East Cobb Pets & Animals

Sweat Mountain Park among nation’s ‘Hidden Gems’ for dogs

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Sweat Mountain Park among nation's 'Hidden Gems' for dogs
Cobb PARKS photo

Sweat Mountain Park in Northeast Cobb is one of three parks in Georgia that’s included in a list of “Hidden Gems” for dogs.

Based on a survey of 3,000 dog owners across the country, the dog-oriented website Technobark.com “unleashed” a ranking 120 parks in all. The goal is “to highlight the unsung sanctuaries for pets and their owners, showcasing their unique features and the joy they bring to get tails wagging.”

Sweat Mountain Park, which includes a two-acre dedicated area for dogs off Steinhauer Road, came in at No. 41.

“It includes shaded areas, benches, and water fountains for dogs. The park is well-maintained and offers a peaceful environment for dogs to socialize and play, away from the city’s hustle and bustle,” Technobark said in a release.

That was the highest ranking in Georgia, followed by Piedmont Park in Atlanta at No. 68 and Newtown Dream Dog Park in Johns Creek at No. 84.

The top dog park was Prospect Dog Park in New York City, according to the survey, which you can peruse in full by clicking here.

Sweat Mountain was the first of three off-leash dog parks in Cobb PARKS, opening in 2006. The others are Pinter Road Dog Park in Acworth and Sweetwater Park in Austell.

 

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Good Mews to hold microchip and vaccination clinic Sunday

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Submitted information and flyer:Good Mews to hold microchip and vaccination clinic Sunday
Good Mews Animal Foundation is hosting their quarterly Microchip and Vaccination Clinic at our shelter on Sunday, March, 24, 2024 from 10AM to 4PM! Though walk-ins are accepted, appointments are preferred. Make your appointment here:  goodmews.org/microchip-vaccination-clinic or scan the QR code on our flyer. View our flyer or website for all offerings for CATS and DOGS. All proceeds go directly towards the care of our residents while they wait for adoption. Thank you for your support! 

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Let East Cobb News know about your organization’s public events.

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Scene in East Cobb: Have you seen this rare type of deer?

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We got the photo above Thursday from a reader who reported that “our teenage daughter spotted a rare albino ‘piebald’ buck in our yard this morning. Not sure if newsworthy, but we thought it was pretty cool. Our south Georgia family had never even seen one.”

“Piebald” deer have pigmented backgrounds with white, unpigmented patterns, and other animal breeds with similar conditions include birds, cattle, dogs and cats, horses, foxes and pigs.

A UGA researcher estimates that piebald deer total less than 2 percent of the deer population, and other estimates figure it’s even rarer than that.

The National Deer Association, which is based near Athens in Bogart, Ga., lays out the differences here between albino, piebald, melanistic and other off-color deer types. In case you spot one like the above in your neighborhood.

Send Us Your News!

Let East Cobb News know what your organization is doing, or share news about what people are doing in the community—accomplishments, recognitions, milestones, interesting photos, etc.

Pass along your details to: editor@eastcobbnews.com, and please observe the following guidelines to ensure we get everything properly and can post it promptly.

Send the body of your announcement, calendar item or news release IN TEXT FORM ONLY in the text field of your e-mail template. Reformatting text from PDF, JPG and doc files takes us longer to prepare your message for publication.

We accept PDFs as an accompaniment to your item. Images are fine too, but we prefer those to be JPG files (more than jpeg and png). PLEASE DO NOT send photos inside a PDF or text or any other kind of file. Of course, send us links that are relevant to your message so we can direct people to your website.

 

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Cobb Animal Services employee retires after 45-year career

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45-year Cobb Animal Services employee retires

The Cobb Animal Services Department recently threw a retirement party for one of its longest-serving employees.

Cindy Ganues retired in September after 45 years as an animal care specialist, and she was showered with gifts, a cake and the well wishes of her colleagues.

The Wheeler High School graduate also has been involved in animal rescue and wildlife rehabilitation work in Cobb, metro Atlanta and Georgia.

“Animal Care Specialist Cindy Ganues has spent 45 years of her life providing selfless treatment to the pets at Cobb County Animal Services,” Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell said in her email newsletter Friday. “Her long tenure is truly remarkable. . . We congratulate Cindy on her retirement and wish her all the best in her next adventure.”

45-year Cobb Animal Services employee retires

45-year Cobb Animal Services employee retires

 

 

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Cobb Animal Services to hold ‘Yappy Hour’ pet adoption event

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Submitted information:Cobb Animal Services 'Yappy Hour' pet adoption event

Calling all pet lovers! Get ready for an exciting event that will warm your hearts and wag some tails. The highly anticipated Yappy Hours Pet Adoption Event is just around the corner, offering a chance to bring a new four-legged friend into your family.

Scheduled for August 21, 2023, from 3pm to 7pm, the Yappy Hours Pet Adoption Event will take place at Cobb County Animal Services at 1060 Al Bishop Drive, Marietta, GA 30008. This family-friendly event is designed to bring together current and future pet parents and pets needing a forever home.

During this event, attendees will have the opportunity to adopt loving pets from the featured trailer at no cost. We are committed to finding forever homes for these wonderful animals, making it an ideal occasion for anyone considering bringing a furry companion into their lives.

The event’s timing from 3pm to 7pm ensures that even those battling post-work traffic can attend. The convenient location at 1060 Al Bishop Drive further adds to the accessibility of the event.

Our Yappy Hours event promises a delightful atmosphere filled with loving pets, education, and fun. Attendees are encouraged to spread the word, bring their friends and family, and contribute to the success of the adoption event.

Join us at Yappy Hours Pet Adoption Event and make a difference in the lives of animals in need. Let’s find forever homes for these deserving pets and create heartwarming stories of companionship.

For more information, visit CobbCounty.org/pets or call 770-499-4136.

 

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Cobb Animal Services warns of missing/lost pet recovery scam

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The Cobb Animal Services Department is warning the distraught owners of lost pets not to fall for a phone call from someone posing as shelter staff in helping them recover their animals.

Cobb Animals Services lost pet scam
Cobb Animal Services logs detailed information and a photo for lost pets brought to the shelter.

Cobb County government said in a video presentation Wednesday that some pet owners who have posted missing and lost pet notices online are getting called by someone who’s claiming to work for the county shelter.

The caller then says the pet is injured, and demands money from the owner to recover the animal, according to the video (see below), which emphasized that Cobb Animal Services never asks for money over the phone for helping retrieve lost pets.

“First off, it’s a distraction for us, because we’re receiving phone calls from people thinking it’s coming from us,” Cobb Animal Services Director Steve Hammond said in the video. “They’re also skeptical when we do call them if we do find the animal because now they’ve received two calls.

“We’re upset with it because it takes away from the good work our team is doing every day.”

Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt said the scammer is able to spoof the number of the Animal Services Department when making the calls.

The caller tells the pet owner to pay via the PayPal and Venmo online payment systems, but Cobb Animal Services doesn’t use them.

“There may be a small fee once the pet’s owner comes to the shelter, but county officers will never ask for payment before that,” the county said in a release Wednesday.

A citizen who posted a message on the county government’s Facebook page said the scam happened to her earlier this week.

“I was asking too many questions that he could not answer. He said just come down to Cobb County Animal Services and even provided the address,” she said.

“When I asked for photo proof that’s when things got even more strange. Fortunately the conversation was recorded and in the possession of the proper staff there. Let’s do what we do and blast this everywhere. I pray they somehow catch evil man!”

Another poster said she almost fell for the scam, but said she was told that “we’ll call you back after the vet has had time to look at the pet.”

While waiting for around 30 minutes, she said, “I had time to realize it was too good to be true. He called back, and after TEN MINUTES he finally got to asking about my credit card, so I hung up on him and called the legit Cobb Animal Services number.”

That number is 770-499-4136.

Cobb Animal Services has an online portal to report missing or lost pets that you can access by clicking here.

You can also click here to check on the missing pets that have been taken to the shelter.

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Cobb Animal Services to hold Santa Paws holiday pet event

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Cobb Animal Services will be holding a special holiday-related event this weekend it’s calling Santa Paws.Cobb Animal Services Santa Paws

Pet owners can bring their pets to the shelter (1060 Al Bishop Drive) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday for photos with Santa.

Citizens come to the shelter for adoptions during the event can also have their new pet photographed with Santa.

Shelter staff and volunteers also will be on hand to spread holiday cheer.

For information, visit the Cobb Animal Services website.

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Credit Union of Georgia holding pet supply drive for Mostly Mutts

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The Credit Union of Georgia, which has a branch office in East Cobb, is collecting items for pet supply drive for the holidays to benefit Mostly Mutts Animal Rescue.Credit Union Georgia Pet Supply Drive

The drive lasts through Dec. 19 at 5 p.m. and items can be dropped off at any branch (there’s one at 1020 Johnson Ferry Road).

There are wish lists posted at MostlyMutts.org, Amazon.com, and Chewy.com, and needed items include dog blankets, cat litter, dog treats, cat scratchers and gift cards to Petco, PetSmart, and Amazon.

“We can’t forget about our four-legged friends during the holiday season. Help us help our local animal rescue. All the items that are collected will be dropped off at Mostly Mutts Animal Rescue for our friends at the animal shelter.” said Brian Albrecht, President/CEO of Credit Union of Georgia.

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Cobb Animal Services holding parking lot adoptions every Monday

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Submitted information:Cobb Animal Services parking lot adoptions

“The holiday season is quickly approaching and now is the perfect time to get take home your forever best friend! Each Monday from 11 am to 3 pm, Cobb County Animal Services has a free adoption event in their parking lot at 1060 Al Bishop Drive, Marietta 30008. All the pets featured in the adoption trailer are free!  You don’t have to be a Cobb County resident to adopt. All we need is a license & a willingness to open your heart and home to a homeless pet. We have cats & kittens, dogs & puppies on the trailer ready for their forever home!  Visit us at CobbCounty.org/pets, call 770-499-4136 or follow us on Facebook & Instagram for more information.” 

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UrgentVet to open pet clinic at East Cobb Crossing

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UrgentVet opening East Cobb Crossing

An urgent care clinic for pets will be opening soon at East Cobb Crossing Shopping Center.

UrgentVet, which says it’s the first dedicated urgent care clinic for pets in the country, will open at 4363 Roswell Road, Suite 100, on Sept. 29.

The Belmont, N.C.-based company founded in 2015 has 20 existing locations, including 8 in North Carolina, 11 in Florida and one in Texas.

UrgentVet provides after-hours emergency and specialty veterinary care. A company release said that “UrgentVet clinics routinely treat vomiting, diarrhea, lacerations, wounds, and skin and ear problems among many other presenting complaints.”

UrgentVet East Cobb will have 2,200 square feet (a couple doors down from the Dog City Bakery) with five exam rooms and a comfort room. The exam rooms include dimmable lighting for anxious animals and relaxing music.

The facility also will include an in-house diagnostic lab, digital X-ray machine, ultrasound and cloud-based medical record-keeping software.

UrgentVet is open 365 days a year—from 3 -11 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, and 12-8 p.m. on holidays. A clinic in Cumming is opening on Thursday.

“It feels so good to expand the UrgentVet footprint into a new state, and Georgia is a place that we’ve wanted to be for a long time,”  UrgentVet founder Dr. Jim Dobies said in the release. “Opening clinics in Cumming and East Cobb make sense for so many reasons, and we couldn’t be more excited about giving pet parents in the north Atlanta suburbs a new after-hours option for their dogs and cats.”

No appointments are necessary for UrgentVet, and pet owners who check in online can request to receive a text message when their arrival time approaches.

The company claims that UrgentVet veterinarians and support staff are “Fear Free Certified Professionals,” meaning that skilled in caring for the pet’s physical and emotional well-being.

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Cobb Animal Shelter reopens; adoption specials to Aug. 25

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Cobb Animal Services announced Wednesday that the animal shelter has fully reopened to the public after being closed since July 22 after a case of strep zoo was diagnosed in a dog.Cobb animal shelter reopens

Appointments are available once again and through Aug. 25, dogs over 25 pounds and all cats and kittens will can be adopted for $25.

It’s called the Christmas in August adoption special, and more information can be found and appointments made by clicking here.

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Cobb Animal Services to hold special free pet adoption Sunday

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The Cobb Animal Shelter remains closed due to a case of strep zoo, but a number of animals who have been medically cleared bv the facility’s veterinarian will be available for free adoptions on Sunday.Cobb Animal Shelter free adoption event

The pop-up event takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. outside of the shelter (1060 Al Bishop Drive, Marietta). They’ll be located in a trailer and they’re the only animals that will be available for adoption.

The shelter has been closed for adoptions since late last week and will begin reopening next week.

A dog was diagnosed with strep zoo and most of the 285 animals housed there have been placed in quarantine and given antibiotics.

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Cobb Animal Shelter temporarily closed due to strep zoo case

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Cobb animal shelter closes

Cobb County government sent out a message Friday afternoon that the county animal shelter is temporarily closed to the public after a confirmed case of strep zoo involving a dog being housed there.

Cobb spokesman Ross Cavitt said in a release that shelter staff suspected the case after the dog “suddenly became ill” and a portion of the shelter was quarantined as a result.

A test result confirmed the case, and Cavill said the quarantine has been expanded to the entire shelter, which currently houses 285 animals.

“The quarantine will remain in place until shelter staff can treat the entire animal population with antibiotics and conduct further testing,” he said.

Strep zoo is a highly contagious bacterial infection that affects the respiratory systems of animals.

Cavitt said shelter staff will contact individuals who have recently adopted animals at the shelter or who have made appointments.

“Treatment of the population will start when the shipment of antibiotics arrives,” Cavitt said. “A thorough cleaning will take place before the facility reopens. So far, no other animals have displayed symptoms.”

The Cobb Animal Shelter has been closed a few other times in recent years due to dog strep zoo cases, including February 2021 and October 2020.

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Cobb Animal Services to hold pet Adopt-A-Thon Monday

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From Cobb County Government:Cobb Animal Services free pet adoptions

For one day only, on Monday, July 18 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., visit Cobb Animal Services to meet your new furrever friend. Adoptions for featured pets are FREE. No appointment is necessary, so just stop by the Animal Services lot, take a look at the featured cats & dogs in our trailer and bring one (or more) home as your forever friend.

Thank you to our sponsors who have donated refreshments and treats for the staff, volunteers and forever families who adopt at the event.

More information can be found at CobbCounty.org/pets.

County Animal Services is located at 1060 Al Bishop Drive, Marietta.

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Good Mews cat shelter founder Gloria Skeen Cornell dies

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Good Mews 30th birthday
The current Good Mews cat shelter location opened in a standalone building on Robinson Road in 2015. ECN file photo.

The Good Mews Animal Foundation, a no-kill cat shelter in East Cobb, has announced that founder Gloria Skeen Cornell has died.

The organization posted a notice on its website and Facebook page on Monday.

“Gloria’s passion for animal welfare was no secret. She became inspired early in life after witnessing animal abuse and vowed to one day do what she could to put an end to it,” read the message by the shelter’s board of directors.

Gloria Skeen Cornell Good Mews founder dies
Gloria Skeen Cornell, Good Mews founder

A former flight attendant, she inadvertently started what became Good Mews out of her townhouse in 1988, taking in an abandoned cat after returning from a trip, then added another stray after that.

The shelter moved to space on Sandtown Road in Marietta, then to East Cobb, initially at the Fountains at Olde Towne shopping center.

When that center was razed for a medical office building, Good Mews built a standalone building on Robinson Road and relocated there in late 2015.

It includes space for veterinary medical and surgical care and separate space for kittens (see ECN coverage of its 30th anniversary in 2018).

The shelter typically holds up to 100 cats at a time, and Good Mews also has created a foster cat program for about 30-40 cats.

Since its opening Good Mews has placed more than 10,000 neglected, abandoned and abused cats in homes and has an average adoption rate of 450 cats a year.

“It’s a place where thousands of homeless kitties found their forever home, a place that helped Cobb County Animal Services achieve no-kill status, a place that provides on-site TNR services to surrounding low-income areas, and an inviting place many consider a home away from home,” the Good Mews message read.

“Although there are many more programs and community involvement that have come to fruition since Gloria’s founding, we wouldn’t be here without her.”

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East Cobb parrot owner offers $2K reward for missing ‘Woody’

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East Cobb resident Mary Jo Foster’s Amazon parrot went missing around Thanksgiving, and she was briefly encouraged earlier this week when there was a sighting.Woody the parrot

Foster is asking for the public’s help in finding Woody, whom she says is 44 years old and has been living with the Foster family for 25 years.

“Signs are everywhere, flyers have been passed out, and calls have been made, as well as so many encounters with the wonderful people of East Cobb by the Foster family, but so far, Woody is still not home,” she said in reaching out to East Cobb News.

She also sent us the accompanying photo of Woody, who has a Kelly green body and orange wings and who’s between 13-15 inches in height.

“He is smart, loves to talk and has a wide range of words he uses. He whistles, says Hello, How are you, Pretty boy, Sweet Boy, I love you Bobby Bobby boy, and many other words. He copies peoples laughs, and mimics animal sounds.”

Foster told us Woody was seen on Wednesday on Benthill Drive near Sewell Mill Road and Johnson Ferry Road.

There have been a number of sightings, and she had been offering a reward of $500.

Foster has upped that reward to $2,000 for anyone who finds Woody, or whose discovery immediately and directly leads to him being returned home.

She said Woody is drawn to certain foods, including peanuts and tortilla chips, as well as bird feeders.

Woody flies into Leyland Cypress trees (where he finds safety from hawks), as well as in, and between, dark green trees, and he’s typically out and about in the afternoons.

Anyone who sees him may be able to retain him with a towel, enclosing him in a box or a small laundry basket with holes.

Foster said if you’ve spotted Woody, you can call the following phone numbers: 770-334-7225 (first) or 678-522-6700.

She also said the family is asking for prayers.

“If God could bring the animals into Noah’s ark two by two, He can bring Woody back home,” she said.

 

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Cobb Animal Services to hold ‘Betty White Challenge’ Jan. 17

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Next Monday, Jan. 17, would have been the 100th birthday for actress Betty White, who died on New Year’s Eve.Cobb Animal Services Betty White Challenge

She was an ardent animal lover, and the Cobb Animal Services Department is holding a fundraiser on her birthday in her honor.

It’s called the Betty White Challenge, and those wishing to participate are asked to donate $5 in her name and/or sign up to volunteer at a local animal shelter.

“This gesture will make a world of difference to the shelter pets and the fellow employees and volunteers at the shelter,” said a Cobb Animal Services social media posting this week.

The link to donate can be found here; for volunteer information at the Cobb Animal Shelter, click here.

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Cobb Animal Services to hold free pet adopt-a-thon

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Submitted information and flyer from the Cobb Animal Services Department:

  • Cobb County Animal Services will host an Adopt-a-thon on-site at 1060 Al Bishop Drive on October 21, 22, & 23 from 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. The Animal Services trailer will feature pets available for free!  Free adoptions for featured pets AND no appointment is necessary. 

Cobb Animal Service Adopt A Thon

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Good Mews resumes weekend walk-in adoptions, reduces fees

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Kendra Ledlow, operations manager at the Good Mews no-kill cat shelter in East Cobb (3805 Robinson Road), sends along word that they’re resuming walk-in adoptions starting this weekend, after conducting appointment-only visits through the COVID-19 pandemic.Good Mews resumes walk-in adoptions

The hours are what they had been previously—Saturdays from 10 am. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.—and for the month of July adoption fees have been reduced to $50 per animal.

The fee includes spay/neuter, microchip, age-appropriate vaccinations, deworming and all other pre-adoption medical care.

She says that “there are A LOT of cats needing homes right now. And, every adoption allows room for us to intake and help a future cat. Folks can visit our website to see available cats! https://www.goodmews.org/catalog-search.”

If you wish to visit during the week, you’ll still need to make an appointment, since that’s usually been the process on weekdays.

Good Mews is holding a book sale fundraiser next Saturday, July 17, during regular opening hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). From 1-4, guests can purchase popsicles from King of Pops, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit Good Mews.

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East Cobb veterinarian, homeless pet advocate dies suddenly

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Dr. Michael Good

The Homeless Pets Foundation, a Marietta-based non-profit, announced that its founder, veterinarian Michael Good, died Friday after a heart attack.

For more than 40 years, he was the owner of the Town and Country Veterinary Clinic on Gresham Road, and used his clinic to provide temporary shelter for animals without homes and to serve as a hub for other pet advocacy work.

The foundation “was founded to provide a solution to the endless homeless pets population by educating our next generation, providing communities, and businesses a means to get involved and tell their stories,” said a post on the Homeless Pets Foundation Facebook page. “He was our visionary and the voice of the voiceless. Dr. Good seemed invincible to all who knew him and our hearts will forever be filled with adoration.”

He was involved in a variety of fundraisers to pay for the organization’s work. East Cobb realtor Janice Overbeck, who has held Homeless Pet Foundation vaccination clinics at her office on Sewell Mill Road, said in a statement that “his loss leaves a hole in the heart of our community, where he served so many others in countless ways. Dr. Good had the biggest heart for animals of anyone you’ve ever met. It’s practically in his name.”

He founded the Homeless Pets Foundation in 1998 and extended his animal advocacy to include the Underhound Railroad, which claims to have rescued more than 20,000 dogs from kill shelters in the South and sent them for adoption in the Northeast and Canada.

In 2016, Good was fined by $90,000 by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency for not properly recording the inventory of drugs at his clinic. According to the AJC, Good said the incident was the result of a “witch hunt.”

In 2019, a non-profit with which Good was involved was investigated by the Georgia Veterinary Medicine Board for allegations that orthopedic surgeons trained to operate on humans were performing unlicensed operations on homeless animals.

The board found no violations on Good’s part, and while the non-profit was shut down, Good defended the work of Surgeons for Strays.

Many of the comments on the Homeless Pets Foundation Facebook page thanked Good for his generosity toward their pets. One woman called him an “earth angel for everything he did for our fur friends” while another remembered that he “also personally kept our other cat alive when another vet all but wrote him off. My girl greeted him in heaven for sure because of his organization, she was saved from a kill shelter before we adopted her.”

The Homeless Pets Foundation said a celebration of life service will take place for Good from 2-3 p.m. Sunday at First Baptist Church in Marietta (148 Church St.), preceded by a visitation from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m.

 

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