2009).
Leashes and collars of all shapes, colors and sizes hang on the wall of Pawtropolis's pet boutique on Friday, September 4, 2009. Pawtropolis sells a number of other pet accessories in its boutique as well including food, travel cases and pet clothing.
Jessica Watkins, kennel manager at Pawtropolis, feeds dog Rockwell, the newest addition to her puppy family, on Friday, September 4, 2009. Pawtropolis rescued Rockwell from a puppy mill in 2007 and Watkins has been working with him since so that he may become adoptable to a new home. Watkins adopted Rockwell herself just a few month ago.
Watkins holds new adoptee, Rockwell, at the Pawtropolis counter on Friday. When Rockwell was first rescued two years ago, he had many agression problems. From working through massage techniques, however, Watkins and her trainer have calmed him down so that he is not agressive and is freindly to strangers.
Watkins holds her Chihuahua Ginny's mouth open on Friday to show where she lost her teeth in the puppy mill from which she was rescued a few years ago.
Wakins feeds Ginny a few treats on the Pawtropolis counter on Friday afternoon. Watkins often brings her dogs to work with her and allows them to walk around behind the front desk while she works.
A basket with toys for sale sits in the Pawtropolis lobby on Friday afternoon.
Owner of Pawtropolis, Amanda Rodriguez, often brings her animals to work with her as well. Pictured here is her standard poodle mix sitting in the light of the Pawtropolis lobby on Friday afternoon.
Leashes and collars hang for sale in the Pawtropolis lobby on Friday afternoon.
A painting of a poodle giving herself a manicure is displayed on the wall inside Pawtropolis's pet grooming center.
Two dogs, attending Pawtropolis for doggy day care, sit in the back of the Pawtropolis building in their University of Georgia chairs during their indoor playtime on Friday afternoon. Small dogs and large dogs are usually separated during playtime, and at this moment the large dogs are outside.
A Pawtropolis puppy peers over the fence in his indoor play area on Friday afternoon to look through the window at the camera.
Cat carriers sit for sale in the Pawtropolis pet boutique on Friday afternoon. The pet boutique also carries pet clothing, other typs of carriers and specialty foods.
Noah, a black lab mix, poses for the camera while taking a break from playtime on Friday afternoon. Noah is currently up for adoption.
Rachelle Pascal, a senior University of Gerogia student from Chamblee, Ga., plays with Noah, who she hopes to soon adopt, on Friday afternoon. The Pawtropolis adoption proceedure is strict and long, but until Pascal can take Noah home, she hopes to come visit him daily.
Rachelle Pascal, a senior University of Gerogia student from Chamblee, Ga., plays with Noah, who she hopes to soon adopt, on Friday afternoon. The Pawtropolis adoption proceedure is strict and long, but until Pascal can take Noah home, she hopes to come visit him daily.
A Saint Bernard, attending Pawtropolis for doggy daycare, enjoys his playtime in the sun on Friday afternoon.
The large breed dogs participating in Pawtropolis doggy day care enjoy their playtime outside on Friday.
A dog biscuit display sits on the Pawtropolis front counter on Friday.
The Pet Salon sits awaiting its next Pawtropolis puppy due for a bath on Friday afternoon.
A sign at the end of the Pawtropolis hall way points to the kennel area where doggy daycare participants eat, sleep and play.
A doggy daycare participant lays down on his bed to take a nap on Friday afternoon.
A quote by Mohandas Gandhi is displayed in Pawtropolis's hallway on Friday afternoon.
Owner of Pawtropolis's cat sits in "Kitty City," a room especially for cats complete with all shapes and sizes of climbing post, on Friday afternoon.
