The adoption process at Spalding County Animal Control is fairly simple.  Animals are held for a period of 3 full working days for Owner Reclaim.  After that time they are available to the public for adoption. 

Deciding on a Pet - The first step in the process of adopting a pet is to consider your family’s needs and the living arrangements that you have. 

These are considerations such as the following: 

• Do you have children, if so, what ages, and what are they looking for as far as activity levels in a pet
• Are there elderly adults in the home, do they want a small lap dog or a larger dog to alert them to visitors
• Do you live in an apartment or rental house and if so, does your landlord allow pets
• Do you want a pet to live outdoors or will you be adopting an indoor pet
• Do you want a puppy or do you want an older dog that is already housebroken? 

These are considerations, along with others, that must be taken into account when adopting a pet.

Applying for the Adoption - After you choose a pet that is suitable for your family and living situation, there is an adoption application that must be filled out, which asks questions pertinent to your individual situation and the care your new pet would receive. At this point, you will be approved for an adoption, denied an adoption, or counseled on the specific animal you have chosen. Then there is an adoption agreement to sign. Once this application is reviewed and approved, there are a few more things to do to make the adoption complete:

Arranging for Spaying or Neutering - Spalding County Animal Control has a policy that all animals must be spayed or neutered within 30 days of adoption. Animals that are not of age may have extended time until they reach sexual maturity.  This may be arranged with the veterinarian of choice.   

Back to Top

If your animal has been impounded by the Spalding County Animal Control or the City of Griffin it will be available for reclaim for 3 (three) full working days from the date of impoundment.  Your animal will be available for adoption by the public after the reclaim time has been succeeded. 

If you have proof of a current rabies vaccination for your pet, the reclaim fees are as follows:

• Dog & cat reclaim fee: $20.00
• Livestock & exotics reclaim fee: $25.00

• Dog & cat board: $7.00 per day for every day or part of a day
• Livestock board: $10.00 per day for every day or part of a day

If you do not have proof of a current rabies vaccination for your pet, the reclaim fees are as follows:

• Dog & cat reclaim fee: $45.00
• Dog & cat board: $7.00 per day for every day or part of a day
• Rabies vaccination: $15.00

All dogs and cats must have current rabies tag on its collar or be subject to fines.

Back to Top

There are many ways that you can help the animals at the Spalding County Animal Shelter. The following is a partial list of things the public can donate to make the animals a little more comfortable during their stay at the shelter. (This is only a partial list, any suggestions or ideas that you have are always appreciated.):

• Cat food, dog food or kitty litter
• Beds for the kennel floors
• Towels, blankets, and old rags for bedding and baths
• Grooming supplies (flea dip, shampoo, brushes, clippers, etc.)
• Dog leashes and collars
• Food and water bowls, litter pans

Back to Top

I'm not in the Griffin, Georgia area. Can I still adopt?

Griffin is only about 45 minutes south of Atlanta, so it is not uncommon for people to make that trip for a special pet. And in some cases, long distance adoptions may be an option. Call us at (770) 467-4772 to arrange your adoption. Then contact one or more pet transportation companies to arrange your pet's travel to his new home. 

What can I do with my problem pet?

• Barking dogs: Dogs bark for a number of different reasons. Try to evaluate your dog’s environment and perhaps you can come up with several reasons your dog barks. Is your dog left alone all day while the family is at school and work? Although many dogs can adjust to a life alone during the day, others may be lonely, bored or frustrated. They may turn to barking incessantly or chewing up the oriental rug. Do you leave your dog tied at the end of a chain 24-7? These dogs need more human companionship. This can be accomplished in a number of ways from hiring a dog sitter to adopting another dog. Two dogs can keep each other company, play together, and exercise each other. If you have a secure dog pen adjacent to the house, consider installing a dog door for your dogs to use at their discretion. Giving your dogs a variety of environments and allowing them to choose where they want to be will go a long way towards alleviating boredom and barking.
   
• Jumping on people: Almost any dog can be taught to sit quietly on command rather than jump, and this behavior is especially easy to teach when the quiet and well behaved dog is amply rewarded with the attention she so desires.
   
• Female dogs in heat: There is only one obvious answer to the problem of male dogs chasing after your female dog in heat! GET HER SPAYED!! Unless you breed purebred dogs, there is no reason to keep either your female or male dogs unspayed or unneutered. Spaying and neutering will eliminate not only the unwanted dogs in your yard, but also the unwanted puppies resulting from your dog’s indiscretions.
   
• Aggressive dogs: An estimated 4.7 million people, most of them children, are bitten annually by dogs in the United States. Millions of these dog bite injuries could be prevented through public education and responsible dog ownership. Dogs who are properly trained and socialized, who receive adequate care and attention, and who are safely confined are less likely to bite. Dogs who are sterilized are three times less likely to bite.
   
• Dogs that dig: The dog who digs up his owner’s yard cannot comprehend the amount of time and expense that went into the landscaping and rosebushes. It may also be true that his owner doesn’t appreciate a dog’s need to exercise and interact socially with other dogs or with humane companions. Denied social opportunities, the dog may decide that landscape destruction is an amusing way to keep him occupied. A dog who gets plenty of exercise and companionship and is given his own special part of the yard to dig in will no longer wreak havoc on the landscape.
   
• Cats scratching furniture: Cats scratch. It’s a fact of cat life. Scratching allows a cat to stretch and exercise, to mark her home with her own scent, and to shed overgrown nails. Cat owners who understand and accept normal cat behavior provide an acceptable place for their cats to perform this instinctive activity, and the cat and owner live in peace.
   
• Cats who refuse to use the litter box: Some cats, due to unpleasant (and sometimes unknown) experiences, refuse to use a normal litter box filled with kitty litter. Trial – and - error may lead to the discovery of a solution both cat and owner can live with, such as an empty box or a piece of clean newspaper in place of a litter box.

What about dog fighting?

Blood sports, or illegal dog fighting, is a very severe problem in Griffin-Spalding County, and Spalding County Animal Control is adamantly opposed to it. We maintain that these are brutal animal contests resulting in suffering, torture, harassment, and death for animals which are forced to participate. Such sports amount to torture for fun and are degrading and unfit for civilized society. In 1998 alone, Spalding County Animal Control impounded 174 pitbull terriers and pitbull terrier mixes. Out of this number, 121 were found with wounds, scars, broken bones, and open lacerations. Many of the others were found abandoned or were impounded pending cruelty charges against their owners. Either the Griffin Police Department or Spalding County Animal Control broke up three organized dogfights.

Although many people believe that this crime does not affect them personally and that these crimes are committed in the inner cities by people who will never touch their lives, this is not the case. Perpetrators of illegal dogfighting have many links to the community of Griffin-Spalding County. Dogfighting generates millions of dollars of unreported income each year. Illegal gambling accounts for a percentage of this money. In addition to illegal gambling, other crimes are frequently associated with dogfighting. There are almost always illicit drugs and weapons at dogfights. Many of the boys who fight their dogs are also gang members. A "game" dog is a macho image that most gang members like to portray. These gang members are the same people who sell drugs on the streets of Griffin-Spalding County.

There is also a proven link between people who abuse animals and people who abuse children. Many child abusers, serial killers and murderers began their "careers" as animal abusers. These are people with little or no respect for the life of an animal; and as time passes, they no longer have any respect for life at all and often turn to a more challenging victim, such as a child.

Dogfighting is a cruel, inhumane sport carried on right here in our community of Griffin-Spalding County by individuals of all walks of life. From the street fighter to the professional, dogfighting for sport has no regard to race, social status or income. The American Pitbull Terrier has replaced the junkyard dog; the Doberman Pinscher, Rottweiler and German Shepherd as the "macho" dog of choice. Whether the dog is stolen from a backyard and fought in an impromptu match initiated in a back alley or bred, conditioned, and fought with great pride on a national basis, Spalding County, Georgia is a hotbed for these types of criminal activity.

Ask us your other questions: