Surrendering your pet
We are a no-kill facility and a selective admission shelter, meaning we take in certain adoptable animals surrendered by their owners. While we respect the difficult decision of owners relinquishing their pets, we will only accept pets that fit our criteria and based on our capacity and resources.
We are prohibited from taking in or housing stray animals. Georgia Department of Agriculture Law 40-13-13-.01(5) and 40-13-13-.01(30). If you have found an animal, please see our lost and found page.
Intake guidelines
The admission of a surrendered pet into the HSCC is dependent upon the animal's health and temperament. Our intake guidelines ensure that the animals in our care are as physically healthy as possible so that they can find a happy, life-long home quickly. The HSCC's intake guidelines include, but are not limited to:
- A pet must be weaned, eating solid food, and at least 8 weeks old
- All dogs 6+ months must undergo a heartworm test and may be declined due to a positive test
- All cats must undergo a feline combo test and may be declined due to a positive test
- All pets must be free of any visible skin issues such as ringworm or mange
- All pets must be friendly and socialized and cannot exhibit any aggressive or extreme fearful behaviors toward other animals or humans
- We also accept small mammals such as ferrets, birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, and hamsters as our resources allow
Please be mindful that a pet can behave very differently in a shelter environment versus a home setting with people they know and trust.
Returning a pet adopted from us
Pets previously adopted from the HSCC will be considered for surrender if kennels are available. Please notify the HSCC as soon as possible if you are faced with returning an adopted HSCC pet.
Surrender request form
Should you desire to surrender your pet, an appointment is required so that we can manage our intake. Please call our shelter at 912-729-7141 to make an appointment, and fill out the surrender request form so our staff have more information about your pet.
Looking for a lost pet
We are a selective admission shelter and do not take in stray animals, so a pet found loose in the county will not have been brought to us. If your pet is missing, please file a lost pet report — it goes into our system and alerts us the moment it matches a found animal report.
You are also welcome to call us on 912-729-7141 during shelter hours and we will help however we can.