Fulton County Animal Services saw an increase in fosters after my recent post!
Back in 2016, I visited the shelter and was surprised to see so many dogs sharing the same kennel.
A few years back, I visited Fulton County Animal Services in Atlanta, GA. The shelter is always full (mostly pit bulls), and way over capacity. It was built to accommodate about 90 animals, and they usually have about 300... They receive over 16,000 animals every year.
One of the ways they have found to reduce their euthanasia rate dramatically (from about 90% 10 years ago, to about 10% today!), is to house several dogs in the same kennel. The first time I saw it, I was shocked!! But it does work, the staff is very careful in how their match dogs, and they make sure to exercise and walk them as much as possible. If/when scuffles happen, the dogs are moved around. All in all, it’s proven an extremely successful approach.
Last week, I saw the shelter post this adorable photo of a pit bull pile and this irresistible duo! A shocking, somewhat heartwarming AND heartbreaking image at the same time. I knew people would respond to a call for action.
I posted on social media, explaining that the shelter had welcomed 934 animals just last month only! They were in desperate need of fosters and adopters. High intake shelters like this one, cannot save all their animals without the dedication and support of their community.
People responded incredibly well, and the posts received a lot of attention (over 166K people reached on Instagram, and over 122K people reached on Facebook).
Thanks to all of you who shared, commented and tagged friends, I received an amazing update from the shelter today!
Theyjust informed me that they had received a big increase in requests for fostering and adoption applications. Over the weekend, 11 dogs already left with new foster families (as opposed to only 1 dog the weekend before). And more applications are being received and processed.
What is amazing about this outcome, is that foster families are a HUGE asset for shelters! Especially if they become repeat fosters, helping several dogs throughout the years.
Thank you for helping make this happen! If you would like to apply to foster for them, head to LifeLineAnimal.org/foster.