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.
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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.
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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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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The Cobb Animal Shelter will resume previously scheduled appointments for adoptions and surrenders as early as Friday after closing over the weekend due after two dogs were tested for strep zoo.
The county issued a statement Wednesday saying that the two dogs tested negative for strep zoo, which is a bacterial infection that is contagious for animals.
The shelter, located on Al Bishop Drive in Marietta, will undergo a deep cleaning followed by a phased reopening. Staffers will be contacting those people who had appointments canceled when the shelter closed to rearrange their visits.
Due to COVID protocols, appointments are necessary for people wanting to adopt pets from the shelter, or to turn them in. You can call 770-499-4136 for more information and to book an appointment, or visit the shelter’s website.
This is the second time in four months the Cobb Animal Shelter closed because of strep zoo cases in dogs, including the death of one animal. Two years ago, two dogs died at the shelter after strep zoo outbreak.
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PASSION FOR PETS PHOTO CONTEST. Show off the one you love! Submit your photos between Feb. 1-12. Visit The Avenue East Cobb to view the photo window display located between Sephora and Simply Mac. The first 25 entries will receive a silver 5×7 picture frame. All entries will be included in an album on THE AVENUE EAST COBB FACEBOOK PAGE for online voting. Gift Card Prizes announced Monday Feb. 15th. SUBMIT PHOTOS to the Management Office (next to Panera) or Email PCHANIN@POAGLLC.COM.
COMPLIMENTARY PROFESSIONAL PET PHOTO SHOOT. Need a new photo of your pet?Book your pet photo shoot on Wednesday, February 10 from 1PM – 4PM. Your photo will automatically be entered into the Photo Contest. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED. To book your pet photo shoot, call the Marketing Coordinator M-F from 9 am – 5 pm in the Management Office at 770-971-9945 X3.
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East Cobb resident Nicole Penson is excited to pass along news about her daughter, Sophie, a student at Pope High School, who’s getting national magazine attention for her award-winning exploits as a trick dog handler.
Sophie and her dog Ducky, a rescued border collie mix, will be featured in the January-February issue of the American Kennel Club magazine.
Here’s more from Nicole about Sophie’s work with canines and school activities:
“Sophie is a junior at Pope High School and has earned numerous awards through the AKC, Universal Canine All Stars, Do More with Your Dog!, Cyber K9, International Canine Events Grand Prix Dog Shows, Sundog Sport, World Online Dog Show, and International Dog Parkour Association. She is a Certified Trick Dog Instructor, Certified Stunt Dog Competition Judge and Certified Canine Conditioning Fitness Coach with Do More With your Dog!, achieving the rank of All Star Trainer of the Year as a trick dog instructor and the rank of silver medal as a stunt dog judge.
“She is the first and only triple crown trainer in the state of Georgia with 185 titled students total and currently the youngest handler in the world to put the titles of stunt dog grand champion and triple crown champion on a dog (also the first junior handler for both). Her dog Ducky is the first mixed breed in the world to earn the triple crown champion title and so far the only one in the USA; she is also the first dog ever (worldwide) to earn the L2AAS agility title with Universal Canine All Stars. Sophie and Ducky will soon be pursuing their third grand championship upon release of Do More With Your Dog’s new title, Trick Dog Grand Champion (TDGCH).
“At Pope High School, Sophie is a board member of SGA and Sources of Strength. A member of Science Olympiad, Creative Writing Club, National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, Social Studies National Honor Society, and Math National Honor Society. She is currently a state nominee for the Governor’s Honors Program (GHP) in Biology. She has also been a volunteer with Our Pals Place (OPP), a pet adoption facility, for six years. Sophie and Ducky are currently practicing trick routines in the hopes of performing for seniors who are confined in assisted living centers due to Covid restrictions.”
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Updating a story from Friday about the temporary closure of the Cobb Animal Shelter:
The county is saying two dogs have tested positive for strep zoo, and at least one canine death is being attributed to the contagious bacterial infection.
The county said late Wednesday morning that several other cats and dogs are being treated for symptoms after all the animals housed at the shelter were tested by the UGA School of Veterinary Medicine.
The county said antibiotics have been ordered, and that veterinarians think the infection came with an animal dropped off at the shelter, “but they may never be able to determine which one.”
Animals showing symptoms are being quarantined, and the shelter will reopen after treatment and when no symptoms appear among the shelter population for two weeks.
So there will be no appointments for the public for adoptions during that time, and the shelter will undergo a deep cleaning.
Any animal showing symptoms will be quarantined. Officers at the shelter will respond to calls and animals brought to the shelter while it’s closed will be kept separately.
The shelter has been open to the public for adoption and animal surrender only by appointment since COVID-19 closures in the spring.
Cobb Animal Services is also notifying anyone who recently adopted an animal from the shelter and is advising them to seek treatment for their pet if necessary.
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Cobb County government said Friday afternoon that the county animal shelter has closed temporarily because “an unknown illness has affected dogs and cats in the shelter.”
The county said in the announcement that the University of Georgia is conducting tests with the results coming early next week.
Until then, adoption appointments with the public are being cancelled.
The shelter, located in the Cobb government services complex on County Services Road west of Marietta, closed for two weeks last October due to a strep zoo outbreak.
Two dogs at the shelter died from the contagious virus and the facility was thoroughly cleaned.
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Barbara Desmond, a resident of the Horizon condominium community off Powers Ferry Road, was taking a walk last Thursday morning when she heard what she said was an “awful distressed sound” of a crying kitten “way down in a sewer drain!”
While others discovered the kitten and called for help, she said she stayed on the scene near the entrance to the Hudson Ridge apartments on Windy Ridge Parkway and Parkwood Circle.
Cobb Fire and Emergency Services crews from Stations 3 and 4, as well as Cobb Animal Services, arrived to conduct a rescue operation that turned out more than successful.
The small black kitten not only was extracted safely, one of its rescuers adopted “Figaro,” who was obviously terrified but got plenty of comfort from the crews and later from her.
Barbara provided the photos and shot and narrated the videos.
She reports that the crews had to gain access to both points of the drain, around 60 feet apart, and that crew members fitted with oxygen suits and tanks came in either direction, and said “OMG it was so intense.”
She said “Many ANGELS on the scene helped with this very dangerous rescue!”
Here’s more from Barbara: “When I said thank you to the firefighters so much for all that you did to save the kitty, they all looked at me and the Chief said ‘It is our job to rescue all life.’ ”
She later gave Figaro some love before the kitten was adopted, and said she is “so proud to live in Cobb and this amazing team of First Responders! I am forever touched by this kitty rescue and wanted to share!”
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If you’re a cat artist, you’ve got until Feb. 21 to submit your work for a Cat Art Show in March at The Art Place (3330 Sandy Plains Road).
The show will take place from March 7-15, and all mediums are accepted.
Here’s more from The Art Place:
Artists are limited to five pieces of work for submission (contact TAP directly to as about jewelry/buttons/small items). 30% of all sales will be donated to local animal shelters and 70% will go back to the artist.
There are more details and an online application form by clicking here.
The opening reception for the Cat Art Show is March 7 from 11am-4pm, and the closing reception will be March 14 from 11am – 4pm.
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Dr. Judy Johnson, veterinarian at the Good Mews cat shelter in East Cobb, criticized commissioners for abandoning a proposed pet sale ban. (ECN file)
The Cobb Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to withdraw a proposed ordinance that would ban the sales of cats and dogs at commercial pet stores.
After that, they heard plenty of complaints from animal advocates, including a veterinarian at an East Cobb cat shelter, for not taking action.
Last month, commissioners were deadlocked 2-2 on the proposed code amendment (read all of them here). Bob Ott, of East Cobb, who missed that meeting, voted Tuesday to shelve the proposed pet sales ban.
During a lengthy public hearing, several citizens and advocates told emotional stories of purchases of pets from Petland in Kennesaw—the only pet store in Cobb that would have been affected by the ban—that were sick or later died.
Animal advocates have long said commercial pet stores purchase animals from puppy mills, sell them to the public at a high price, and don’t address health concerns.
At last month’s meeting, the tie vote occurred after discussion about a ruling from the Georgia Attorney General’s Office that local animal ordinances should not supercede state law.
Some animal advocates argued that the opinion doesn’t have the force of law.
Judy Johnson, a veterinarian with the East Cobb-based Good Mews cat shelter, had been a veterinarian at emergency facilities that treated Petland animals, saying they were ill and little was done when she and others complained to state officials.
“They retain a profit from the purchase, even if the puppy dies,” Johnson said during the public hearing. If pet store animals survive, “they have other health issues, which carry financial burdens.”
She cited growing veterinarian suicide rates, with a leading factor being what she called “compassion fatigue” and eventually left the emergency medicine field.
The pet illnesses and other issues stemming from treating Petland puppies was “emotionally exhausting. . . I had to get away before I became another statistic.”
Other animal-related measures before the commissioners also are being held for reconsideration.
One is related to a “trap, neuter and release” practice involving feral and stray cats—referred to as community cats—that animal advocates say has proven effective.
Elizabeth Finch, a Good Mews board member and East Cobb resident, said since the shelter took over Cobb TNR cases since late January, it has sterilized 76 cats—45 of them females—who have then been sent back outdoors.
She estimated that has reduced the births of a few hundred kittens.
“Clearly the method works,” said Finch, who said Good Mews’ goal is to neuter or spay 1,000 community and feral cats in Cobb this year.
The commissioners did approve an amendment regulating backyard chickens without a permit, with a limit of one for every 5,000 square feet of lot space on residential lots that are 80,000 square feet or smaller.
The new ordinance permits only hens, which must be kept in a fenced area behind the home and cared for in a manner that eliminates “potential negative effects,” such as odors, pollution, noise and pest and rodent issues.
The new measure also prohibits hens from being slaughtered on the premises.
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Please visit Good Mews Animal Foundation for our Valentine’s Day adoption special! ALL Cats and Kittens will have a reduced adoption fee of $14. We are open for adoptions on Saturdays 10AM – 4PM and Sundays 1PM – 4PM.
Please visit our website www.goodmews.org for more information and to see our adoptable kitties! We just rescued 17 cats from Habersham County animal control and many of these new residents will be ready to find their fur-ever home!
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From Jane Lang of the Good Mews Animal Foundation comes the following information about an ongoing cat adoption special, and the flyer has more details:
Good Mews has a lot of cats that have been with them for months, some even years. They’d love to find their long-time residents a forever home in time for the holidays! So from December 16th-31st, all cats that have been at Good Mews 6 months and longer will have a reduced adoption fee of $25!
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The holiday shopping season has just begun, but the Good Mews Holiday Decor Market is ending this weekend, with all proceeds to benefit the non-profit cat shelter in East Cobb.
Everything is marked down 50 percent and the hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 12-5 on Sunday. The market is located at 1860 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 202 (in the Sandy Plains Exchange Shopping Center).
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Two weeks after closing due to a strep zoo outbreak, the Cobb animal shelter reopened on Friday.
The shelter was closed Oct. 2 after staff discovered the highly contagious bacterial disease had killed two dogs. The remaining animals were quarantined and given antibiotics and the facility at 1060 Al Bishop Drive was thoroughly cleaned.
The county said Friday there have been no reports of any newly adopted animals becoming ill so the shelter was reopened.
A fall adoption special is continuing, with fees reduced to $20 (typically they’re $115). The shelter is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 2-5 p.m. Sunday.
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Cobb government said Friday afternoon that all 150 dogs at the county animal shelter were given antibiotics on Thursday, and that the 200 cats housed there are getting them today.
After closing the shelter earlier this week due to a strep zoo outbreak that killed at least four dogs, the next step will be a full cleaning of the facility on Al Bishop Road. Cobb spokesman Ross Cavitt said that will “likely happen at the end of the next week.”
While the cleaning is underway, the remaining animals will be housed temporarily, and Cavitt said the Atlanta Humane Society has donated 80 crates for that effort.
He also said the animal services staff has been trying to contact the owners of 80 animals who were recently adopted from the shelter in recent days, but there have been no reports of newly adopted animals getting sick.
Cavitt said a fifth dog who died in the shelter recently may also have contracted strep zoo, a highly contagious bacterial infection, but that happened before testing was ordered.
The shelter remains closed and no new animals will be taken in during that time. The animals currently there will be monitored for a week after receiving antibiotics, Cavitt said. The cleaning is expected to take several days.
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Executive director Elizabeth Berman, has followed up to say that the three dozen or so cats that the East Cobb shelter took in are available for adoption, and that on Oct. 17, two weeks from today, they’ll be having a “Happy Hour” adoption special (see flyer below for more details) from 5-8 p.m.
The adoption fees will be $5 during that time.
Good Mews is located at 3805 Robinson Road.
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Cobb government said today the county animal services staff is “in full emergency mode” due to a strep zoo outbreak.
The original report Wednesday indicated that two dogs had died from contagious bacterial infection, but now the county is saying “at least four dogs” have died.
Cobb reiterated Wednesday’s announcement that the shelter will be closed for at least two weeks for a cleaning, and that no new animals will be accepted during that time.
The animals remaining at the shelter will be cared for by staff as they have been and be put on antibiotics for seven days and monitored by veterinarians.
The county says the animal services staff will respond to calls and is working with humane societies and rescue groups to find temporary housing for animals needing shelter.
“This is an expensive operation, but county officials have vowed to use contingency funds in the FY20 budget to do what is needed,” according to Thursday’s county update.
Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt said the county is spending $15,000 on the antibiotics. Here’s more information in a video that went out with Thursday’s update:
ORIGINAL REPORT, WEDNESDAY, OCT. 2, 5:13 P.M.:
The Cobb Animal Services shelter will close for at least two weeks after two dogs there died from strep zoo, a highly contagious bacterial infection.
Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt said in a release issued late Wednesday afternoon that volunteers are not to come by the shelter, located at 1060 Al Bishop Drive in Marietta, and that no new animals will be accepted while the shelter is closed.
“After consulting with our on-site veterinarians, we determined that closing the facility was the only option available,” Shana Luke, Cobb Animal Services Division Director said in a statement. “We will embark on a thorough cleaning process of the entire facility, and put all the animals in the shelter on an antibiotic regimen.”
Strep zoo, a shortened name of the medical term Streptococcus Zooepidemicus, was discovered as the cause of death for the two dogs after an investigation by shelter staff. The bacteria affects an animal’s respiratory system and shelter animals are vulnerable.
Luke said the cleaning will begin immediately and that shelter staff will work “on a case-by-case basis to provide care” to other shelter animals “in certain situations.”
Veterinarians will monitor the health of the cats and dogs who remain at the shelter, Cavitt said.
“This is an unfortunate incident and we deeply regret having to close to the public,” Luke said. “But the health and welfare of the animals we care for is our top priority.”
More than 100 pets from the Cobb shelter have been adopted out over the last two years as part of a program started by Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell.
It’s called Superior Pets for Patriotic Vets, in which a dog or cat is adopted by a military veteran. Superior Plumbing of Cobb provides the funding to cover adoption fees.
Superior announced recently it was donating another $5,000 to cover 100 more adoptions.
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It’s been a busy Labor Day weekend for staff and volunteers at East Cobb-based Good Mews, who traveled to a Glynn County shelter for an evacuation of 50 cats as Hurricane Dorian approaches the southeastern United States.
Shelter manager Kendra Ledlow and three Good Mews volunteers were making the 5-hour trip back to metro Atlanta Monday afternoon.
The cat shelter posted the above photo on its Facebook page and said that 18 of the cats will be delivered elsewhere upon arrival in Marietta, and the rest will be taken in at Good Mews. Without the rescue, they noted, the cats would have been euthanized.
Now Good Mews is asking for public donations, via its Best Friends/Strutt Your Mutt portal, to support its work of rescuing, caring for and preparing cats for adoption. Here’s what Good Mews is suggesting if you’re interested in helping out:
“For the first 32 people to donate $20 or more to our Strut Your Mutt team RIGHT NOW, you get to name one of our new kitties! To do this, write the suggested name in the note section of the donation page (see screenshot). This will automatically forward to our team captain. Once our new residents are settled in, we will also email a picture of your sponsored kitty!”
That screenshot is shown at the right.
Another way you can help out is at a benefit car wash this Saturday, Sept. 7, from 10-2 at Good Mews (3805 Robinson Road). Your $10 donation gets your car washed, and helps Good Mews earn “bonus dollars” from the Best Friends Animal Society. All the proceeds through Strut Your Mutt goes to the care of of Good Mews cats.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp called for a mandatory hurricane evacuation for the Georgia coast east of I-95 starting at noon Monday for the following counties: Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty and McIntosh.
By 8 a.m. Tuesday, all traffic along I-16 between Savannah with Dublin will be reverted to a “westerly contraflow,” meaning all lanes will be for outbound travel only.
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Submitted information from Enhance Floors and More, which is holding the following kitten adoption event on Tuesday (Aug. 27) from 4-7 p.m. at its showroom at 1847 Roswell Road:
ANGELS AMONG US PET RESCUE is overflowing with kittens (and cats!) Come meet these fabulous felines and find your new fluffy best friend.
Join us for food, drinks, fun, and kittens! Bring a donation* and you’ll be entered to win a Roomba.
Be sure to ask about the Kitten Caboodle Adoption Specials. And while you are here, we will be happy to help you find the purrfect pet friendly floor for your home.
*Suggested items include wet and dry kitten food (Royal Canin Mother and Babycat), cat litter (clumping and nonclumping), postage scales, food and water bowls, breakaway kitten collars, bottles, and little snuggly toys.
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team captain. Once our new residents are settled in, we will also email a picture of your sponsored kitty!”
