COMMUNITY RESOURCES

SPAY/NEUTER

We provide lower-cost spay/neuter certificates for people who cannot afford to pay full price. The cost for cats is $55 (female) / $45 (male); the cost for dogs is $75 (female) / $55 (male). Prices may vary based on factors such as weight and whether the patient is pregnant.

If you need a lower-cost spay/neuter certificate, please stop by our facility to retrieve one from the informational bins that are located at the front of our building (accessible 24/7), or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope (include a brief description of your pet with your request) to:

Humane Society of Cobb County
148 Fairground St. SE
Marietta, GA 30060

Do not send us money; you will pay the veterinary clinic that provides the services.

Below is a list of veterinary clinics that participate in our low-cost spay/neuter certificate program. Other clinics may accept this certificate at their discretion.

Clinics have the right to limit the number of certificates accepted per month, and they may require proof of low income for your household.

We recommend that you call several of the clinics listed on the back of the certificate, in advance, to ask about additional charges. For example:

• Will an exam fee be charged?
• Is bloodwork required prior to the surgery?
• Is there an additional fee if the pet is in heat, pregnant, or an extra-large pet?
• What vaccinations will be required? Can you provide proof of them from another clinic?
• Other additional charges may include pain medication, fluids, anesthesia, etc. Make sure you understand these charges.
• Please thank your veterinarian for providing this life-saving program!

Veterinary clinics that participate in the Humane Society of Cobb County’s low-cost spay/neuter certificate program (last updated 10/27/2018):

Other low-cost spay/neuter options:

The organizations listed below DO NOT participate in the HSCC’s low-cost certificate program, and they WILL NOT accept the certificates mentioned above. They are low-cost clinics and have their own pricing structures. Call them for accurate pricing, as prices are subject to change. Expect to incur extra charges; be sure to ask the clinic what these charges might be (for example, vaccinations, testing, antibiotics, overnight boarding, extenuating circumstances such as pregnancy or heat, etc.).

• Friends of Animals: 1-800-321-7387 (they offer their own certificates, by mail or online)
• Project CatSnip: 770-455-7077
• Spay Georgia: 770-662-4479 (leave a message with your address and they will mail you an information package)
• West Georgia Spay/Neuter Clinic: 678-840-8072 (Carroll County)
• Lifeline Spay & Neuter Clinic: 404-292-8800 ext. 24 (Avondale Estates in Dekalb County)

LOST & FOUND

To report a lost or found animal, please fill out and submit this form to lostandfound@humanecobb.com.

IF YOU HAVE LOST A PET, YOUR FIRST RESPONSE MAY SAVE YOUR PET’S LIFE

1. Immediately put up flyers at major intersections. As soon as possible, post them at veterinary clinics, boarding kennels, groomers, emergency veterinary clinics, and county shelters in the surrounding areas. Post the information on social media outlets such as Nextdoor and Facebook, and ask others to share it. Make sure your phone number is large enough on the flyers to be read by passing drivers. Keep it simple. Offer a reward (do not mention an amount) or state that the pet needs medication. Put flyers at every exit/entrance in nearby subdivisions. Make sure you know the rules for posting signs in the area, so they won’t be immediately removed. Ask stores that sell pet food and supplies to display your flyer. If your neighborhood has a community bulletin board, post the information there. Check your postings regularly and replace them if they have been removed or cannot be easily read. It is helpful if you date them. Be a good neighbor — remove the flyers when you find your pet. Post your pet’s information on social media platforms such as Facebook and Nextdoor, and to local lost/found groups such as:

• Lost/Found Pets of Cobb County: https://www.facebook.com/groups/574587656031034
• Lost Dogs Georgia: https://www.facebook.com/GA.Lost.Dogs or http://www.lostdogsgeorgia.org
• All Georgia Lost Pets: https://www.facebook.com/groups/allgeorgialostpets/
• Lost and Found Dogs of Paulding & Cobb County: https://www.facebook.com/groups/260788524127818/
• Cobb County Shelter Lost & Found Pets: https://www.facebook.com/groups/330215544128170/
• Lost & Found Pets of East Cobb: https://www.facebook.com/groups/248362888629560/

Ask others to share your pet’s information with their friends and any other online lost/found groups they know of. Provide regular updates and “bumps” until your pet is found.

2. Go to your county’s animal control shelter and/or humane society within 48 hours to look for your pet, and go back often. Visit surrounding county shelters too. Ask if they maintain a list of deceased pets and a list of stray pets being housed at clinics/foster groups for medical care. Also ask to check isolation areas. Injured animals, or pets that have bitten someone, might be quarantined there. Find out how long they hold strays so you will know how often you must go to check for your pet. Leave a flyer and/or fill out a Lost report. For Cobb County Animal Services information, call 770-499-4136. For other shelter numbers, search online for specific shelter listings and contact information.

3. Notify the veterinarian who vaccinated your pet and your microchip company’s lost pet service.

4. Call the Humane Society of Cobb County (770-428-LOST, press option 1, then option 4) and list your lost pet in our Lost/Found database. This service matches lost/found pets that are in homes. Someone might have found your pet and already called in a report. You can leave a voice mail message at any time; include your name and phone number, describe the pet (dog/cat, color, size, collar/tag/chip, special needs), and tell us when and where your pet was seen last. You can also email the information to lostandfound@humanecobb.com.

5. Ask for help. Make sure your neighbors and postman have your phone number and a description of your missing pet. Ask your neighbors for permission to look around their property for your pet with a flashlight (eyes reflect the light) when it is quiet or dark. Look under bushes, in crawlspaces, under porches/decks, under cars (cats can hide in wheel wells and under the hood), in garages and sheds, and up in trees. Ask about work trucks that may have left doors open while on the job in the area. Call the companies to see if they found your pet. Ask anyone who feeds outdoor animals to watch for your pet.

6. If you are pet sitting, call the owner immediately to find out about possible hiding places or places the pet may have been found before. The owner may return quickly and help find the pet.

7. Pets come back to familiar scents. Place familiar items like a cat’s litter box, bedding, your shoes, etc. outside near the place your pet might return to if it picks up the scent in the wind. Keep a light on at night and provide a safe place with familiar scents for your pet to stay until you can find it. Check the safe place frequently. Frightened pets may return at night when things are quiet.

8. Open a can of pet food and tap it with a kitchen knife or spoon (if your pet likes canned food), or shake a bag of dry food, while walking and calling your pet. Stop often and listen for faint responses.

9. Dogs: If the dog escaped through an open gate, keep the gate open so it can re-enter. If you walk your dog often, concentrate on those areas where your dog is accustomed to being walked and where its scent is. A wild animal, thunder, or other anomaly may have frightened your pet out of its normal territory, so expand your search as far as possible.

10. Cats: Cats will generally stay close to home and find a hiding spot. Put your cat’s litter box outside your door; sometimes they can pick up the smell of their box, which will draw them home.

IF YOU HAVE FOUND A PET, YOUR FIRST RESPONSE MAY REUNITE THE PET WITH ITS FAMILY

1. Safety first! Never attempt to capture an animal that is showing signs of aggression! If it is showing aggression, call your local Animal Control or call 911.

2. If you have the pet in your possession, keep it away from other pets in your home, and do not let children handle it. It may not be friendly toward other pets or children, or it may transmit disease to you, your child, or other pets. Use extreme caution! You do not know this animal or its temperament. If the circumstances allow and you are able to house it for a few days, you can take steps to try and find the owner.

3. Put flyers up immediately (and watch for lost flyers), and post about the found animal on social media. Place flyers at major intersections nearby, and in veterinary clinics in the area. In subdivisions, put flyers at every exit/entrance. Make sure the phone number is large enough to see from the road. Keep it simple and do not include detailed information on it; you want anyone who attempts to claim the animal to be able to prove that they are the rightful owner by accurately describing distinguishing features such as sex, unusual markings, etc. Make sure you know the rules for posting signs in the area, so they won’t be immediately removed. If your neighborhood has a community bulletin board, post the information there. Check your postings regularly and replace them if they have been removed or cannot be easily read. It is helpful if you date them. Post the found animal’s information on social media platforms such as Facebook and Nextdoor, and to local lost/found groups such as:

• Lost/Found Pets of Cobb County: https://www.facebook.com/groups/574587656031034
• Lost Dogs Georgia: https://www.facebook.com/GA.Lost.Dogs or http://www.lostdogsgeorgia.org
• All Georgia Lost Pets: https://www.facebook.com/groups/allgeorgialostpets/
• Lost and Found Dogs of Paulding & Cobb County: https://www.facebook.com/groups/260788524127818/
• Cobb County Shelter Lost & Found Pets: https://www.facebook.com/groups/330215544128170/
• Lost & Found Pets of East Cobb: https://www.facebook.com/groups/248362888629560/

4. Check with neighbors, the postman, and local veterinarians. They may be familiar with a neighborhood pet that you are not.

5. Call the Humane Society of Cobb County and file a found report (770-428-LOST, option 2), and list the pet in our Lost/Found database. This service matches lost/found pets that are in homes. The person who lost the pet may have already called in a report. You can leave a voice mail message at any time; include your name and phone number, describe the pet (dog/cat, color, size, collar/tag/chip, special needs), and tell us when and where the pet was found. You can also email the information to lostandfound@humanecobb.com.

6. Report the found pet to your county’s animal control shelter and/or humane society as soon as possible. Also notify surrounding county shelters. Most animal control phone numbers can be found online. For Cobb County Animal Services information, call 770-499-4136. For other shelter numbers, search online for specific shelter listings and contact information.

7. Take the pet to a veterinary clinic, humane society, or animal control shelter to have it scanned for a microchip. Call ahead to make sure they have a universal scanner that will identify different brands of chips. If the pet is microchipped, they will be able to give you the microchip company’s phone number to call and find out who the registered owner is.

8. If you are unable to contain, keep, or care for a pet you have found while you search for the owner, the pet should be taken to the animal control facility or humane society in the county in which you found it. Every county is different, and policies may vary. Keep flyers up in the area where the pet was found for several days, and refer calls to the place where you left the pet. Post about the found animal on social media as suggested above, making sure your posts include the contact information for the facility where the animal is located.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

The Humane Society of Cobb County offers educational programs to children and adults of all ages. These programs can be tailored for your school, daycare, community events, club meetings, summer programs, or scout troops, among others. We can come to your location and bring animals to your event, or just provide educational and informational literature. You may also arrange to come to our facility for hands-on learning. (Due to space limitations, groups are limited to fewer than 10 children.) We do not charge a fee for this program, but we will gratefully accept any monetary donations or items from our donation wish list.

Topics you can learn about include:

• Pet care basics
• How to be a responsible pet owner
• Why pet overpopulation is a problem
• The importance of collars, tags, and microchips
• What to do if you lose or find a pet
• The lifespans of different type of animals
• Hands-on time with “pocket pets”
• Fun animal facts
• Volunteer opportunities
• Donation information
• About us and our campus

EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE

Useful numbers in an emergency:

• Humane Society of Cobb County: 770-428-5678
• Cobb County Animal Services: 770-499-4136
• Cobb Emergency Veterinary Clinic (Marietta): 770-728-6400
• Georgia Poison Helpline: 1-800-222-1222
• Veterinary Referral Surgical Practice:
  • Marietta: 770-424-6663
  • Roswell: 770-534- 2603
  • Woodstock: 678-214-0300
• AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup: www.petmicrochiplookup.org

BE PREPARED! Have an emergency kit and supplies ready and accessible in case you must evacuate your pets in an emergency.

• A carrier for each pet (collapsible ones are available)
• Bottled water and pet food for at least a week
• Food and water dishes (collapsible ones and ones that hook onto cage doors are available)
• Leash and an extra collar with tags
• Disposable litter pans that fit into your cat carrier(s), and litter
• Medications
• Copies of your pet’s rabies certificate, vaccination record, and any prescriptions
• First aid kit (see below)
• Towels or bedding for your carriers (appropriate for your pet)
• Flashlight
• Small blanket (helps in handling injured pets safely)
• Emergency numbers and information
• A picture of your pet
• Card with your name, phone number, and address, and the name, phone number, and address of an emergency contact person if you are unable to care for your pet

First aid kit supply list:

• Gauze and first aid tape
• Scissors and tweezers
• Ace bandage (for splints, or wrapping the muzzle)
• Styptic powder (for nail bleeding)
• Antibiotic ointment
• Hydrogen peroxide (for wounds and to induce vomiting)

HOME-TO-HOME PLACEMENTS

If you are experiencing medical or behavioral issues with your pet, our first suggestion is to have your veterinarian perform a wellness exam to determine if there is a medical concern.

For behavioral issues with canine companions, we recommend consulting a professional trainer to perform an assessment and provide guidance for potential courses of action.

If you are moving to a new residential location, please be diligent and locate pet-friendly properties that will allow you to take your animal companion(s) with you.

No-kill animal shelters typically remain at maximum capacity. Requests for owner surrenders or rehoming usually outnumber adoptions. We do our best to provide challenged pet owners with resources that will enable them to keep their pets.

When there are no other options and our facility is at maximum capacity, we can add your pet to our Home-to-Home program. Our goal is to keep animals out of a shelter environment and place them directly from one home to another.

Please contact us at 770-428-5678 if you have exhausted all options to help your pet, and we will do what we can to direct you to an appropriate source or potential adoptive family.