For the latest details, please visit the Griffin-Spalding Tornado Relief page
All Spalding County Government Offices will be closed Monday, May 29, 2023, in observance of the Memorial Day Holiday.
For the latest details, please visit the Griffin-Spalding Tornado Relief page
All Spalding County Government Offices will be closed Monday, May 29, 2023, in observance of the Memorial Day Holiday.
The adoption process at Spalding County Animal Control is fairly simple. Animals are held for a period of 3 full working days for Owner Reclaim. After that time they are available to the public for adoption.
Deciding on a Pet – The first step in the process of adopting a pet is to consider your family’s needs and the living arrangements that you have.
These are considerations such as the following:
These are considerations, along with others, that must be taken into account when adopting a pet.
Applying for the Adoption – After you choose a pet that is suitable for your family and living situation, there is an adoption agreement that must be filled out. Then there is an Online Adoption Agreement Fillable Form to sign. Once this application is reviewed and approved, there are a few more things to do to make the adoption complete:
Arranging for Spaying or Neutering – Spalding County Animal Control has a policy that all animals must be spayed or neutered. All adoption fees listed below include the cost of Spay/Neuter and Rabies Vaccination for the animal.
Adoption fees: (All fees must be paid in CASH Only)
Additional Resources for the Spalding County Animal Shelter:Visit the Spalding County Animal Shelter Facebook Page or visit SpaldingDogs.com
Dogs < 60 lbs | $140.00 |
Dogs > 60 lbs | $155.00 |
Female Cats | $110.00 |
Male Cats | $100.00 |
Once the Adoption Agreement has been signed you will have 5 days to arrange for the animal to be picked up from our shelter. There is a $10.00 a day boarding charge during those 5 days that the animal may remain with us. If the animal is NOT picked up within the 5 days it will be placed back up for adoption.
All veterinary fees are the responsibility of the adopter.
If your animal has been impounded by the Spalding County Animal Control or the City of Griffin it will be available for reclaim for 3 (three) full working days from the date of impoundment. Your animal will be available for adoption by the public after the reclaim time has been succeeded.
If you have proof of a current rabies vaccination for your pet, the reclaim fees are as follows:
If you do not have proof of a current rabies vaccination for your pet, the reclaim fees are as follows:
All dogs and cats must have current rabies tag on its collar or be subject to fines.
There are many ways that you can help the animals at the Spalding County Animal Shelter. The following is a partial list of things the public can donate to make the animals a little more comfortable during their stay at the shelter. (This is only a partial list, any suggestions or ideas that you have are always appreciated.):
Griffin is only about 45 minutes south of Atlanta, so it is not uncommon for people to make that trip for a special pet. And in some cases, long distance adoptions may be an option. Call us at (770) 467-4772 to arrange your adoption. Then contact one or more pet transportation companies to arrange your pet’s travel to his new home.
Pet owners frequently surrender their animals citing tales of house soiling, aggression, destructiveness, barking, and excessive meowing. Lamenting their failure to deal with these undesirable pet behaviors. In a society that typically disposes of anything that “doesn’t work”, dogs and cats who display undesirable behaviors are often relinquished by their owners to animal shelters. Because few prospective pet owners seek to adopt a pet with a known behavior problem, these animals are often euthanized. Given that an estimated four to six million companion animals are euthanized by animal shelters annually, undesirable behavior is perhaps the most deadly disease of all.
With commitment, tolerance, patience, expert assistance, and perseverance, almost every desirable companion animal behavior can be resolved. The key is to keep negative aspects of the relationship from overshadowing positive aspects. While it may seem that the animal benefits from resolution of the behavior, we must admit that humans benefit more. The difficulty of resolving an undesirable behavior is a small price to pay for a lifetime of companionship, love and acceptance.
I know it’s illegal to dump animals in Spalding County. Can I turn an animal in to the shelter?
Blood sports, or illegal dog fighting, is a very severe problem in Griffin-Spalding County, and Spalding County Animal Control is adamantly opposed to it. We maintain that these are brutal animal contests resulting in suffering, torture, harassment, and death for animals which are forced to participate. Such sports amount to torture for fun and are degrading and unfit for civilized society. In 1998 alone, Spalding County Animal Control impounded 174 pitbull terriers and pitbull terrier mixes. Out of this number, 121 were found with wounds, scars, broken bones, and open lacerations. Many of the others were found abandoned or were impounded pending cruelty charges against their owners. Either the Griffin Police Department or Spalding County Animal Control broke up three organized dogfights.
Although many people believe that this crime does not affect them personally and that these crimes are committed in the inner cities by people who will never touch their lives, this is not the case. Perpetrators of illegal dogfighting have many links to the community of Griffin-Spalding County. Dogfighting generates millions of dollars of unreported income each year. Illegal gambling accounts for a percentage of this money. In addition to illegal gambling, other crimes are frequently associated with dogfighting. There are almost always illicit drugs and weapons at dogfights. Many of the boys who fight their dogs are also gang members. A “game” dog is a macho image that most gang members like to portray. These gang members are the same people who sell drugs on the streets of Griffin-Spalding County.
There is also a proven link between people who abuse animals and people who abuse children. Many child abusers, serial killers and murderers began their “careers” as animal abusers. These are people with little or no respect for the life of an animal; and as time passes, they no longer have any respect for life at all and often turn to a more challenging victim, such as a child.
Dogfighting is a cruel, inhumane sport carried on right here in our community of Griffin-Spalding County by individuals of all walks of life. From the street fighter to the professional, dogfighting for sport has no regard to race, social status or income. The American Pitbull Terrier has replaced the junkyard dog; the Doberman Pinscher, Rottweiler and German Shepherd as the “macho” dog of choice. Whether the dog is stolen from a backyard and fought in an impromptu match initiated in a back alley or bred, conditioned, and fought with great pride on a national basis, Spalding County, Georgia is a hotbed for these types of criminal activity.