Albany Humane Society’s dog rescue highlights cruelty, hope for abandoned pets

ALBANY — It was just days before Christmas and there was no room at the inn, or in this case, the shelter, for 10 abandoned and hungry dogs. But Albany Humane Society employees pitched in to bring about a Merry Christmas and, for some of them already adopted, a new home for some abandoned pets.

About two weeks ago, a person believed to be the landlord of an Albany property contacted the animal shelter in Albany about dogs that had been left behind, Human Society Development Director Samantha Threadgill said.

“They were just tied up in the backyard; no food, no water,” she said. “They would have died if somebody hadn’t found them. They had really bad skin issues, which is a sign of malnutrition. They hadn’t been fed in I don’t know how long.”

At the time, the shelter was filled to capacity with about 200 animals, but the property owner agreed to let the dogs stay there until they could be moved into the shelter in small numbers as space became available.

All but one or two of the dogs were adult golden retrievers, mostly females, with two puppies in the mix, Threadgill said. Most were tethered with rope around their necks, so they were helpless.

The dogs obviously had been without food for some time, she said, and shelter personnel have speculated that perhaps they were part of a puppy mill attempt whose operator became overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for them.

Shelters were moved to the location, and Humane Society employees stopped by to provide food and water.

“This was just a case of our staff thinking outside the box,” Threadgill said. “(The dogs) were only out there for three days. They’re all in the shelter now, safe. A couple of them have been adopted.”

The recent situation is one that the shelter sees too frequently, according to the Humane Society spokesperson. While the shelter’s resources are frequently stretched, it would prefer that owners who become unable to care for a pet to surrender the pet to the Humane Society.

“To be honest, we see this type of situation all the time,” Threadgill said. “If we didn’t have the funds to pay our staff and for food, we wouldn’t have been able to go out there and give them food and water.

“That’s why it’s so important for people to continue to support us.”

Currently, the Humane Society has a matching gift fundraising event going on, so individuals who make a donation can have their gift doubled.

Matching gifts can be made online at albanyhumane.org, at the 1705 W. Oakridge Drive shelter or mailed to 1705 W. Oakridge Drive, Albany, Ga. 31707. Donors are asked to include “PAW-liday Giving” in the reference field.

Special Photo: AHS