Administration 706-613-3540 Superintendent Patrick Rives Office & Shelter Location 45 Beaverdam Road Extension Location Map Mailing Address P.O. Box 1868 Athens, GA 30603 Shelter Hours Every day except Wed. 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Wed. & Holidays Closed Service Hours  Mon. - Fri.: 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.  Sat. & Sun.: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.  Animal Control is a division of the ACC Central Services Department.

New! Animal Control continues to observe residents driving around town with unconfined dogs in the beds of their pick-ups. Do not let your dog ride in an open truck bed. It is illegal in Athens-Clarke County. An estimated 100,000 dogs in the United States die each year by being bumped from truck beds onto the road and into traffic. Also, do not leash your pet inside a truck bed. Many dogs have been strangled when bumped over the sides of trucks and left helplessly dangling. If your dog must ride in the back of the truck, put him or her in a crate secured to the truck bed.

New! ACC Animal Control encourages citizens to keep their cats indoors for their safety & the protection of wildlife. For more information, call 706-613-3540.

New! Since November 2007, it is illegal for dog owners to chain their animals as a means of confinement. Animal Control has been working hard to educate owners. When they find tethered dogs, officers have been giving owners 30 days to allow time to build fences and pens or to make other arrangements.

However, beginning July 1st, time limits will be decided on a case by case basis. Animal Control feels that all owners should now be aware of the law and should have provided an alternate confinement method. Animal Control will continue to work with owners on all issues but advises that citations can be issued at the officer's discretion.

For more information or to report a violation, contact ACC Animal Control at 706-613-3540

Animal Control regularly receives calls of snakes in residents' yards. Many people feel threatened by the presence of snakes. However, a majority of these snakes are non-venomous and should not be feared.

Upon finding a snake, one should stay clear of the animal and give it room to naturally move away, for snakes try to avoid humans and usually flee. Occasionally, a snake may enter a residence. If this happens, call Animal Control, who will come and relocate the snake. Never attempt to kill a snake; a venomous one may strike, and it is illegal to kill a non-venomous species.

Animal Control has begun to receive

calls about residents finding baby deer in their yards. White-tailed deer fawns are born between mid-May and July and are relatively scentless and are well camouflaged being brown with white spots. The natural response of a fawn is to remain still and silent and, when approached, to lie its head down and try to hide.

The mother deer do not remain close by in order to prevent drawing attention to the baby. However, they keep watch over the fawns from a distance throughout the day. These babies are not abandoned and Animal Control advises that, when you see a fawn, just leave it alone. Do not pet it or pick it up, just leave the area.

Leaving a dog in a hot car can not only be dangerous, but life threatening as well. Dogs can collapse in minutes from heatstroke on a hot day because a car left in 78 degree weather can heat to 120 degrees in a very short amount of time.

Opening windows and parking in the shade can still lead to serious problems for your pet. Dogs pant and sweat through their paws to cool off, and panting hot air only raises their body temperature. As the weather gets warmer, please remember to leave your dog at home.

Volunteers Welcome: Animal Control continues to host volunteer groups. Volunteers get to walk dogs, bathe puppies, and enjoy the animals.  The shelter appreciates the help it receives from volunteers and encourages those needing a puppy to snuggle to come help out.

Online listing of dogs at the Animal Control shelter

Animal Control Wish List

• Small wool blankets or thick fleece (less than 4x6 in size). Best gift for cold dogs.
• Pull-tab canned dog food (small and large)
• Dry puppy food
• Pig ears
• Munchy sticks
• Treats (Eukanuba, Beggin Strips, not too many milkbones or bland treats)
• Knotted rawhides
• Catnip, cat treats (Pounce)
• First-aid kits (gauze, band-aids, coflex, etc.)
• Frontline spray, Capstar pills (to kill fleas)
• Dog earwash and eyewash
• Esbilac milk replacer
• Flannel sheets

Shelter from Elements Required for Domestic Animals - Local ordinances state that "all domestic animals shall be provided with protection from the elements." Upon receiving a complaint, the owners are usually given a warning and a date by which to provide shelter for the animal. If the compliance date has passed and the animal is observed in the elements without shelter, a citation is usually issued. To report an animal without shelter during inclement weather call Animal Control. Please have the address where the animal is located when calling.

Services
Animal Control provides the following services for citizens. . .

• Public safety from dangerous or seriously sick animals and at-large dogs
• Investigations of allegations of animal cruelty
• Enforcement of the Athens-Clarke County Animal Control Ordinances
• Adoption or reclaim of impounded and surrendered dogs
• Public education on a variety of topics related to animals
• Information regarding lost or found dogs

Emergencies
Animal Control has officers on-call 24-hours a day. You can reach Animal Control by dialing 911 after regular business hours. Emergencies include animal bites, seriously sick animals, seriously injured animals, and trapped animals. We do not respond to any other complaints after regular service hours.

• Lost Dogs
• Adoptions
• Barking Dogs
• Animal Cruelty
• Surrenders
• Reclaims
• Donations
• Rabies
• Animal related phone numbers

Help Stop Dog Fighting
In a continued effort to stop illegal dog fighting, Athens-Clarke County Animal Control asks that citizens report ads in local newspapers offering to sell dogs or puppies bred for fighting. Look for advertisements for pit bulls that carry the terms "game," "game bred," or other terms that may imply the seller may be dealing in fighting dogs.

If you find an ad you think may be promoting the sale of dogs bred for fighting, please send it to the Southeast Regional Office (SERO) of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) at: HSUS-SERO, 1624 Metropolitan Circle, Suite B, Tallahassee, FL 32308. If The HSUS-SERO agrees that the ad is suspicious, it will then contact the newspaper that printed the ad and request that it institute a policy to screen out such ads.