Those wishing to surrender a pet to the Hall County Animal Shelter will now need to make an appointment to do so.
The shelter announced the change in intake procedure Monday. This comes as one of the recommendations of Best Friend Animal Society, an organization which was called in to make recommendations for the shelter.
Shelter staff previously dealt with unpredictable and high rates of intake, according to a press release from the county, and the appointment intake schedule is designed to combat the lost time and resources from the old way. With the new process, shelter staff have also been trained to provide animal owners with information about rescue organizations and other avenues to find the best fit for the animal - whether or not that includes the shelter.
"We expect the new system to increase the number of live outcomes at the shelter and free up the staff and volunteers' valuable time to assist in other areas, like pet adoptions," said Danielle Busch, Hall County Animal Shelter Coordinator.
The shelter stressed this new procedure does not apply to strays.
To make an appointment, call the Hall County Animal Shelter at (678) 450-1587.
Also under the recommendation of Best Friends, the shelter has launched its new Community Cat program to trap feral cats, alter them and return them to their natural habitat.
