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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Years ago Dr. Good saved my 5 month old terrier/retriever mix, Bruiser, who had chewed and swallowed a disposable razor. Bruiser lived a full life to the ripe old age of 16 and I am thankful to Dr. Good and T&C staff for their efforts which gave us that extra time.
When Dr. Good first went into practice my parents, sister and I each had dog patients at T&C. Us girls would carry on about how great looking he was and also how caring. My father dubbed him “Dr. Good Looking” due to our carrying on.
God bless you Dr. Good! I suspect your arrival in heaven was quite a crowded affair with all of the critters and people who preceded you welcoming you home.
Dr Good was an amazing and caring veterinarian who saved the lives of countless animals with his Homeless Pet Foundation. He cared for our family’s pets for over 20 years. Shame on you for including a legal matter in reporting his tragic death. He will be greatly missed by many. My condolences especially to his son, also a veterinarian, and his family.
I took a few of my pets to Dr. Good. He was also a patient at dental office where l worked. A nice man who cared deeply for the animals thrown away and spent his career saving as many as he could. I remember seeing his 2 gorgeous German Shrpherds that he tok to work with him. He was a very proud pet dad. Dr Good was a celebrity of sorts putting himself out there for the sake of animals. I am deeply saddened to hear of his passing, and l have to wonder what will happen to his clinic(s) and his Homeless Pets Foundation.
I am so sorry to hear that Dr. Good passed away! I met Dr. Good years ago when we decided at the last minute to spend Thanksgiving with my mother in Nashville. My regular vet’s boarding program was booked solid with a waiting list, but he suggested calling Dr. Good so I did and even though my dog wasn’t his patient, they made room to board him at the West Cobb office so we could go see my Mom. I will always appreciate what they did for us that Thanksgiving!
When I brought my dog in, I saw a deformed turtle he had taken in and was trying to help. This turtle had been fed dog food all of his life and it didn’t have the nutrients turtles need so his shell was small and deformed and his head, arms, legs and tail ballooned from the tiny openings. He looked so bizarre that I wasn’t really sure what kind of animal he was until I asked. The next time we boarded our dog, I saw the turtle hanging out in the office and he looked so much better! His shell was larger and much more normal looking and he just looked a lot more comfortable thanks to Dr. Good! I really admired him and his staff for helping that turtle and so many other animals to have a better life.
Dr. Good will be greatly missed!
Dr Good was our vet for many years and we became friends with so many of his staff. He will be missed by all that knew him.
God Bless and Rest In Peace
Bob and Jan Casteel
Dr. Michael Good was a one man army.
He was stoic, humble, a great man. Professionally, there is no one like him. Knowledgeable, caring, with the highest integrity an scholar can ever possess.
As a human being, he was genuine, humble and a great friend. He was just a blessing to those who knew him and to the pets that were under his care.
Our hearts are bleeding because we have lost our beloved friend and veterinarian.
Our condolences to his family and the family he had in all of his practice staff.
He is dearly missed.
If everyone strived to be as caring about people and animals as Dr. Good, we would be a whole lot better off.
Dr Good was our vet for over 30 years. When T&C Gresham Road location was the only one, he saved a stray that was pregnant and lost the pups in utero except one. Because he saved her life and one puppy, we kept and enjoyed many years with both of those dogs. He vetted numerous pound dogs and cats we adopted over the years, gave my kid a job, and we have two rescues that would have otherwise been in the Cobb landfill, if not for Dr Good. Cobb County certainly owes this man and his legacy a debt of gratitude for all he has done to save the animals that others found useless as well as his overall contribution to Cobb. He plucked out and kept (who knows how many) dogs and cats out of the CCAC kill shelter Cobb Commissioners ran. He worked tirelessly to find them all good homes, and the ones he couldn’t, he kept at the vet locations to spare their lives. Yes, the animal community lost a treasure. But even more, wasn’t Dr Good the one that provided displaced families from fires who were shut in hotels without money or hope some levity by paying for their families to watch a Braves game? When I read that back a few years ago, I was astonished but never surprised when I read WHO did that. I’m sure his kindness did much more no one knows about. The amount of GOODness he shared with everyone he met, financially, or emotionally, providing jobs for those that may not have otherwise made it back into the work force – is hard to fathom. He was good to animals and people. I pray Dr Good was welcomed into the gates of Heaven by a heavenly host of many grateful pet owners who went before, who’s lives were greatly enriched for having him as their veterinarian and/or having gotten their pet companion from him. We were blessed to have him as our vet.
May God give peace and reassurance to his son, family, employees, colleagues and friends now and always.
If everyone strived to be as caring about people and animals as Dr. Good, we would be a whole lot better off.
Dr Good was our vet for over 30 years. When T&C Gresham Road location was the only one, he saved a stray that was pregnant and lost the pups in utero except one. Because he saved her life and one puppy, we kept and enjoyed many years with both of those dogs. He vetted numerous pound dogs and cats we adopted over the years, gave my kid a job, and we have two rescues that would have otherwise been in the Cobb landfill, if not for Dr Good. Cobb County certainly owes this man and his legacy a debt of gratitude for all he has done to save the animals that others found useless as well as his overall contribution to Cobb. He plucked out and kept (who knows how many) dogs and cats out of the CCAC kill shelter Cobb Commissioners ran. He worked tirelessly to find them all good homes, and the ones he couldn’t, he kept at the vet locations to spare their lives. Yes, the animal community lost a treasure. But even more, wasn’t Dr Good the one that paid for displaced families from the fires and shut in hotels without money or hope some levity by paying for their families to watch a Braves game? When I read that back a few years ago, I was astonished but never surprised when I read WHO did that. I’m sure his kindness did much more no one knows about. The amount of GOODness he shared with everyone he met, financially, or emotionally, providing jobs for those that may not have otherwise made it back into the work force – is hard to fathom. I pray Dr Good was welcomed into the gates of Heaven by a heavenly host of many grateful pet owners who went before, who’s lives were greatly enriched for having him as their veterinarian and/or having gotten their pet companion from him. We are ever so grateful to have had him as our vet for so many years.
May God keep give peace and reassurance to his son, family, employees, colleagues and friends now and always.
Condolences to his family. Our hearts are so sad right now. He was a Vet who actually listened to you and cared. I met Dr Good in his West Cobb office and my family and and dog loved him so much that we transferred to his East Cobb office. May he Rest In Peace.