We are a group of animal advocates who have volunteered for many years at animal shelters and with rescues, along with helping hundreds of dogs on our own. We offer help daily to pet owners that are in need, but are turned away by many who do not care. We are at our wit’s end with the constant suffering, abuse and backyard breeding in Georgia. It is time for Georgia’s State and County lawmakers to step up and acknowledge the issues that we all see far too often.
Animal abusers in our state should be cited, prosecuted and given punishment by judges but rarely are. Georgia needs an Animal Abuse Registry for shelters, rescues, prosecutors and judges so that animal abusers cannot go on to adopt more dogs and continue their cycle of abuse and neglect. It is our mission with the One Voice website and group to give lawmakers the information they need from the people who have “boots on the ground”…those of us who spend every extra minute and dollar we have trying to save animals in Georgia. We lose sleep when it is cold at night for the ones without shelter. Our hearts break seeing them chained and ignored, rarely fed or given medical treatment. Backyard breeding that goes on nonstop, without consequences. We are sick and tired of this vicious cycle that seems to only get worse each day in Georgia.
It is our hope, with this One Voice for Georgia’s Dogs website, to have advocates like you document or “diary” the problems you have faced that local government has not helped resolve. Please do not report an issue to this website first, only report issues that you have not gotten help with after contacting all local authorities. This page cannot be successful unless many people use it as a tool so that lawmakers can no longer look away from animal abuse issues in their area.
Become very familiar with your County’s local animal ordinances (if they have any).
Print out the ordinances so that you have them on hand, and leave a copy in your car. If you see a violation of the ordinances, call or email your local Animal Control immediately, you can ask to remain anonymous. (Some counties do not allow anonymous complaints, if you need to make up a name DO IT).
If you do not have an Animal Control Department in your county, call your local Police Department or Code Enforcement. Document abuse or ordinance violations with dates, photos and locations. Keep a record of all correspondence with AC and/or Police. We prefer to email these departments so that a paper trail is established. Phone calls and what is said in them can be misconstrued or miscommunicated. Judges many times throw out cases that do not have proper documentation. If you wish to remain anonymous, email is good for that as well, you can set up a Gmail account that is not similar to your name.
Use our online contact form to document ongoing issues in your area that have not been resolved by Animal Control, local Police or Code Enforcement. This information will be compiled and sent to County and State lawmakers on a quarterly basis. Feel free to complete this form as often as needed.
Before you report issues in your area:
We need Team Leaders for all parts of the state!! If you are involved in animal advocacy in your area, please sign up to be a Team Leader. The information will be automatically sorted for you, by zip codes in your area- you will need to send this compiled information to your state and county lawmakers on a quarterly basis. It will not be a hard job! But we need your help to make this a success. You will also be able to reach out to people in your area (that are as passionate as you are) to keep them informed of things they need to know about. Please email us at onevoicegeorgia@gmail.com if you are interested.
Blue is a four-year-old Pitbull who lived on a chain in Walton County, Georgia since he was a puppy. Blue was used for breeding and all but ignored on his heavy chain; the people who lived there thought Blue was “crazy”. We did everything in our power to help him and the other “loved” dog on the property, taking them dog food, doghouses, flea medicine, toys and wheat straw in the winter. We begged the residents there to allow us to have him neutered and vaccinated for free. Blue’s owner was in jail so they turned down our offer- unlicensed backyard breeding of Pitbulls means quick, tax-free cash. We left our phone number to contact us for anything else they might need. This past summer, we finally got a call — Blue wasn’t moving his back legs. He was rushed to our local veterinarian who confirmed his paralysis and told us he was also dehydrated and heartworm positive. The veterinarian explained that Blue had been severely injured either from constantly lunging against the heavy chain or being hit hard on the back… or both. Seeing him in this condition at the vet was heartbreaking. Blue wasn’t “crazy” at all... he just wanted love and some attention. Let alone food and water, neither of which he regularly received. Thankfully, many kind people donated to his care! After undergoing months of rehabilitation, and even more months of difficult heartworm treatment, Blue has recovered!!! He now walks again (albeit wobbly) and is heartworm negative. Blue is a SURVIVOR. He is calm, loving and well-mannered (thanks to his amazing foster mommy, who taught him how to be a part of a family). He now lives with a wonderful owner and pitty brother. Blue is one of the few lucky ones, thousands like him never have a chance.
As most of you already know, Blue’s story is repeated over and over again all over Georgia. Pitbulls are relentlessly bred in our state for quick, tax-free income. They are used as guard dogs, displayed for social status, or worse, used for fighting. Sold on Craigslist, on Facebook sites, at flea markets, and in parking lots, many end up at shelters that cannot find decent homes for the majority of them. Large shelters in metro Atlanta can get more than 1,000 brought in per month. Sometimes they are sent off to questionable “rescues” out-of-state with no updates on where they end up or other means to check in on them. They are chained to trees, vehicles, or front porches, many with little to no shelter. They are not vaccinated against deadly heartworms. They have untreated ear and eye issues. Fleas and ticks bite these poor animals, and some suffer from severe skin allergies. Female dogs bred over and over again develop pyometra and mammary tumors. Unvaccinated puppies die from parvo and can spread this deadly disease to other dogs, as well as serious illnesses to humans. We see these issues on a daily basis. Yet the vast majority of these dogs are the most loyal and loving animals a human could ever meet. However, pit bull terriers are not alone in this plight. Many other breeds are being overbred as well – Huskies, Chihuahuas, German Shepherds – with no regulation or restrictions. Rampant backyard breeding must be addressed. As Dr. Jeffrey Young, “Rocky Mountain Vet” says – “We cannot adopt, warehouse or rescue our way out of dog (& cat) overpopulation”.
