It was moving day for animals at the Bibb County Animal shelter They are headed to an emergency shelter in Fort Valley after a disease scare.

But before they were whisked further south, officials made a last minute effort to find homes for all of them Thursday.

Karen Allen was one of the adoptees waiting to add a puppy to her family. Her adult dog, Ribbons, waited in the passenger side of her car, sniffing the air outsided. Ribbons appeared skeptical of the whole thing.

Allen brought out a little black puppy, probably a lab mix. She chose it because of its resemblance to a beloved dog that recently died.

The puppy, named Stella, will be the fourth dog in the house. So why is Allen taking on this added responsibility?

“I’d rather see the dogs adopted than put down,” she said. “They all need love.”

One Day Blitz To Find Homes For Shelter Animals

Stella’s adoption was a part of a one day blitz to find homes for all the animals in the shelter.

The effort follows a distemper threat which forced a number of euthanizations and a quarantine of the whole facility.

The shelter will be bombed for bugs and sterilized, but luckily the animals that don’t find homes have a place to go.

“We’re going to load up the animals we have left and take them to Fort Valley State University,” said Tracy Blue, the shelter’s Information Officer. “If we have to, we’ll make two trips.”

After the emergency euthanization, the remaining animals will make the journey. But they will not be displaced for long.

“Monday we’re going to go back and pick them up and everything will be super clean and we’ll be ready for them,” Blue shared.

Back in the kennels, Albert Pryor looked for a new dog. He settled on a good sized adult male with a lot of energy and proceeded to the front desk to do the paperwork.

Pryor explained he didn’t want a pet, as he already has a puppy at home. Pryor’s new dog, Twix, will replace the dog that lived with him for 20 years.

A new tag for Twix, a catahoula mix adopted at the Bibb County Animal Shelter. Photo by Grant Blankenship.

Pryor has a dog house, plenty of yard and six foot tall wooden fences to keep Twix from wandering.

Before Twix headed to his new home, he received one more walk behind the shelter. Animal welfare officer Cson Johnson walked with him.

“He was an owner surrender, so he’s fully vetted and everything,” explained Johnson. “I’m going to say he’s at least been here through the quarantine, so at least a month.”

As big and burly as he is, Twix is apparently a sweetheart.

“He’s a gentleman. He’s been so far perfectly behaved. No sir....”

Adoption Fees Waived Thanks to Benefactor

The Bibb County Animal Shelter tried to adopt every single dog and cat in the facility to make way for a sterilization following a distemper scare. Photo by Grant Blankenship.

Two benefactors put out the money to make every adoption essentially free on Thursday.

“In the last few years the rescue groups have stepped up to change the situation and push for options whereas we were positioned at the landfill for a reason.”

Before Twix can leave, he needs a tag. So off with the hospital style plastic tag on with a new proper collar.

After some goodbyes to other staff, Twix reluctantly hopped into the back of an animal control truck one more time for the trip to his new home.

Construction continues on the new Bibb Animal Shelter which is expected to open in December.

Contributors: Rosemary Jean-Louis

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