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What I most look forward to, at the end of each day, is the warm welcome I receive from my three dogs when I arrive home from work. I’m also happy to see my husband, Dave, but there is nothing like the enthusiastic greeting your dog gives you after even a brief time apart. We were a one dog household when I went into animal welfare six years ago, with no intention to expand. We…

On The Table: Where big ideas spring from small conversations Picnic tables draped with blue tablecloth were lined up in the median on the 1000 block of Broadway last fall as the sun sank over the Chattahoochee River, and fairy lights draped around the little fountain square gave the space a warm, vibrant atmosphere. People from all over the Chattahoochee Valley arrived, bearing trays of food, which they deposited at community buffet tables. They arranged…

We don’t hear about rabies too often in the U.S. because, since 1960, almost all cases occur in wildlife, primarily bats and raccoons. Prior to this, however it was not uncommon for our own pets to transmit this dread disease to their humans. We can thank our county, state and national health agencies for reigning in this terrible zoonotic disease. They did it mainly by enacting strict legal requirements to vaccinate our pets. In addition,…

After more than six years in the field I’ve come to the conclusion that there is nothing more controversial in companion animal welfare than the problem of unowned cats.  These guys are everywhere and from what I can tell there are two distinct, and diametrically opposed, human responses to them. One camp goes to great lengths to provide clean water, food, and shelter for an adopted colony.  If this individual has enough money and access…

A few months after I began working in animal welfare, my husband, Dave, and I decided to become foster parents to dogs who might not otherwise have a chance at a new life. I worked at an open admissions shelter in 2012, taking in nearly 5,500 animals each year. The individual kennels were cramped and absurdly loud. It was a difficult environment to work in. I can only imagine how stressful itwas for the dogs…