Animal Services

Animal Services Home
Adoption Information
Animal Tales
Augusta Memory Garden
Available For Adoption
Complaint/Investigation Request
Euthanasia
Fee Schedule
News
Search For Animals
Staff
Volunteers

How to Contact

Animal Services
4164 Mack Lane
Augusta, Georgia 30906
Phone: (706) 790-6836
Fax: (706) 798-8978
View Map

Emergency after Hours Weekends and Holidays Augusta Dispatch
Phone: (706) 821-1080

Augusta Animal Services Logo

Augusta
Animal Services

Euthanasia

Ending Suffering or Convenience Killing?

There is debate among animal care, control and rescue professionals. Do our agencies "euthanize" or kill animals? Euthanasia means life is taken to end pain and suffering. When agencies similar to ours, destroy animals it is often to fight the problem of over population. As many as 4,000 of the 8,000 animals Augusta Animal Services destroys annually would have made good pets.

Their only crime was being born into a world that is already over populated by dogs and cats - simply put there are too many pets and not enough homes. I think it is fair to say that those 4,000 or so surplus animals are not euthanized. They are NOT destroyed because they are in pain or they are suffering. They are destroyed because it is convenient for a pet owner. It is more convenient to dump the family dog at the shelter rather than teach it not to jump on the kids. It is more convenient to dump the cat at the shelter than pay for boarding during a vacation. It is more convenient for the pet owner to dump a litter of puppies at the shelter rather than pay for spaying or neutering. And it's not convenient to have identification tags made or get off work early to check our shelter for a missing pet. We, as a community, as a society and as a nation have decided to control our pets' reproduction by killing unwanted animals, rather than preventing their birth. After all, the pet owner is not actually doing the killing. It's those shelter employees, who listen day in and day out to the same worn out excuses from irresponsible pet owners, who do the killing. Right?

Are you angry? Maybe uncomfortable? We hope so. We hope you share our anger, our pain and our sense of hopelessness. And we hope you take action.

What can you do?

…have your own pet spayed or neutered. One litter is one litter too many.
…pay for some one else's pet to be spayed or neutered.
…speak to school children, church groups and civic organizations about responsible pet ownership.
…contact your Commissioner and tell him you are tired of the consequences of irresponsible pet ownership.
…donate money to Augusta Animal Services to establish a spay/neuter program.
…donate money, food and supplies to Augusta Animal Services and local animal rescue groups to save the lives of sick and injured animals.
…go to the shelter and walk a dog or pet a cat. It may be the only kindness they ever know.
…wash and groom dogs every Saturday for off-site adoptions - every one is more attractive when they smell good.
…help customers find and adopt their new furry friend.