Archive for the ‘Gwinnett County’ Category

Denny and I have been volunteering with Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen for a few years now, but Tom Wargo has been running this charity since 1997, assisting people with pet food and supplies when they need them most. This keeps so many pets out of the high kill shelters here in Gwinnett. Here’s a great news story that Gwinnett Daily Post recently did on Daffy’s: Click Here

Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen has moved from Lilburn to Lawrenceville, and are opening a new and used pet supplies (and much more) shop on Wednesday, 1/25/2012. Their location is 134 S. Clayton St. Suite 104, Lawrenceville, GA (on the lower level of the Lawrenceville Square shopping center, pretty much right underneath Metro Thrift Store. Turn onto Nash St. between Long John Silvers and Lawrenceville City Hall and look for the roll up garage doors and green awnings).

Here is some history to give you an idea of how far Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen has come.

History of Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen/The S.O.S Club of GA

The kind man feeds his beast before sitting down to dinner. – Hebrew Proverb

Professional pet sitters are experienced, insured and full time pet care providers. There are many reasons to hire a professional pet sitter or dog walker.

This is me with Dudley and Teddy, two of furry clients. They love staying at home and playing with me!

Instead of dropping your dog off at the local kennel or at the veterinarian’s office, a professional pet sitter comes to your house and cares for your pet in the environment that they are most comfortable in. Some pet sitters also provide boarding in their homes. Terry Albert of Poway Pet Care is a perfect example of this. She provides in your home pet sitting, and in her home pet boarding.

Most professional pet sitters also provide dog walking services. This is great for people who work long hours, have an appointment after work, or just want their dog to get some extra exercise.

There are many benefits for you and your pet to hiring a professional pet sitter and dog walker.

• Your pets gets to stay in familiar surroundings with all of the smells and comforts that they are accustomed to
• Your pets get to keep their eating, exercising and bathroom routines, there is no risk of someone feeding your pet the wrong food
• Your pets get one on one play time, snuggle time and quality time
• Your pets’ health, happiness and well being will be monitored closely
• Professional pet sitters can administer medications and injections that your pet may need and there is no worry that your pet will get the wrong medicine, too much or too little of their medicine, or the wrong pet’s medicine
• No exposure to other animal’s illnesses (kennel cough, parvo) or parasites (fleas, worms, etc)
• No travel time or trauma (not all pets travel well)
• Having your home being cared for while you’re away; burglars are less likely to target a home with a person coming in and out
• Pet sitters can water your plants and lawn, bring in your newspapers and mail, bring in packages, check doors and windows to be sure everything is secure, alternate opening blinds and turning on lights to give your home a lived in look, and many other functions
• Having the confidence that your pets are in professional hands and can handle any issue that may arise calmly, efficiently and assertively
• And last but not least, you don’t have to feel as if you are imposing on neighbors, friends and relatives

Before You Hire A Pet Sitter:

There are a lot of resources where you can find professional pet sitters in your area. A great one in Georgia is Georgia Network of Professional Pet Sitters (GNPP) . You can use their zip code or city finder and find a great professional in your area.

Make sure you get a warm and fuzzy feeling from your sitter. If the person doesn’t insist upon meeting you and your pets before your trip, this is a big red flag. Professional pet sitters want to meet and get to know you and your pets before agreeing on service. When you meet, the sitter should be very interested in your pets, interacting with them and asking questions about your pets.

A professional pet sitter will be able to provide you with a copy of their insurance policy and a list of references. They will have informational sheets about you and your pets for you to fill out and also a contract of service.

When you’re telling the sitter about your pets and their routine, eating habits, etc., watch to see if they are engaged in what you’re saying and paying attention. During this “meet and greet,” make sure to tell the pet sitter about any special needs you pet may have, such as medications, illnesses or conditions or special dietary needs.

Please look into all avenues before deciding what to do with your pet while you’re out of town or working all day. It depends on your pet’s personality where they’ll be happiest. If you decide on a doggy daycare or boarding kennel, please stop in there randomly and ask to see the back where the dogs are. If they won’t let you, that’s a red flag. In my humble opinion, pets are happiest at home.

The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.  – Maya Angelou

The story below was found on AJC.com and it really wrings my heart. Each and every one of our seven pets that we enjoy our lives with have their own stories of being homeless and not altered. Now they are living in the lap of luxury, being showered with affection and attention, are spayed and neutered, and only leave the house on a leash. It’s hard to imagine that they could have become one of the statistics, and be euthanized just because some person let his unaltered dog run free. It’s puppy season right now and any unaltered dog has a large chance of running off if they catch a whiff of the opposite sex. If you don’t have your dog spayed or neutered, please ask yourself why and then why not. There are MANY low cost spay and neuter clinics around Georgia. Here is a list of about 30 of them: Low Cost Spay/Neuter, Vaccinations and Veterinarians in Georgia

Here’s the AJC story:

Counties killing dogs, cats by the thousands

By Patrick Fox

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Troubled times are dooming more dogs and cats in metro Atlanta, and the same poor economy that puts animals in the pound ensures that many won’t get out.

Counties are cutting budgets at a time when animal shelters are putting down a growing number of animals. In the past two years, the number of cats and dogs destroyed at animal shelters in the five core metro counties has risen 24 percent. Last year, the counties killed almost 30,000 cats and dogs in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett.

Gwinnett County led 2009 with 7,588 cats and dogs put down, almost half of them because the shelter could not house them.

Elissa Eubanks, eeubanks@ajc.com (From left) Kenya Grace, Khristrie Smith and Ronnell Bass visit with a pit bull they are considering adopting at the Gwinnett County Animal Control and Welfare facility in Lawrenceville.

“We are trying to help citizens who are having financial trouble and can’t feed their animals by giving them food donated to the shelter by local merchants,” said Gwinnett police Lt. Mary Lou Respess, who is director of the county’s animal shelter. “The shelter also helps sponsor events at local pet supply stores to promote adoptions and is planning a free spay and neuter clinic this spring for pit and pit mixes, the most common breed at the shelter.”

All the adoption promotions in the world will never solve the problem, said Virginia Keller, president of the Spay Neuter Action Coalition of Georgia.

“These people just don’t get it,” she said. “There will never be enough homes for all the animals that are produced at today’s rate. Never. The answer to this problem is strictly spay and neuter.”

Madison Bragg, 8, of Lawrenceville looks in on the dogs that are up for adoption while she waits with her family for their spayed cat at Gwinnett County Animal Control and Welfare.

Keller said she has seen people repeatedly drop off puppies or kittens at the shelter with no thought that they could end the cycle with a simple operation on their dogs. Others, she said, get a $1,000 pure-bred puppy and think they’re going to get their money back by breeding it. But instead, it wanders down the street and produces some mixed-breed pups that the owner has to try to give away, she said.

“They think animal control is an adoption center,” Keller said. “No way. I don’t know how you get this idea across to people, unless they want to come and watch it happen.”

Another tack many animal rights groups take is offering to volunteer at shelters. Several groups in Gwinnett have said they would drum up volunteers, but Respess has said there are liability issues to consider when working inside the kennels.

There are some things volunteers can do. Gwinnett’s shelter has begun a program to get volunteers to walk the dogs. Gail La Berge, who heads the county animal advisory council, said the staff has found the dog-walking program improves the animals’ disposition and makes them more adoptable. She also said volunteers can sign up online and commit to times of their choice.

The Gwinnett shelter has also explored expanding hours into evenings to allow working families more time to visit and shop for a pet. Statistics show a noticeable increase in adoptions when the shelter remains open late, La Berge said, but budget cuts won’t allow for overtime, so the shelter is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

Luis Burgos rescues his runaway boxer Drago at Gwinnett County Animal Control and Welfare. All of the animals are at risk of euthanasia, as troubled times are dooming more cats and dogs.

The lean budget prompted the advisory council in mid-March to recommend increasing fees. The council, which recommends policy changes to the county commission, voted to double the charge for daily boarding to $10 and for quarantine to $200. But members balked at a suggestion to more than double the owner surrender fee from $20 to $50, fearing owners would abandon their animals on the streets. The fee was increased to $25.

Respess said the shelter offers reduced rates of $60 for spaying and neutering for animals that are being reclaimed, in lieu of the reclaim fee and subsequent boarding fees. The service includes rabies, DHLPP shots and microchip.

Other animal assistance groups operate on fewer dollars but with as much devotion.

“I think the increase is due to people losing their jobs,” said Samantha Shelton, founder and president of Furkids, the largest no-kill shelter in Georgia. “Yet there are so many resources out there that are available to people.”

Furkids operates a 5,000 square-foot facility for cats near Doraville. It also runs seven full-time adoption centers and has 20 active foster homes for dogs and kittens.

Over the past two years, the organization has seen donations plummet, yet it still offers free food and medical care to help owners keep their pets during tough times.

“I wish we could keep more of these pets in their homes, rather than people turning them over to animal control,” Shelton said.

Euthanasia counts at metro county shelters

The everyday kindness of the back roads more than makes up for the acts of greed in the headlines.                – Charles Kuralt

I found this little guy wondering around a neighborhood off of Sugarloaf Parkway on April 21, 2010. He’s very sweet, very much a lap dog and great with our other 3 dogs and our 4 cats. I’m sure someone is looking for him. He’s not neutered and was very dirty, but he’s nice and clean now. If I don’t find his people, I’ll be looking to find him a great furever home, after we have him vaccinated and neutered. I took him to Lawrenceville Suwanee Animal Hospital to be scanned for a micro-chip and he doesn’t have one.  I’m giving it a week before I have him neutered, but after that, chop chop! Ouch, poor guy. We’re calling him Chi Chi for now, just because for some reason it fits. He looks a lot like a Westie, but also has Maltese or possibly Chihuahua features- he only weighs about 4 pounds. Below are some pictures:

“To be followed home by a stray dog is a sign of impending wealth.”-Chinese Proverb-

 

UPDATE:

A couple of days after I found him, “Chi Chi’s” mom saw our fliers that we had put up and gave me a call. After giving me a nice description on his collar and mannerisms, I gave her my address so that she could pick him up. She was very grateful to have found him; her friends were taking care of him and he escaped the friend’s back yard when the yard people left the gate open. His name is actually “Prancer” and it truly fits him well. He was happy to see his mama and little human brother and they were happy to have him home! Yay, happy ending!

I read the story below, written by Josh Green, Staff Writer at Gwinnett Daily Post and it really warmed my heart. This makes me very proud to live in Gwinnett County, as this is the first time a program like this has been supported in the state, and possibly in the country. Sheriff  Butch Conway, you deserve a medal for this one.

Dogs and humans have a special bond that I would never want to live without. I know that being around animals can soften a person, I’ve seen it a thousand times! How many of you have seen a big guy with a little dog talking sweetly and in a funny voice? Or a “macho” guy walking down the road with his big, fierce looking Rottweiler and stopping to check the dog’s paw because he thought he had noticed the dog limping. This story from the Gwinnett Daily Post is a fine example of what can happen when you get dogs and humans together and I hope it gives you a smile.

A second chance: Saved from being euthanized, inmate-trained dogs ready for adoption

LAWRENCEVILLE — Josh Terza, a tatted-up Woodstock man with a stocky build and vice-grip handshake, was sentenced recently to five years in Georgia prisons for trafficking methamphetamine. But that’s not his chief concern today. Doggie jealousy is.

Locked up in Gwinnett County Jail since April, the doldrums of confinement were weighing on Terza until he was paired with “Mick” — a 1-year-old Catahoula-Aussie mix with a salt-and-pepper face, a frenzied feather of a tail and a tipsy disposition.

They hit it off. The inner dog-trainer in Terza came out. But once Mick’s tendency to jump on laps and yap at everything subsided, Terza had to take his skills elsewhere. This time to “Ramses,” a full-blooded German shepherd named for the peace-loving Egyptian ruler.

A dog-inmate-dog triangle emerged.

“You get emotionally attached,” Terza, 30, explained Friday in a jail yard, feeding Mick “good dog” treats from a pouch wrapped around his jail jumpsuit. “I feel like I’m cheating on my dog.”

The first round of the life-saving experience that is Operation Second Chance, in the estimation of those close to it, has been a success. Experts have deemed the first five animals led through the inmate-training program — Mick and pals that include Chow, Labrador and Anatolian mixes — ready for adoption.

Each dog was scheduled to be euthanized weeks ago.

Instead, the animals have endured a sort of doggie boot camp behind bars, sleeping in cages near their inmate handlers and undergoing constant training. Leaders say the program is a win-win on all fronts, in that it literally saves the animals from death while giving inmates purpose and — perhaps — viable job training for their life on the other side.

James Wilson, a housing unit deputy, said he’s noticed a “kinder, more patient” attitude among the 28 inmates chosen from 100 applicants to reside in the dog unit. Inmates accused of violent or sex crimes are weeded out in a screening process.

“In regular pods, (the inmates) like to play games,” Wilson said. “In this pod, they actually police each other” in fear they’ll loose the privilege to stick around, he said.

Only 11 fortunate pooches can be trained at one time. The sooner those are adopted, the quicker more in the Gwinnett County Animal Control euthanasia line can be cycled in, said Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Stacey Bourbonnais.

It’s the first jail program of its kind in Georgia — and likely the country, she said.

Professional trainers with Twelve Paws Canine Academy in Lawrenceville make volunteer visits to instruct inmates on proper training, even doling out “homework” assignments.

Adopted dogs come with built-in training worth about $1,500, said trainer Michael Louviere.

“They’re really getting the same social skills they’d be getting in a home setting,” he said.

The brainchild of dog lover Sheriff Butch Conway, the program is supported by the Society of Humane Friends of Georgia, who provide all necessary care, training, food and veterinary services for the dogs. Leaders stress that the cost to taxpayers is nil.

Society president Dennis Kronenfeld said adoption applicants are subject to a screening process that includes home visits. Candidates will be able to preview the dogs at the jail or area pet retailers, he said.

As for Terza, he hopes to be released in December, with credit for time served. He’s mulling the idea of printing up some business cards, maybe marketing his dog-training skills to pet care chains like PetSmart.

For now, his four-legged compadres are a substitute for his family, he said.

“I got two kids I ain’t been able to hug for a year,” he said. “This brings you joy.”

Staff Photos: Jonathan Phillips From left, inmate James Silvers trains his dog Bruno while James Sullivan works with Lady and Nicholas Holmes works with Buddy in the rec yard at the Gwinnett County Jail in Lawrenceville on Friday. The dogs are part of Operation Second Chance, a rescue and rehabilitation program that was started in February. Inmates take dogs that were to be euthanized and train them for adoption. Five of the 11 dogs in the program have completed their training and are ready for new homes.

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. -Roger Caras

Best Fit Pet Sit Services helped to sponsor the Lawrenceville Trolley Tour last year and we’re happy to announce that we are one of the sponsors this year as well. We had a blast last year! This year is going to be even more fun, with even more trolley rides available and tons of free giveaways and awesome prizes! Please check out the article below for more information. I hope to see you all there!

Trolley Tour 2010

THE TROLLEY TOUR of the Lawrenceville Community is back.

This information is currently for local business owners, but please, if you have any suggestions as someone who rode the trolley last year, or with interest for this year, please let us know.

Come join us again this year as we ride through the streets and neighborhoods of the Lawrenceville Community.    This is a positive investment in Lawrenceville community involvement.  This will benefit Local Businesses, Residents and Real Estate within our community.  We are putting this event together to be proactive in this economy and not only SURVIVE this economic downturn but THRIVE in it.   The only way do this is to be proactive yourself.  We hope you will see the positive impact this idea will have in our community.  We are open to suggestion, comments and questions.    Here how it works, TENATIVELY (always subject to change)!

Starting April 4^th 2010 through June 27^th 2010, the Trolley will run Tours on Sunday’s through Lawrenceville and Scheduled Open Houses throughout our Community. That is a total of thirteen (13) consecutive Sundays.  We are very pleased to have life-long resident and Lawrenceville’s Local Honorary Historian (Awarded in 2009 by Mayor Millsaps) Mary Long as our Trolley Tour Guide.  Each tour we will highlight Lawrenceville Square, the parks, historic graveyards, the businesses and some of the rich community history.  We will have Realtors, Builders and Developers who will have their homes open for those Sunday’s as well.   All the homes will be within the City Limits of Lawrenceville.  We have two (2) Trolleys’ this year.  Each Trolley holds approximately 30 people at a time.  We would like to have 4 scheduled tours in that day.  The tours will start at 1pm and run every hour until 5pm, the last tour starting at 4pm. We have already had several local businesses, Realtors and Developers and of course the Trolley Guy ready to make this project a GO and a WIN for the Lawrenceville Community.   We have also had suggestions (which will develop) of creating events on the square specifically for the tour.  This is great opportunity for your involvement in our community and to promote your business.

The actual Tour will be FREE to those riding the Trolley each Sunday.  Each guest on the Trolley will get a “goody bag” with Local Business marketing materials, coupons, business cards, etc. when they get off the Trolley.   This will be approximately 120 goody bags each week for 13 weeks.  We will also have a banner on both sides of both Trolley’s with the “Qualified” Sponsors Logo’s displayed.   Local television media and print media already want to do stories on the positive approach to this idea.  So there is a possibility of your business getting additional exposure to other communities as well.  As we progress with the idea there will be other ways for us to market the idea and promote it with and without cost.  There are several free internet marketing and networking opportunities to get this event out to various communities.

Interested in being a sponsor?

So, you are excited now and want to know the most important thing, the cost!  Are you ready?  $10.00 per week!   That is it! If you pay for the whole 13 weeks ($130.00) up front, than you will have the opportunity of being included in the banner display on both sides of the Trolley.  The banner will be an additional expense but depending on how many “Qualified” (those who pay 13 weeks in advance) business it will be divided equally.  So, that is it!  We hope you are interested and would like to participate.

For more information or if you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please e-mail Rodney Camren – rodney@newlawrenceville.com or call him on 404-375-1496. We look forward to hearing from you!

Come and see what makes Lawrenceville such a wonderful city to be a part of. Come and experience NEW Lawrenceville! See our video from last year.

Experience New Lawrenceville

You’ve heard of Meals on Wheels, right?  Well think of Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen as Meals on Wheels for pets.

In 1997, Tom Wargo, who’s dog Daffy is pictured below, started this much needed service. Too often people who are having money troubles think that they must give up their beloved pets because they can’t afford them anymore. Daffy’s is there for those folks to provide food every month for their pets. In the last year, Daffy’s has given away over 80 tons of pet food. The only thing that Tom asks for is that the people who come and receive pet food volunteer in the community that for at least 5 hours per month. It doesn’t have to be Daffy’s, although the organization solely depends on volunteers. You could volunteer at your church, the local animal shelter, homeless shelter, or anywhere in between. He just wants to be sure that the good deeds get “paid forward.”

Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen depends on donations. They have a warehouse in Lawrenceville with pet food of all types, but there’s a problem. Daffy’s is running very low on dry dog food and monetary donations. If you can help in any way, it is greatly appreciated and will also warm your heart. If you need pet food, don’t be shy! You will feel welcomed and they are happy to help you keep your pets fed. See the Daffy’s website for the calendar of days that they are open and stop by the warehouse:

2160 Oakland Industrial Court, Suite 100 in Lawrenceville, GA. For more information, see the website at www.daffyspetsoupkitchen.com, email at thesosclubofga@yahoo.com, or call 404-345-6821.

“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.” – Mark Twain

Daffy Wargo, Tom's inspiration for his pet soup kitchen

In this blog, I will review some of the parks in Gwinnett County cities, such as Lawrenceville, Snellville, Grayson, Dacula and Duluth, that we and our dogs enjoy visiting.

Now is the time of year when the cooler weather gives you and your dog the opportunity to take nice, long walks without the extreme temperatures and the fear of your dog over-heating is less of a concern. Here in Gwinnett County, we have some beautiful parks.

Rhodes Jordan Park

Located at 100 E. Crogan St. in beautiful Lawrenceville, Rhodes Jordan Park is 162 acres and has a pretty good sized lake to walk around. Our dogs really love watching the geese and wish we would let them chase them! The lake is 22 acres it’s self, but unfortunately it stays pretty polluted with litter. We don’t let our dogs take a dip or drink from it, and bring our own water bowl. The path around the park is 0.8 miles around, and is well kept. The park definitely tries to keep up with the amount of litter that people throw on the ground and provides plenty of garbage cans, but you know how that goes! There is no off-leash area for dogs, so bring your leashes!

Little Mulberry Park

Located at 3855 Fence Road in Auburn, Little Mulberry Park is one of our favorites. This large park is 890 acres and has something for everyone. Our dogs love to get into the muddy lake and get filthy, but we don’t mind. They have so much fun. The trails are very well maintained and there are about 5 miles of them, including two one-mile multi-purpose trails. They also have a handicap-accessible trail and more than two miles of trails through the woods, for pedestrians, bikers and horses. There are two entrances to Little Mulberry Park, one on Fence Road and the other on Hog Mountain Road. No off-leash area for dogs. This park is well worth visiting.

Tribble Mill Park

Located at 2125 Tribble Mill Parkway in Lawrenceville, this park is right on the edge of Grayson. Our dogs and we adore this park! It’s very wooded and is 700 acres. There is a paved 3.4 multi-purpose trail and also several marked soft-surface equestrian and biking trails. I read that there are an estimated total of 12 miles of trails. You will also find Ozora Lake and Chandler Lake to be quite serene; we like to stop and let the dogs take a drink and a swim here, as well. There are no off-leash areas, but our dogs still enjoy the hike.

McDaniel Farm Park

Located at 3251 McDaniel Road in Duluth, this small park is very clean and well maintained. This park’s farm buildings date back to the early 1900′s. It used to be a cotton farm and has been totally restored. It is a lovely park and we love to go there. It is very well hidden, located right off of Old Norcross Rd. by Gwinnett Mall. There are 2.5 miles of connected, clean, wide trails. There is a creek that runs though and our dogs like to take a dip and cool off in it. Again, no off-leash area, but still a fantastic park to bring your dogs.

Ronald Reagan Park

Located right on the edge of Snellville, but still in Lawrenceville at 2777 Five Forks Trickum Road, this is a great place to bring your dogs to play with other dogs in their off-leash dog park. They have 3 areas, a small dog area, a large dog area and a dog run where you can let your small and large dog play together. This was Gwinnett County’s first off-leash dog park. Ronald Reagan also has a 3/4 mile paved trail. This is a very nice park and we just love it!

Lenora Park

Located 4515 Lenora Church Road in Snellville, this is another great park that has an off-leash dog park. There is a big dog section and a small dog section. We enjoy the 1.5 mile paved trail as well. This is a pretty park, but we don’t make it out that way often.

George Pierce Park

This is an awesome park located at 55 Buford Highway in Suwanee. Although there is no off-leash area, there are great trails to walk your dogs around. There is a 2.6 mile paved multi-purpose trail and also a 1.2 mile soft surface trail. The park is clean and well maintained with wide paths.

There are other great parks in Gwinnett County to check out. Just go to Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation to find one near you.

“He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.) When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself. He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant. His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me… whenever… wherever – in case I need him. And I expect I will – as I always have. He is just my dog.” – Gene Hill