The Humane Society of Terrell County (HSTC) began in 1985 as a modest effort between two friends to better the lives of animals in Terrell County. Initially, these two individuals lobbied local governments into establishing a limited animal control program in Terrell County and rescued and placed as many pets on their own as they were able. After the passing of one of these individuals and the declining health of the other, the surviving friend decided to recruit volunteers to take over the organization. These volunteers included local animal lovers that bonded together to try to rescue, rehabilitate and place as many homeless pets as possible and promote humane treatment for all. In October of 2000, HSTC was incorporated and shortly thereafter received their 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. HSTC is also a licensed rescue organization with the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The membership has grown as more people volunteered their time to benefit the animals. HSTC does not have a shelter nor is it animal control. We are not authorized by law to pick up stray pets. The pets in our care come directly from owner surrender or are legally taken in from area kill shelters. We are a network of foster homes and volunteers in Terrell County and southwest Georgia. HSTC has no paid staff. HSTC does not receive funding from any government sources and relies solely on donations and fund-raisers to house and care for homeless pets. HSTC has adopted a no-kill policy - we do not euthanize animals as a means of population control. This means we are occasionally full and unable to accept new pets from time to time. We do not euthanize healthy, well-adjusted pets to make space. Instead, emphasis is placed on spay/neuter efforts to reduce pet overpopulation and promote pet adoption over purchasing pets whenever possible. Since HSTC has incorporated, we have successfully found homes for over 2000 homeless pets. However, there is only so much we can accomplish with foster care and local fundraising efforts. Our ultimate goal is to have southwest Georgia's first and only no-kill animal sanctuary to expand our housing of homeless pets and provide the best quality of life for them as we can until they are adopted. In this regard, approximately 20 acres of land was donated to us to construct a facility. However, because we take in a lot of pets that require extensive medical rehabilitation, our fund-raisers so far have simply gone to pay our veterinarians and take care of the pets' other needs (such as food, vaccinations, and others preventatives such as flea and heartworm medicine). We would love for this dream to become a reality someday. We have other goals we would like to achieve also, such as an on-going reduced rate spay & neuter program targeted specifically at low income pet owners. We would like to construct a dog park and a pet cemetery as part of our animal sanctuary for the betterment of our community and local pet owners. We are always in need of new volunteers and foster homes; we also accept donations of any kind. Please feel free to email us any time at [email protected]. We are also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Our goal at HSTC is to place animals in the perfect home for each specific animal. All applicants must be approved prior to adoption. We will call your vet for a reference! Adopting a pet is a big commitment and we will do our best to help you through the process. To adopt a pet from HSTC, please follow the steps outlined below: Identify a pet that you are interested in on the dog or cat page and click the adopt button for that pet. You can also click the appropriate link to the right to fill out and submit your adoption application. If using the links to the right, you must leave the default selection, "unknown", under the section Select the Pet You Are Interested in Adopting or you will be unable to submit the application. You will type the name of the pet you want to adopt in the section provided directly following the co-applicant information. Upon receipt, your application will be screened and you will be contacted by a volunteer within 48 hours. As an all-volunteer based organization (no paid staff), most of our volunteers have full time jobs and are simply unable to respond as quickly as we would like to. We appreciate your patience with us. If your application is approved, we will schedule a time for you to pick up your new family member. If the animal you are adopting has pending veterinary care or is not yet spayed or neutered, a hold will be placed on the animal until he or she is ready to be released. The adoption fee will be collected at the time the animal is placed in your care. Your relationship with HSTC is not over after the adoption is complete. We will always consider you a part of our family. We thrive on updates and we absolutely love to get photos!! We are always available to provide any guidance or resources you may need. Please don't hesitate to contact us at any time.