More than $4,000 has been raised to support a low cost spay/neuter program in Habersham County. The money was raised during Thursday’s statewide online fundraiser, Georgia Gives Day.
Donations were made on behalf of Habersham County Animal Care and Control (HCACC) through the nonprofit Fix Georgia Pets. The nonprofit offered a matching grant to double individual donations. As a result, HCACC will receive at least $4,032 to support its spay/neuter program. The aim of the program is to significantly reduce the unwanted pet population in Habersham County.
The extent of the overpopulation problem was clearly evident Thursday as HCACC Director Madi Hawkins took to social media to announce nearly two dozen more puppies were brought into the shelter. “20+ homeless dogs added to an already overcrowded shelter! We are BEGGING help us break this cycle!” she pleaded.
Hawkins is hopeful that an ongoing low cost spay/neuter program will help to neutralize the prolific reproduction of unwanted dogs and cats in Habersham County.
It’s as much a personal hope as it is professional.
While Hawkins and her colleagues go to great lengths to find homes for the animals they shelter – including carrying them on long trips to adoptive families in other states – there are times when there’s nothing more they can do. Due to limited resources and space, animals that are not fostered or adopted are euthanized. Hawkins, a true animal lover and advocate, has both eloquently and gut-wrenchingly described the sadness, frustration, and disgust she and her colleagues feel when they have to put down animals others mistreat and discard.
“A little part of me dies inside every time I am the one to gently insert that needle into their veins. I feel like I failed them. Their families failed them. We failed them.” ~ Madi Hawkins, HCACC Director (from “Saying goodbye to Shadow”)
READ: Saying goodbye to Shadow
Controlling the county’s pet population through spaying and neutering should, ultimately, cut down on euthanasia rates.
Pet owners who can’t afford to fix their animals may apply for financial assistance. The cost is $20 per pet. Full sponsorship is also available to those who qualify.
Donations still needed and accepted
If you didn’t give during Georgia Gives Day but would like to, you still can. Donations are accepted year-round.
The Georgia Gives Day website offers a convenient, quick, secure way to donate using a credit/debit card or electronic check. If you donate by e-check, make sure to have your bank routing number and account number with you.
Visit https://www.gagivesday.org/c/GGD/a/fixgeorgiapets/p/habershamACC/ or click here to donate to Habersham County’s low cost spay/neuter program now.
(feature photo Habersham Shelter Kids Facebook)
ABOUT GEORGIA GIVES DAY
Georgia Gives Day is a day set aside annually to encourage people to donate online to their favorite charities. This year’s campaign raised a record $3.89 million for participating nonprofits and supporting agencies. More than $12 million has been raised since Georgia Gives Day began back in 2012.
