Why we're opening Planned PEThood

This little sweetie is a very timely example of why affordable, accessible spay/neuter is needed so badly in our community and so many others around the country. As many of us know, this time of year is commonly known as “Kitten Season.” It starts in early spring and runs into summer and each year it seems to get longer and longer. This is when unspayed female cats start having babies - and those of us in rescue start to feel like kittens are coming out of the woodwork. Every day we receive multiple phone calls requesting help with kittens found under a friend’s deck, a stray kitten found in someone’s yard, an animal shelter overrun with babies that need to be bottle fed. It’s overwhelming to say the least.

”Doc” was found by my sister late Friday night on her way out of the parking lot of the hospital where she is a nurse. Fate sent him running in front of her car at exactly the right time, while she was stopping at the security arm at the exit of the parking garage. My sister threw her car in park and hopped out to chase after this little blur of black fur. Into the dark night in a not-so-nice neighborhood, she tiptoed, calling out to him while he darted away under the bushes. When she finally scooped him up with her lab coat, he melted into her arms, realizing he was finally safe. He was so thin, dehydrated, and dirty, weighing only about a pound, far too underweight for his age (about 10 weeks). He’s got a slight upper respiratory infection (antibiotics on board), diarrhea (clearing up after three days of good food and some pumpkin), and ringworm. And somehow, even after this rough start at life, he is the sweetest kitten I’ve ever fostered. He purrs constantly and nuzzles my nose (story to follow soon, I’m sure, on how I got ringworm on my nose).

Doc is the best example we could give all our friends and supporters of why we are opening Planned PEThood. Our shelters are always full, but especially overwhelmed at this time of year. If spay/neuter was more affordable and accessible to the general public, there would be fewer kittens entering our shelters every spring and fewer animals killed each year. We don’t even need to mention the fact that an adult cat has little or no chance for adoption at this time of year because of all the cute kittens available at shelters. How can they compete?

So, when we start to wonder why we’ve given up a year of our lives and financial security to start a venture that will be time-consuming, emotionally frustrating, and physically exhausting? This is why:

As always, thanks so much for your support!

Lynette

We're on the map!!

Planned PEThood of GA is excited to announce that we have signed a lease for our new clinic! We looked at several places over the past few months but we knew this one was right the minute we walked in! It requires very little renovation, just some new flooring and paint (and a little bit of plumbing), so we’re in the final stages!!

Our new address is

2860 Buford Highway

Building F, Suite 2

Duluth, GA 30096.

Here's a link to us on Google Maps.

We are thrilled to have so many friends who feel as strongly as we do about the cause! Your response to our last request for help resulted in significant donations. We are now within $5000 of our startup funding goal!

Everywhere we go we hear stories about how badly low cost spay/neuter is needed. Even when we speak to potential vendors for the clinic, almost every one tells us about a friend or family member who has a pet that needs to be spayed or neutered, but they can’t afford it. We are so proud to be able to provide this much needed service to the two AND four legged members of our community! This is truly a dream come true for Elizabeth and me.

People have been asking how they can help. Thank you for offering! Here’s how:

During our Renovations Phase, we need help with:

• Flooring – we are doing a three part epoxy floor so we need strong people who can run a floor sander! This is tentatively scheduled for the weekend of May 29-30th
• Plumbing – maybe you are (or know of) a plumber who is sympathetic to our cause? We are installing a couple of sinks and a laundry area.
• Drywall repair – are you handy with a mudknife? We moved a couple of doorways and have other touchup work to be done.
• PAINTING PARTY WEEKEND is tentatively slated for July 19-20th.
• Refinishing our reception desk (sand and paint)

Maybe you’re not interested in physical labor but you still want to help? Can you help us out with finding donations of products or services that we need for renovations or that are necessary to the daily operations of the clinic? Some examples are listed below. We would appreciate either the items on those lists or gifts cards to purchase them.

• Building supplies (Contact us for a full listing)
• Office supplies (Contact us for a full listing)
• Accounting Services
• Marketing Services, brochure & flyer design and printing

We’re hoping some of you would like to volunteer after the clinic is open, and we’ll have information on that later. We’ll definitely need your help with things like answering phones, filing & office work, cleaning cages, and extra TLC for our patients!

Thanks again for all your support and for helping us to help the animals of Georgia! We're excited to start saving some lives!

See you soon!

Lynette

It's Crunch Time!!

You haven’t heard from us at Planned PEThood for a few weeks. We’ve been remiss in keeping up with our blog and progress reports. But we haven’t gone away, just hunkered down – and now we’re in the final run-up to opening Atlanta’s newest spay/neuter clinic!

We’re currently negotiating a lease, and hope to have it signed by early May so we can begin buildout for a grand opening this summer. We’ve decided to remain in the area we know best, which is Duluth.

Now we need your help more than ever!

If 20 people will donate $1,000 each, we can open the doors knowing that our operating expenses will be covered for the 1st three months while we ramp up our average daily surgeries. Donors at this level will be recognized with special signage in our new lobby! Of course, we understand that not everyone has that amount available, and we’re grateful for every contribution.

Here’s how your donation can help:
 $100 Two boxes of suture
 $250 One “spay pack” of surgical instruments
 $500 One month’s supply of rabies vaccines
 $1000 One month’s rent
 $2000 Pay for our building's signage

Together, we can significantly decrease the number of unwanted animals born each year in Georgia, and reduce the suffering and euthanasia of healthy, adoptable dogs and cats at our local shelters.
It’s easy to donate – you can use Paypal, or mail a check – just contact us for a mailing address.

I hope you’re as excited as we are to be this close to providing a real solution to pet overpopulation in our area!

p.s. We have received IRS approval of our 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Your donation is tax-deductible!

One Score you Want to be Below Average

If you’re a Georgia resident, you’ve probably heard of Rockdale County. It’s located on the East side of metro Atlanta, with I-20 running right through its middle. Conyers is its county seat, and it boasts lots of outdoor recreational areas, as well as the Georgia International Horse Park, site of the 1996 Olympic Equestrian events. It also has an Animal Control facility that kills 54% of the animals that come through its doors. That’s right, out of every 100 lost puppies or stray cats, you can pick 54 of them that won’t leave the shelter alive.

Are you shocked? Horrified at this statistic? Angry with the Rockdale officials who kill all these innocent creatures? Don’t be. 54% is the AVERAGE percentage among all Animal Control shelters in the 28 counties that make up “Metro Atlanta.” It could be worse. Those animals could end up in Lamar County, which put down an astonishing 97% in 2007. The LUCKIEST animals in our metro area are in Heard County, where only 14% don’t make it out.

These numbers, from 2007, are found in a newly published report by the Georgia Voters for Animal Welfare (GVAW), a small group of volunteers who took it upon themselves to compile these statistics for every Georgia county. The state doesn’t keep track, so it’s up to every county to keep their own numbers and disclose them – or not. Four of the 28 metro counties would just rather not say how many dogs and cats are surrendered or picked up, or euthanized.

Now, I’m not going to get on a rant about our government not making this information public, or even lament the untold millions of tax dollars that keep these shelters in operation. What bothers me the most is that it’s considered “necessary” by anyone, anywhere, to kill dogs and cats in order to control their population. It is NOT necessary. What’s necessary is for people to wake up and understand that we are ALL contributing to this tragedy, and the solution is simple: SPAY OR NEUTER YOUR PET. Heck, don’t stop there, spay or neuter someone else’s pet. Trap that stray cat that’s been hanging around your office and get him neutered. Talk to that person down the street whose “mama dog” keeps getting out of the fence. Educate acquaintances who are considering buying a new puppy about rescue options, and the horrors of puppy mills. Show your purebred-loving friends pictures of your wonderful mixed-breed cat. DO SOMETHING to stop this senseless pattern of killing.

If you’re a Rockdale County resident or official reading this, I’m sorry I picked on you. You just happened to land in the middle of the numbers. Now, get out there and move your county to the bottom of the next list. This is one score that you should really want to be “below average.”

(Here is a link to the complete report by GVAW, which gives the results of their polling of 159 county shelters and 88 other local/city shelters. The reference to 28 counties in the blog above refers to the area designated as “metro Atlanta” by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.)