As many of you know, the Okefenokee Humane Society is under new management. I know that several of you have heard negative stories regarding the previous management... please, allow the current management/staff to look to the future; do not re-hash the past. Things have changed. The current staff love animals and they do everything in their power to euthanize as few animals as possible.
Unfortunately, one thing that has not changed is their facility. OHS is housed in the former office of the old landfill, a facility built in the 1950s which has not been renovated in decades. It is TINY. Any shelter, humane society, or animal rescue in the state of Georgia *must* receive a license from the Georgia Department of Agriculture which specifies how many animals are allowed on the premises. The Department of Agriculture conducts random inspections, and if the facility has more animals than the number for which it is licensed, it will be fined or even shut down.
The new staff at the Okefenokee Humane Society is trying its hardest to limit the number of animals it euthanizes. Additionally, they have been operating at maximum capacity for months. When a shelter is at maximum capacity, they LEGALLY CANNOT ACCEPT ANY OTHER ANIMALS until more space is made. Space is made in two ways: by adoption and by euthanasia. As adoption rates are really low these days, OHS is currently taking in animals by appointment only. This way they know how many animals will be coming in on a given day and can open spaces for them.
To individuals who insist that no humane society is allowed to turn away an animal, I ask: Where exactly are these animals supposed to go? OHS does not have unlimited space. As a HUMANE society, there are only so many animals they can humanely (not to mention legally) fit into one tiny building. To the people of Waycross, Ware County and the surrounding area: if you truly care about the welfare and well-being of the stray and homeless animals in our area, please lobby your local city and county representatives to allocate more funds for the humane society. They desperately need a new and larger facility in order to serve the people and animals of this community. If you find a stray dog or cat, please try to locate its owner. If that fails, ask your friends, family and coworkers if they would consider adopting it. If that doesn’t work, try running an ad in the Waycross Journal Herald or the Waycross Shopper, placing a classified ad on the Green Screen – or even consider opening your hearts and homes to a new pet yourself. Use OHS as your last resort. Remember, for you to bring an animal there, they will have to make space for it... and unless adoption rates rise, the only way they can make space is by euthanasia.
Lastly, please remember this quote from Matthew 25:40 “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” The homeless animals of our community are truly the least of these...
