BUFORD, Ga. — Georgia is killing more shelter animals than nearly anywhere else in the country, according to Best Friends Animal Society. The group, along with local animal advocates, are working to turn Georgia into a no-kill state by next year and looking at other states at how to save lives.
Data from Best Friends Animal Society's No-Kill by 2025 campaign reveals that Georgia ranks within the top 10 states when it comes to shelter animal kill rates. According to the campaign, 14,118 animals were killed across the state last year, ranking just beneath Alabama. Texas had the highest number at 61,245.
The work never stops at animal shelters in Georgia; dogs and cats never stop coming in.
"There's some night where it's hard to sleep. You're up at night and thinking about all the animals," said Lifeline Animal Care Manager Lauren Nembhard.
Twelve dogs were surrendered to the shelter during 11Alive's interview alone, and Nembhard says they get as many as 30 a day in Fulton County.
"You have to just figure it out on the spot," she said.
Eventually, those numbers add up to heartbreak and the shelter is forced to euthanize animals because they don’t have the space to take them all in.
"It's so hard and you wish there was a better outcome," Nembhard said. "Devastating is the best word I can use to describe it. You walk into the room feeling heavy."
Heavy and weighed down by the deaths of animals that could be adopted.
Fulton County shelter animals
"There is no way we can go with euthanizing 20,000 animals annually just in the state of Georgia alone; we just can't do that. It's not humane, it's not right," said former President and CEO of Northeast Humane Society Allison Mayfield.
This is not the case in other states.
Mayfield saw euthanasia numbers dropping in South Carolina.
"My first thought was, why don't we do that in Georgia? Why is no one doing that in Georgia?" she said.
So, she decided to head up a statewide coalition to change that. Now, Better Together Georgia is attacking the state's animal crisis on all fronts.
"There are a lot of laws that need to change, and unfortunately, a lot of them are county by county and we have 159 counties in Georgia. So that can be daunting," said Vice President of Statewide Initiatives Katie Ceraso.
Strategy to make Georgia a no-kill state
Seeing what’s worked in other states, advocates are now working with Georgia’s legislature to strengthen laws against backyard breeders and end breed restrictions while also reducing the cost of veterinary care.
"We have some counties where a spay-neuter is $1,000 or higher," Ceraso said. "So there are people who work in animal sheltering that can't afford to get their own pets spayed or neutered."
Better Together Georgia just rolled out a mobile vet clinic providing low to no-cost spay and neuter for pets in rural areas.
"By deploying this team across the state, we are able to meet with those shelters and see what it is that they need to make those programs work and provide it to them," she said.
They say that, most importantly, the initiative will support families who want to keep their pets but can't afford to.
Save a life with adoption
"People are losing their homes," Nembhard said. "If they don't have anywhere to stay, they don't have anywhere for their pets."
By bringing shelters across the state together, animal advocates are hoping to end euthanasia in Georgia for good.
"We have to, right? We don't have pets without people. So the people have to help the pets," said Mayfield.
Another big part of this effort is marketing the shelter animals to people who might otherwise buy their pet from a breeder.
Better Together Georgia's research shows that if just 6% more people adopted animals from shelters instead of breeders, the animal overpopulation problem in the state could be resolved.
To track shelter populations across the country, click here.