As residents of Georgia, we are deeply saddened by the substandard animal welfare laws in our state, which puts us among the bottom-tier states for animal welfare in the country. This issue is personal to us because we, like so many others, consider our pets as part of our families. Any inhumane treatment they experience is an affront to us all.

Here is just one of the many sad stories that led us to create this petition:

Kaydough came into the shelter on 2/6/2023 when his owner was arrested.  The owner came by to claim his dog on 3/15/23 after he was released from incarceration.  During the pickup in the parking lot, staff at the shelter saw the owner hang his dog over his shoulder by the leash.  From the open records - "All 4 of Kaydough’ s feet were off the ground, Kaydough released the leash from his mouth and was hanging by his neck, (owner) pulled the leash forward even further. Kaydough’s feet/legs were on (owner's) back."  The staff stepped in and took Kaydough back into protective custody, but on the non-public side.

On 4/13/23, notes stated that he would be posted for 10 days for owner to claim and made available for adoption on 4/24/2023 if not claimed.  This never happened.  Instead, staff tried to reach out to the owner multiple times to reclaim the dog and even attempted to transport him out of state to his owner.  As early as 4/20/23 - there were notes that Kaydough was not doing well in the shelter environment.  Staff continued to reach out to the owner for OVER A YEAR to get him to reclaim his dog, but finally on 5/4/2024, he was made available for adoption.  On 5/14/24, he was killed for being "aggressive to people"

Think about this guys...OVER A YEAR this dog sat NEGLECTED in the shelter without any possibility of adoption.  He was stressed in the shelter environment this whole time.  Then when he was finally made available, they killed him 10 days later without any last call emails.  And then to pour salt on the wound, they classified him as being aggressive.  The open records made no mention of aggression except on his intake where "he lets out a growl and shows teeth" (which is understandable as he has no idea what is going on!).  Other notes later stated he was "friendly, jumper, busy, playful" and "He is playful and a sweet dog, but he is a runner."

He was euthanized for no good reason. Because of this, we are asking for change.

Our core focus is the Gwinnett County Animal Shelter, where there are several practices that we urge need revision. Firstly, we plead that a "last call" list policy be implemented, to give every dog a legitimate chance of rescue or adoption before being euthanized. Additionally, we propose allowing volunteers to take dogs out for day trips, giving them necessary exposure to the outside world. 

Over the past year, we've observed that dogs are often labelled aggressive, having behavioral issues, or inaccurately marked as failing to thrive, when they’re not. This has led to hundreds, if not thousands, of unwarranted euthanizations. This practice needs to cease. Along with this, the shelter’s transparency about their practices is questionable; we demand honesty in order to build trust and improve operations. 

It's deeply concerning that the shelter has such limited hours they’re open to the public. This significantly decreases the chances that dogs have to be seen and adopted. To address this, we suggest that the shelter increase its operating hours and days to effectively manage these situations. Furthermore, we propose involving dedicated volunteers in temperament testing. Their practical experience with the dogs will bring valuable insights, leading to more accurate and fair evaluations.

When Gwinnett Animal Shelter prohibits volunteers from taking photos and videos in public areas of the shelter, they are effectively limiting a vital form of free speech.

Volunteers should be able to document and share what’s happening to help network at-risk dogs or shine a light on any concerning practices. Shelters like DeKalb County understand this and encourage their volunteers to use social media to help these animals.

Shelter volunteers are on the front lines, trying to make a difference. Limiting their ability to speak out or network animals not only hampers their efforts but also violates their First Amendment rights.

We firmly believe that these changes will drastically improve the lives of the animals at the shelter and provide them with the second chance they deserve. Please sign this petition to urge the Gwinnett County Animal Shelter to amend their practices - let us give these animals a humane existence they deserve.

Want to learn more about what’s really going on at the shelter? Check out the official report from the Animal Welfare Task Force: https://www.gwinnettcounty.com/static/departments/animal_welfare/pdf/ATF_Final_Report.pdf

From the task force report: “Sadly, the Task Force found that operationally, Gwinnett County Animal Welfare and Enforcement Center is far below
the standard of other shelters in the metro area which have significantly less resources at their disposal, but make up for it with strong compassionate leadership and employees dedicated to a positive outcome for the animals they are sheltering. In fact, if what Mahatma Gandhi says is true, then Gwinnett County Animal Welfare and Enforcement Center has set the moral progress of the citizens of Gwinnett County back to the dark ages.”