Visit us on the web at http://www.hstco.org
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The Humane Society of Terrell County (HSTC) is an all volunteer non-for-profit rescue organization based in Dawson, GA. We are a 501(c)(3) group of foster homes that care for companion pets in our homes until they can be adopted into loving homes; our county does not have a shelter and we operate solely on donations and fundraisers. All pets are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, heartworm tested, dewormed and treated with Frontline flea control; it is our goal to make sure all pets are healthy while under our care. An adoption application form can be requested by visiting our website at www.hstco.org. The adoption fee for most dogs is generally $85 and cats $75 (we will discount if more than one pet is adopted at the same time or the adoptee is taking on some type of medical care). We do allow out-of-state adoptions, however, transportation is for the most part the responsibility of the adopter. We DO NOT ship sight unseen pets (if you are able to fly with a pet, we may be able to work with you).
***Please Remember:*** HSTC is not animal control and we are not authorized to pick up stray and/or abandonded dogs and cats. Although Terrell County does not have a shelter, Terrell County does have an animal control officer for dogs only. To have a stray and/or abandonded dog picked up, the officer can be reached Monday-Friday from 9 am-5 pm. For residents of Terrell County, please call 229-995-4476; within the city limits of Dawson, please call 229-995-4444.
Volunteering and Donations
We are always in need of monetary donations. We can always us any size crates, dog houses, kennels, collars, leashes, dog and cat food, cat litter and all types of pet toys. Our goal one day is to have south Georgia's first and only no-kill animal sanctuary so certainly and a donation of land and/or a facility would allow us to get much closer to this goal. Tax-deductible cash donations are gratefully accepted at PO Box 311 Dawson, GA 39842-0311 or through pay-pal. We can use pet supplies of every kind! We will gladly use a gift certificates to any retailer who sells pet food or supplies for our fur kids in foster care. If you routinely make purchases from retailes online, please take a minute and choose us as your charity at www.igive.com . It is completely free and everytime you make a purchase from a retailer on their list (and there are hundreds to choose from), a portion of your purchase is donated to us.
Volunteers and foster homes are also needed (it is not a requirement to live Terrell County to vounteer or foster). Contact us via email at hstcoinfo@gmail.com
Come Visit Us!
Our foster care network is based out of Dawson, Georgia. We are in rural southwest Georgia, about 2 ½ hours south of Atlanta, just north of Albany, Georgia on Hwy 520. We are also close to the Florida and Alabama borders.
Adopting a Pet
We require a completed adoption application with references verified for adoption-you may request an adoption application on-line at our website at www.hstco.org. Adoption applications are approved on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration matching the needs of the pet to an owner. Some long distance adoptions may also require a home visit from a local animal rescuer in the adopter’s area. Because the majority of our pets come to us as strays, we want to make certain they will never find themselves homeless again; after all, they deserve the very best! Please remember that owning a pet is a major responsibility but it also can be the best decisions you ever make. A pet's love comes with no strings attached; we should all be so lucky to have that kind of love in our lives! Before you decide to adopt from our organization or any other rescue or shelter, please consider that with proper care, a pet can live 10 years or more. This is a lifetime commitment; if more people would take this into consideration, maybe one day we will not have so many homeless pets. Think about where you will be in your life in 1 year, 5 years and yes, even 10 years from now. Do you think you will move? Do you think you will change jobs? Do you think you will have children? . Do any current members in your household have pet allergies or been tested for pet allergies? Are all the current and future members of your household in agreement on adopting a pet and understand the committments involved? These types of factors can have a future impact on a pet's ability to remain with you for its lifespan. They are some of the most common reasons owners list for surrendering their pets. If you cannot answer these questions positively, maybe now is not the right time in your life to adopt. Why not consider volunteering with your local rescue or animal shelter instead? It is a great way to fill a void in a homeless pet's life and gain some experience in taking care of a pet. When the time is right for you to adopt, you will know it!
The vast majority of pets that find themselves homeless have done nothing wrong. They are given up because for some reason, they simply do not fit into their owner’s lifestyle anymore; this is the owner's lack of commitment to the pet, not the other way around. It is a privilege to own a pet. Although we do have an open door return policy on our pets, continual uprooting of a pet is stressful and unfair and can have long term damaging effects on pet behavior. Sadly, we have seen pets surrendered for all types of reasons and it makes us sad each and every time. When our pets leave us, we want them to go to their “forever homes”. Often, this means giving a pet a chance to adjust to his or her new home and not be so quick to give up if things do not go 100% smoothly immediately after adoption. After all, no one is perfect and a pet needs time to learn you and your home!
